To the Editor:
Re “A Trump Obsession That Carries a Cost for Democracy,” by Peter Baker (news analysis, nytimes.com, July 17):
In his excellent piece about President Trump’s prime-time speech on Thursday night, Mr. Baker quotes Trevor Potter, a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, who compared the president’s claims of a rigged 2020 election to Captain Ahab’s obsession with the white whale in “Moby-Dick,” by Herman Melville. That is like comparing a light wind to a hurricane.
The president’s speech was a crystal-clear warning of the lengths to which he might go if his party appears to be losing control of Congress in November. I came away feeling that he might even declare a national emergency and cancel the midterms entirely.
There is one clear way for Americans to ensure that the midterm elections are free and fair: Get out and vote!
Henry A. Lowenstein McLean, Va.
To the Editor:
As a 94-year-old, I’ve lived through other dark periods in our nation’s history, but President Trump’s intentions as stated on Thursday night are dark indeed.
Our country’s founders did their best to forestall what went wrong with past systems of government by instituting an ingenious system of checks and balances, but for some time now, this hasn’t been enough to stop our current slide toward autocracy. The founders couldn’t have foreseen the effect of modern celebrity culture, irresponsible instant communications and neglect of civic education combined with leadership affected by an evident personality disorder.
When at last the country is ready for a new beginning, we must update our Constitution, shore up our laws, defeat the special interests and improve our civics teaching in order to prevent further damage to our democracy from people like this president.
To start: Repeal Citizens United, undo the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Trump v. United States and repair the damage done recently to the Voting Rights Act.
Once again, it is necessary to appeal to “the better angels of our nature” and reconstruct our polity — this time to defend our right to vote.
Nicholas Reinhardt Concord, Mass.
To the Editor:
The country is at war with Iran, with no clear end in sight. Tens of millions of Americans are breathing in the smoke of wildfires — many getting sick, some even dying. The president speaks to the nation in prime time. Does he address the current crises? No. He wants to obsess about his loss in the 2020 election and cast doubt on the security of our elections without evidence.
In fact, the evidence shows that our elections are secure. But where will the war take us? What is the plan? And who will secure the quality of our air?
Kent Rissmiller Jefferson, Mass.
To the Editor:
It should be obvious by now that the biggest threat to free and fair elections is the president of the United States.
Leslie Turpin Westminster West, Vt.
A View From Canada
To the Editor:
Re “Canada’s Fires Shroud States in Perilous Air” (front page, July 17):
Americans need to be reminded that when they are under threat from natural disasters, Canadians don’t criticize our neighbors. We offer to help.
Julia Bowkun Toronto
Ultrarich Men Who Kidmax
To the Editor:
Re “Is Kidmaxxing the Ultimate Status Symbol for Ultimate Wealth?,” by Anna Louie Sussman (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, July 1):
Ultrarich men who make plain their desire to sire an extreme number of children clearly do not want the sort of close relationship with a son or a daughter that most fathers want.
Instead, they regard children as little more than possessions, much as they regard adults as potential sources of greater income, i.e. as consumers.
A father cannot give the same degree of attention to raising one of his dozens of offspring that he could give to a child who has a more normal number of siblings.
The kind of competitive kidmaxxing described in Ms. Sussman’s essay says a lot about the men who engage in such behavior. It does not speak well for them.
Seth Wittner Worcester, Mass.
The post Trump’s Dangerous Election Claims appeared first on New York Times.
