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Wednesday's letters: Bad words, worse actions

 
Published Oct. 11, 2016

September Letter of the Month

The winning letter critiques the major party presidential candidates.

Voters deserve better choices

If this presidential election cycle has taught us anything, it's the need for an open primary system, countrywide. No more coronations. No more extremist candidates. No more running to the far left or right in order to appease a base.

Imagine a primary where people don't vote for an R or a D, but an idea or policy. Imagine an election where we have candidates who talk about real solutions to real problems. We cannot and will not get that until we no longer vote strictly according to party and leave out half of the voting public. The moderate half.

As currently constituted, we have a candidate who was given an unfair early advantage with so-called "super delegates." This all but eliminated any real chance at a fair primary vote. The Democratic primary was a coronation, not an election. This may have been part of the reason why a good man like Joe Biden didn't run — not just the tragic death of his son, Beau.

Then you have the other party that nominated an extremist. The base reacted to his red meat propaganda and voted accordingly. No real policy debate, no real plans to fix real problems. Just divisive and at times hateful rhetoric. That kind of campaigning fires up a large crowd, sure. But it does very little in determining a candidate's plan for our future.

Had the thoughtful "no party affiliation" been allowed to vote, I am all but certain we might be having genuine, thoughtful debate about trade, Obamacare, ISIS and immigration reform. Not name-calling, innuendos and speeches weighted down with superlatives. Maybe, just maybe, we'd have choices like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Vice President Biden.

It's too late to do anything about it now; we're stuck with these two. But it isn't too late to fix it for 2020.

Allan Love, New Port Richey

Trump's lewd remarks on video | Oct. 8

Bad words, worse actions

Donald Trump's words caught on tape were disgusting, despicable and divisive. However, which is worse — a man who says disgusting things with his mouth yet supports the right to life of innocent babies, or a woman who says nice things with her mouth yet supports the killing of innocent babies through abortion, including the despicable partial-birth abortion? You be the judge.

Morris (Mike) Mirabella, Tampa

Shifting standards

It looks like Donald Trump is guilty of being a man of his times. I have a bulletin for the metrosexual denizens of our newsrooms: Men have always talked about women in stark terms and always will. Perhaps this isn't now acceptable, at least publicly, but it's unfair to measure past generations using the yardstick of today.

Every day I hear dialogue on TV that was taboo when I was younger, and I see product ads that discuss personal topics that were unspoken not so many years ago, but I don't presume to condemn them or to insist that those who create them apologize to me.

If you don't like what Trump says, suck it up and get over it. The behavior standards of today aren't necessarily the "correct" ones, and they're going to change anyway.

John S.V. Weiss, Spring Hill

Nation needs new direction

Donald Trump engaged in "locker room" banter that was crude and is now used to whip up sentiment against him. Have none of you ever been guilty of such remarks? What about Hillary Clinton's use of profanity and temper tantrums? I understand that she constantly uses "g-- d---" to castigate her staff, Secret Service, servants, etc. I am 79 years old, a Bible study teacher and have heard it all during my years. I am not offended by what someone says, rather what they do.

I am much more concerned about the political ramifications of another Democrat in the White House. The eight years of Barack Obama have been devastating for our country, and under Clinton we will have more of the same. We will be completely destroyed.

Donald Trump is not a polished politician who has been thinking about his every remark for the last 30 years. He offers us a chance to turn our country around. I think of the words of Jesus who said, "If you are without sin then cast the first stone." Are you one of the self-righteous bigots trying to cast stones now?

Brenda Kinley, Tampa

True face of Republicanism

Few things are as poignant as Republican politicians trying to deny Donald Trump. Trump is a real Republican. He just doesn't hide behind a respectable mask.

Thirty years of Reagan, Gingrich, Norquist, Limbaugh, Murdoch, Hannity, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Palin, Giuliani and Christie created a smug, arrogant, mean, selfish, bigoted, sexist, fiscally irresponsible, willfully ignorant demagogue. Is anybody surprised?

The Republican Party has lost its moral compass. If it makes money, it's good; if it's for the common good, it doesn't matter.

Trump is the inescapable result. What Republican politicians fear is that people will realize that, to one degree or another, every one of them is Donald Trump.

Stuart Smith, Bradenton

Hillary Clinton for president | Oct. 9, editorial

Clinton's awful record

That the Times would recommend Hillary Clinton is a no-brainer, but in times like these when we have two candidates who are not qualified for president I would think it would better serve your readers for the paper to not recommend anyone.

To think that anyone would recommend a woman who has been proven over and over again to be a liar, who has used her position in government to enrich herself and her husband and daughter, who placed our country in peril by using a private server to send classified documents, is nothing short of shameful.

Sharon DiPiazza, Seffner