Letters

A friend I grew up with and have been very close with has decided my politics are so unpalatable that he won’t be in touch. I have found friends who hate Donald Trump unable to tolerate all alternative (conservative) views on our politics. It has been a sobering experience and one that I’m confident I’m not alone in.

A comment my friend made struck a chord: “Ed, you don’t always have to follow the party line.”

I had to think about that one. My conclusion was that he got it backward. It’s been quite noticeable of late, but it’s actually progressive Democrats who govern in group-think. Where do you see any disparity in their thinking?

On the contrary, my conservative Republicans are fractured by divisions of opinion on many subjects, not the least of which is the popularity of the former president and his candidacy. It currently appears to be a tough job finding a viable conservative who can win the coming primary.

Democrats and their media allies, on the other hand, are united in the total destruction of Donald Trump. The demonization of all Republicans is easy when making Trump the face of their party. But while this is a false narrative, it is a very useful one.

But all is not well among Democrats. With the Biden announcement of his reelection candidacy, moderate Democrats seem to have had enough of this disconnected and radicalized president. Dems want out.

Joe doesn’t do press conferences, does only canned events, can’t maintain focus, has minimal factual grasp, and his foreign policy activity is totally ceremonial (Wall Street Journal, April 27). Biden’s sole qualification is that he isn’t Trump.

And so we Americans deserve what we get for leadership. We have allowed personalities to supersede the importance of policy. Democrats value appearance over substance. Hey, Hollywood is their megaphone. But you can’t govern for long claiming you are elegantly clothed in equality, diversity and equity, and yet bare naked when foreign policy, economic policy, energy policy, and border security are on display. Clearly, even my Democrat friends can now see more clearly, as polls among them are almost two-to-one against Biden running.

Frankly, we have wasted a lot of irreplaceable time meeting the priorities this nation truly needed to address. We have squandered trillions of dollars socializing our government. We have enabled populations in our largest cities to feel free of the obligation of civil behavior. We have emasculated our law and its enforceability. Our border hemorrhages strangers we will never find. Does anyone agree anymore on the definition of a woman?

When will the true majority of sane Americans start talking to each other and restore some common sense?

Ed Surgan

Westhampton