I am writing in response to the recent letter entitled, “Despite our political differences, we must listen to each other.”
It appears that Ed Goeas and Celinda Lake believe that the differences between Democrats and Republicans are simply a matter of policies, and if both parties just sit down and listen to one another, we can get past the toxic political climate in the country.
My questions to Goeas, in particular, are, how do I get past the racism, white nationalism, antisemitism, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ and xenophobic rhetoric of the Republicans in Congress? Where do I find common ground with those people? Like Marjorie Taylor Greene who talks of “Jewish space lasers.” Or Matt Gaetz, who has been under investigation for trafficking minors. Or Jim Jordan, who turned a blind eye to sexual abuse at Ohio State University, not to mention was apparently involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection along with Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, et al.
The party that scared their voters during the midterm election with inflation and high gas prices, and told them they would fix those issues, are now putting together hearings on Hunter Biden’s laptop, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the FBI and the Jan. 6 committee. What does any of that have to do with making the lives of the American people better?
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The answer is, it doesn’t. And the reason is that the Republicans have no policies. They don’t know how to govern, and given the chance will again vote for Donald Trump to be president. The most venal, incompetent, malicious, vindictive and corrupt person to ever occupy the White House.
The Republican idea of governing is lower taxes for their wealthy friends and scaring the American people into believing government is “out to get them” and that Black and brown people are going to take their stuff. So until the so-called “normal” Republicans purge their party of Trump and his followers, including those in Congress, we having nothing to talk about.
Susan Lovell, DeKalb
Political compromise never goes both ways
The recent letter to the Sun-Times calling for harmonious relations between Republicans and Democrats is commendable but fatally flawed, largely because it implies that both sides are to blame for the contentious state of our nation’s political climate
First and foremost, Democrats and Republicans are not different sides of the same political coin. Although Democrats tend to bend over backwards trying to placate their Republican counterparts, they rarely receive any willingness to compromise on any substantive issues from the GOP. No matter how ardently they attempt to gain bipartisan support for a given matter, the vast majority of Republican politicians will adamantly oppose their efforts.
Ed Goeas and Celinda Lake write that “we must seek compromises with our friends and colleagues, even if we are forced to sacrifice something valuable”.Such a strategy,of course, would never be reciprocal. It would be the same old playbook of the Democrats being manipulated and used by a Republican party that is becoming more and more totalitarian every day.
Before any talk of compromise can begin, the Republican Party must purge itself of its increasingly growing fascism, something that doesn’t seem likely at this time.
Samuel C. Small, Roseland
Biden vs. Trump
In response to Monday’s letter from Stephen Zahareas: the FBI did not have to raid the White House or the Biden home since all classified documents were turned over voluntarily — big difference from Donald Trump!
Bob Hiebert, Near North Side
