Letters

Joe Biden ran as a moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders. He ran as the alternative to Donald Trump. He ran as a unifier, a figure to bridge the extremes of both parties and representative of the sensibilities of the broad middle of our citizenry.

It is not too soon to declare that this was pure fiction.

It comes as no surprise that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has embarked on a bitterly partisan path to create new legislative initiatives that are designed to insult the 45 million voters who didn’t have confidence that the election results were established without major irregularities. If you are reading this as a Democrat, let me beg your indulgence a bit longer.

Provable or not, your fellow Americans have become distrustful of the process that is the bedrock of our democracy: the voting process. Addressing this doubt should be at the top of any list of priorities taken up by the party in power. It should be their duty to remember that they represent all Americans and our standing in a world where democracy is rare and fair elections rarer.

This brings me to the attempt by Democrats to create legislation that will supersede state election rules in a blatant attempt to remove rational safeguards that ensure that the person voting is who they say they are. Early mail-in voting is a naked attempt at herding votes. I have no issue with either party getting out their vote, but how they are cast is the question.

Providing verifiable identification for each vote is at the heart of the debate. This minimal requirement is too draconian for Democrats, who call any attempt at scrutinizing a ballot “voter suppression.” To this end, their effort to expand the voting laws to permit voting — early, late and unverifiable — is taking the form of legislation.

So, how does this deliberate insult to the already aggrieved millions of Republicans serve the country? It doesn’t. It is another unfortunate example of power politics that perpetuates the dysfunction we see in our governance.

Where is the statesmanship that values all Americans? Not in Pelosi’s Congress. Not in Schumer’s Senate. Not from the man who campaigned (when he actually appeared) on his word and decency as a foil to his opponent, Donald Trump.

Present Biden has been unable or unwilling to do what he promised. A stark contrast to his predecessor. Only the backlash in the 2022 congressional elections will fix this.

Ed Surgan

Westhampton