To the Editor:
Re “D.N.C. Issues, but Undercuts, Its ’24 Autopsy” (front page, May 22):
Published highlights of the Democrats’ so-called autopsy of the 2024 election suggest that it is actually a little more insightful and productive than early critics have suggested. That being said, I don’t see evidence that the report touched on two of the most glaring and obvious issues in the 2024 Democratic defeat. Those issues were race and gender.
In a country still struggling with sexism and racism, Kamala Harris also had to contend with all of the challenges that the report does manage to identify. Still, this kind of myopia (or squeamishness about identity issues) in dodging what was an obvious factor in the election shows weakness. Only by being ruthless with itself can the Democratic Party hope to pull even with its Republican opponents.
Let’s remember that Donald Trump has won elections only against women. He bested Ms. Harris in the popular vote by 1.5 percentage points. Whatever Trump clone or disciple or impersonator takes to the trail for Republicans in the next election, Democrats will need a candidate who’s fit for the time and place we’re actually living in.
Peter Muller Wilmington, Del.
To the Editor:
Re “In Dissecting ’24 Loss, Democrats’ Report Ignores Gaza and Biden’s Age” (news article, May 23):
The Democratic Party’s recent autopsy report on the 2024 presidential election shows that while the Democrats are quick to claim that President Trump represents an existential threat to democracy, they are unwilling to run candidates capable of winning a presidential election or even issue a timely election post-mortem. This is beyond infuriating.
Democrats should convene a post-mortem on the 2024 election that goes beyond the party administrative leaders and includes elected leaders like Jamie Raskin or Mikie Sherrill. This effort should evaluate the party’s stand on numerous key issues — such as Gaza, Ukraine, immigration, reproductive freedom, gun safety legislation — and come forward with a clear commitment for how Democrats would govern.
If the Democrats hope to achieve lasting success beyond the pendulum of the coming midterms, where success may be short-term, a new report and commitment to accountability is needed.
Samuel A. Turvey Leonardo, N.J.
To the Editor:
Re “How Democrats Can Win, According to This Nobel Economist” (Opinion Roundtable, nytimes.com, May 24):
Richard Thaler’s analysis of the Democratic nomination process highlights a central truth: In 2028, Democrats cannot indulge in choosing the candidate they personally find most inspiring. They must choose the one who can clearly define the nation’s major problems as they are experienced in the swing states that will decide the election — and who can present credible solutions in a way that persuades a national television audience.
Mr. Thaler is right that Democrats often mistake their own preferences for the electorate’s. The next president will be chosen by independents and crossover voters, not by the most ideologically committed primary participants. The party needs a nominee who can speak to economic insecurity, institutional drift and the erosion of public trust with clarity and executive seriousness. It needs a nominee who understands governing and can build a responsive administration.
Democrats should take Mr. Thaler’s warning seriously. The stakes demand a nominee who can win — and govern.
James Jordan Falls Church, Va.
Single at a Wedding
To the Editor:
Re “I’m Unhappily Single. Do I Have to Attend My Friend’s Wedding?” by Lori Gottlieb (Ask the Therapist column, nytimes.com, May 7):
As a single man in his 30s who has attended 50 weddings, I found the author’s column misguided because it missed something important about what weddings fundamentally are.
I understand the loneliness of being single at weddings. I have flown across the country and the world to sit at tables filled entirely with couples. At receptions, I have been asked “Are you dating anyone?” by married friends and strangers alike. I have watched friends build lives and families while quietly wondering whether my turn will come.
But part of adulthood is learning how to hold two emotions at once: happiness for someone else and sadness for yourself.
The advice treats attendance as optional whenever celebration becomes emotionally complicated. But weddings are communal milestones, among the rare moments when people from every chapter of someone’s life gather in one room at the same time. To be invited into that room is meaningful.
Sometimes friendship means buying the flight anyway, putting on the black tie and showing up for people you love.
Loneliness is real. But withdrawing from moments that create connection rarely cures it.
Ninio Fetalvo Washington
The post How Democrats Can Avoid the Mistakes of 2024 appeared first on New York Times.
