Letters: Pa. voters have cast their lot

ISSUE | CAMPAIGN 2016

Pennsylvania voters have cast their lot

After Tuesday's primaries, there is even more reason to be ashamed to be a resident of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ("On the fast track," Wednesday).

In addition to a dysfunctional state government, we will have to live down the victory of the coarse, crude, ignorant Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner who has simple solutions for every problem that ails us.

Lord Donald will cause nations to cower before us, immediately eliminate all threats to our nation, bring back jobs from everywhere, and enact tax cuts that are larger than those proposed by any other presidential candidate. Perhaps most importantly, under a Trump presidency, store clerks will again say, "Merry Christmas."

Trump's hateful rhetoric has been likened to that of former Alabama Gov. George Wallace, former U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The adulation showered upon him is reminiscent of how racist leaders were elevated in the South before the civil rights era, with contempt for immigrants and religious minorities added to the mix. It is chilling for individuals of goodwill and tolerance.

It is reasonable to conclude that those who vote for a man of hatred and intolerance celebrate and espouse those traits. May God save our country from itself and its people.

|Oren M. Spiegler, Upper St. Clair, Pa.

Sanders walking a fine line to the end

Hillary Clinton does not have a mathematical lock on a first-ballot Democratic nomination for president, but we know it's hers. Rhetoric aside, Bernie Sanders knows it, too.

So, what does Sanders really want and why will he stay in the race until the end? He is a politician, and he wants what every pol wants - power, influence, and impact. If he stays in the race and continues to add delegates until the July convention in Philadelphia, he will maximize his ability to influence the Democrats' platform and have an impact on how Clinton campaigns in the general election.

The real irony, however, is that the more Sanders pushes Clinton toward his socialist proposals, the less likely she is to broaden her appeal and win the presidency. I hope Sanders understands this dilemma and will wield his influence carefully; surely he does not want a Republican victory in November.

|Ken Derow, Swarthmore

Then there were two

There are no doubts that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the nominees and Trump will be the next president. There is no there there for Clinton, despite the Inquirer's endorsement touting her experience. What experience?

As former challenger Jeb Bush said months ago, Trump is the candidate of chaos and will be the president of the same. Will the country get the leader it deserves?

|James Robison, Philadelphia, yorkimperial@icloud.com

Ungracious Clinton

Hillary Clinton and I lived in the same dorm at Wellesley College; I graduated in 1964, and she entered as a freshman in 1965. Although I'm sure most of my fellow alums are supporting her, I voted for Bernie Sanders in the New York primary. He has an important message for the country, and I'd like to see him continue to keep it before the public until the very end, but Clinton and her campaign would like to silence him.

I will vote for Clinton in November, but not with pleasure. Her sense of entitlement is not endearing, and I am tired of her Bernie-bashing. She claims that Sanders doesn't know how to get things done, but he has accompished a great deal in Congress and in Vermont and is certainly not lacking in pragmatic approaches and solutions. While he gave her a break regarding the "damned emails," she pounded him about his interview with the New York Daily News editorial board.

|Ellen Bacon, Syracuse

Sestak: Thankful for support of Senate run

I write this with a thoughtful soul, knowing I can never do justice to people who believed in me with a simple note of thanks. Your belief in me, tangible in the time, effort, and money invested in me, will be the most cherished memory I will keep from my time in politics. And that memory will find a home in the grandest sepulchre of all - the heart of a man enriched by the service of others.

I did not reach the U.S. Senate to return your service by serving America again. But I am so much richer for having met you and in your gift of faith in me. Please know I will remain indebted always for your trust that I might have served our country honorably.

|Joe Sestak, Edgmont