Letters to the Editor

Midterm offerings

Editor, the Journal,

Well, as I write this, a few midterm elections still drag on. The Republicans may still win the House, but the Democrats managed to gain a tie in the Senate. Our silver-tongued vice president will have to once again, for a couple of years anyway, cast the tie-breaking vote there.

These elections show us to be a closely divided, if not tribal, people. Even so, the Dems are doing cartwheels and victory laps as if they won the whole enchilada. This is typical behavior of people in a party frequently overconfident for all the wrong reasons. 

Take Pennsylvania, for example. I am appalled that the Dems managed to elect John Fetterman to the Senate. The Senate! Mr. Fetterman suffered a stroke in May, and, like President Joe Biden, has been having very noticeable cognitive difficulties.

Republicans did not vote against Fetterman because of his medical issue, but due to his politics, which are pure left-wing-radical. Biden would applaud them. On crime? Fetterman would free all criminals. Energy? He would ban all fracking in the state. But in the debate with Mehmet Oz one week before the election, he was all for fracking. Please.

Dems like to feature party hotshots or Hollywood luminaries at their rallies. When Kathy Hochul ran for governor of New York against Republican Lee Zeldin (he lost), she strolled out on stage with the other two Stepford Wives, Kamala Harris and Hillary (Urp) Clinton. New Yorkers. Good luck on the subways.

Some Democrats won their races simply because they were still alive and/or lived in solid blue states. One such example was Washington’s own long-time Sen. Patty Murray. Townhall.com columnist Kurt Schlichter called Washington a “communist garbage state” where challenger Tiffany Smiley lost to Murray. I suspect (and hope) we will see Ms. Smiley again.

Republicans did well also. Gov. Ron DeSantis cleaned the Democrat’s clock in his race. So did Sen. Marco Rubio. Florida is now solid red. Michael Lawler beat Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Sean Maloney (of Chef Boyardee fame) in New York. This is the first time the DCCC chair has lost in 40 years. The Dems still haven’t a clue as to what’s happening to them or, owing to their party’s leaders, the entire country.

These elections are an embarrassing mess and need much work. The first day of the election, word flashed over the networks that Arizona was having trouble with around 30% of its voting machines. I could then sense tens of thousands of Americans instantly thinking …

R.E. Graham, Union

Thoughts on silver

Editor, the Journal,

In the Olympics, the person who comes in second receives the silver medal. The winner of the medal proudly displays it.

In elections, there is a second-place winner who often tries never to refer to the outcome of that race. It is not revered as is the silver medal of the Olympics. And yet the person who entered the race, campaigned to win, and did the best job possible should realize that this isn’t the end. Yes, the campaign is finished. But the need for engagement, conversation and solutions to joint problems is still very much front and center.

As owner of the silver medal in this election, you’ve shown that you’re working for our community, region and state. Let’s now join together and raise our eyes above the level of party politics to look at what our community needs.

What’s troubling about parties is that they’re inherently flawed: they are divisive and directive. They require us to label ourselves and put us into a subjective place where we’re asked to think and respond a certain way, for always. That isn’t the best place to be to propose new solutions or think creatively.

We all believe that our neighborhoods, our communities and our region need the best we have to offer. Let’s all think back over the days of this campaign and sift out the ideas which had merit, and which deserve fine-tuning and longer-term consideration together.

Thank you, silver medalist, for signing up to run. Thank you for giving us a choice and presenting ideas for us to think about. Thank you for continuing to care and being willing to work for solutions to problems, and to celebrate the successes of our community.

Today is a new day. Make it the best one you can by doing the best work you can do. You made some new friends in this campaign. Keep them. And expand that circle of friends by offering to work with all who want to address the issues that concern you.

You look very good in silver.

Yours in democracy,

Cheryl Williams, Lynn Busacca, Dee Ann Kline, Francesca Ritson, Leadership Team, League of Women Voters of Mason County