Letters to the Editor | Nov. 10, 2024
Inquirer readers on the results of the presidential election.
Election fatigue
It was nice not to hear one election commercial, text, or phone call after Tuesday. What’s done is done. Politicians promise a lot. Time will tell what is puffery and what is not. No doubt comedians and late-night talk show hosts will have plenty of material to keep them busy. Some of us may have to find solace laughing through the tears.
K. Mayes, Philadelphia
To-do list
Donald Trump won the presidency in a fair 2024 election. I wonder if he will now acknowledge that he did indeed lose in a fair 2020 election. For the future, we must all hope that sane minds somehow ameliorate Trump’s worst instincts, such as inappropriately appointing the unstable Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine denier, to “take charge of our health.” And we can urge President Joe Biden to do all he can to supply everything possible to Ukraine to help save it from defeat in its war with the invading Russia. Then, Biden can do something unselfish and groundbreaking: He can resign the presidency, breaking the glass ceiling and making Kamala Harris the first female president. That would be a legacy to cherish.
Joan Chinitz, Philadelphia
Heavy burden
After the first Donald Trump victory in 2016, I hoped for the best, even though logic was in opposition to any good outcome. Yet, it was so much worse than I could have ever imagined. This time I have no illusions. The possibilities of what could occur in the next four years are the stuff nightmares are made of. Even more distressing is that my fellow Americans have inflicted the upcoming trials and tribulations on an undeserving world with their votes. These voters now own all of Trump’s immoral actions, a heavy burden indeed. My only consolation is that it is not my burden to bear because I didn’t vote for him.
Jo-Ann Maguire, Norristown
Come what may
The American Experiment was never perfect, but it has appeared at times to move in a more democratic (small d), hopeful direction. But when around 60% of eligible voters show up at a critical time like this, it opens the door for a demagogue like Donald Trump. When fewer eligible voters show up, it empowers organized people with agendas. A lot of Americans who did vote sanctioned a person who tried to negate the results of our vote in 2020 through sinister unconstitutional means, who has presented an alarmingly dark vision of America in recent months, and who will now be unchecked due to a very dubious U.S. Supreme Court decision. There are a lot of things that will be debated in the coming months about how this happened, but that is the bottom line. If you don’t show up, you get what you deserve.
Bill Maginnis, North Wales
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