Letters to the Editor | Nov. 17, 2022

Donald Trump’s announced candidacy for president foreshadows a return to the crudity and dishonesty of his earlier campaigns and his administration. Trump would no more make America grand and glorious than would four more years of Caligula have improved the Roman Empire. Trump’s interest in running stems from self-interest. He hopes to avoid civil and criminal trials by running for president, an unlikely outcome. More likely would be his bilking supporters and taxpayers out of millions of dollars more and punishing his enemies, real or perceived. None of these goals would improve America. The GOP, to say nothing of the country, needs candidates who do more than dream up childish nicknames and engage in duplicity and self-aggrandizement. Real Republicans can improve the country by ignoring a man no more suited to the presidency than Georgia’s Herschel Walker is to the U.S. Senate.

Stewart Speck, Ardmore, speckstewart@gmail.com

Speaking on the impeachment of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, state House Majority Leader Kerry A. Benninghoff (R., Centre/Mifflin) was clear: “Right now, we’re in charge, and we’re going to do what we think is right.” On the strength of those words alone, it is Benninghoff who should be impeached. By “we” he means the Republicans who control the state House, but political parties are not “in charge” of anything in this country. A couple of centuries of solidifying their influence and control over our elective process has emboldened many, especially as we have seen with the Republican Party. The Democrats rarely seem able to speak with a unified voice, whereas the GOP has come to resemble star Trek’s hive-mind Borg Collective. They march in lockstep and lie as one through their appointed mouthpieces. Those who bravely dare oppose them, such as Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, quickly discover that “resistance is futile.” I’m a dedicated independent, but for too many years now the likes of Newt Gingrich, Mitch McConnell, and Donald Trump have made it impossible for me to find a Republican to support. Regarding Krasner’s impeachment, the most important, if unintended, point rings out loud and clear in Benninghoff’s arrogant and undemocratic words: “We’re in charge.”

David A. Frankel, Haddonfield

In past presidential elections, when the Democrat won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College, there are cries in The Inquirer that the system is broken and needs to be fixed. Well in these midterms, the Republicans got between five million and six million more votes than the Democrats, yet they lost the senate and may barely win the House. So is the system broken? Is democracy in crisis? Or is our system working the way it was designed?

MG Del Rossi, Blue Bell

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