Letters to the Editor | Aug. 4, 2024

Donald Trump’s promise of civility in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt was not only fleeting, but it also served as the impetus for a more cynical return to rancor. In response to Vice President Kamala Harris’ meteoric rise to the top of the Democratic Party ticket, Trump began verbally assaulting her on a personal level. Perhaps what is most striking about Trump’s slanderous comments is the juvenile nature, with “crazy” and “dumb” among the most puerile.

When he called the vice president a “bum,” even some of his ardent supporters thought it unseemly, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to ask Republican members to “focus on policy, not personality.” With the election less than 100 days away, and most polls showing Harris’ favorability among likely voters going through the roof, Trump World seems to be having trouble adjusting to Harris’ impressive command of presidential politics. Even a sea change adaptation by the Trump campaign may not be enough to slow her momentum and history-making ascent to the presidency.

Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.

. . .

On Wednesday, Donald Trump accused Kamala Harris of “turning Black” for political reasons. Setting aside the certifiable fact that Harris’ dad is Jamaican, has Trump forgotten his family once pretended to be Swedish for over 20 years? After World War II, German ancestry was bad for business in a town as Jewish as New York, so Trump’s father, Fred, claimed that his family’s roots were Swedish. As late as 1987, Trump was repeating this fabrication in his book, The Art of The Deal, in which he said his grandfather came to the U.S. “from Sweden.”

Isaac Segal, Cherry Hill

In 2020, dependable, competent, and comfortable (like a large soft sweater) Joe Biden was the answer. He was the tonic we needed after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. The Republican look-at-me show starring Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Ted Cruz, and Tommy Tuberville did not deter our determined president. Biden has gotten more done for the American people in his first term than most presidents do in eight years. His legislative proposals kept passing and making our country better.

But we were all still so sad and divided. Republican storytellers went on right-wing media and wove tales of impending doom. Biden seemed in decline, and the debate of bully vs. feeble broke our hearts. And then the clouds broke. Our quirky new candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, is fun, competent, joyful, and a little silly. MAGA is mean, weird, and, suddenly, so boring. Coconuts and Venn diagrams are in, and Harris is brat. The race between the prosecutor and the felon is in full swing.

Lynn Strauss, West Chester, lynnfs921@gmail.com

Speaking before the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority on Wednesday, Kamala Harris spoke a five-word phrase. I may have heard it before. Perhaps more or different words, different order. Yet, flash! The five-word phrase grabbed me: Our differences bring us together. It is the Rosetta Stone for humans or other beasts interacting.

Harold Rosenthal, Philadelphia

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