Trump may win because he is the person who may best represent this country’s current values, rather than the ideals of the past by which this country was formed.
He may be the president for a country that has become rude, bloated, self-serving and comfortable with the idea that intimidation, bullying, cheating and lying is okay if it gets you what you want. That is the approach that Trump has always used to run his businesses, and it is the way he has, and will continue, to run this country.
These values certainly represent a large number in the voting electorate. If that wasn’t true, Trump would be losing in a landslide — and he’s not.
Trump has proven, with the help of his enablers, to be capable of undermining nearly every major value embedded in the Constitution, most recently our faith in the idea of a free and fair election. And many Americans seem unfazed. His lying and deceit does not seem to bother Trump supporters. As a matter of fact, they seem to relish in the idea that he can get away with it.
He is an expert at stoking the fears that activate our primitive brains into believing that something is going to be taken away from us — or that we’re not going to get what we believe we deserve. And the more primitive the thinkers, the more likely he is to stimulate their fears. What follows is the aggression and irrationality so commonly displayed by Trump and his supporters.
The way that a large number of mainly Trump supporters have responded to the pandemic is another example of how ignorant and selfish many Americans have become. They refuse to inconvenience themselves by wearing masks or changing their habits, despite how many of their neighbors are dying. Ignoring scientists feels totally justified to them. Are they copying Trump? Or does he mirror them?
And, yes, there will still be lots of us who will continue to fight for what was once considered to be American values: playing fair, honoring our commitments, taking care of our neighbors, being truthful, defending the Constitution.
Joe Biden is right when he said this election is about the soul of the country. Things are at a tipping point, and it’s very likely that our soul will be sold to the devil in the next election in return for a delusional promise that saying you’re great means that you are.
Paula Angelone
Southampton Village
Shut Him UpFolks: it is time to take Michael Daly at his word(s), unpleasant as that may be. First: glide by his smarmy greeting card calls for “love.” His own words reveal him, above all, and consistently, a purveyor of hate and...
Suffering in SilenceWhen our world gets out of balance, we lose our comfort and security. Too much or too little of anything spikes our fear, and we lose our sense of peace. Those who have what they want and need are comfortable....
Advocate & Adjudicate?The previous administration of [Supervisor Jay] Schneiderman and current board member Tommy John Schiavoni did not give high priority to monitoring appointed public officials for ethical lapses in their private life activities. This laissez-faire policy towards ethics enforcement appears to...
Soil Is CallingIn a book titled “In Old Southampton,” Abigail Halsey reminds us that in the early days of Southampton, “every man was a farmer and a fisherman.” But those days are long gone and most people, today, have no connection to...
A Web of InterestsKudos to Craig Catalanotto [“What Are We Doing?” Letters, April 18] and Barbara Ring [“Tangled Web” Letters, April 18] for their letters to the editor shining a light on the web of special interests, conflicts of interest and misinformation that...
Dates of InfamySeptember 11 and October 7, similar dates of infamy for strong allies with similarly divergent reactions. Now gathered mobs of protesters are cheering on those who cry “Death to America” and call for the complete annihilation and genocide of the...
Your VoiceOn June 25, registered Democrats will go to the ballot box to determine who will represent their ticket for New York’s 1st Congressional District. Although CD1 has recently been held by Republicans, both parties have assumed leadership over the years....
Master ClassI thank Barbara Ring for aptly proving my point. In response to my letter [“An Alliance,” Letters, April 11], which decried the state of civic public discourse in Hampton Bays as being overtaken by misinformation, fear-mongering and conspiracy peddling, Ring...
