Letters: Time for women to take reins, Bernie supporters to back Hillary

ISSUE | CAMPAIGN 2016

Women's time has come

I watched the Democratic National Convention on Monday with great excitement and sadness ("After a storm, calls for unity," Tuesday).

After 50 years of unrelenting effort, and in spite of the prejudice against women in this country, Hillary Clinton has persevered with remarkable strength to finally arrive at the moment when the women of this country will no longer be denied our rightful place in the seats of power. That is the reason for my excitement, and as I listened to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, first lady Michelle Obama, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and other speakers, I was proud of the party's deep bench compared with the embarrassing shallowness displayed at the Republican National Convention. I have spent my life in pursuit of a more perfect union for us all, and there it was for me to enjoy with profound gratitude and satisfaction.

I was embarrassed and disappointed by the boorishness of the Bernie supporters. For them to assert that Clinton is evil or dishonest demonstrated their naïveté and lack of gratitude for having been allowed to use the Democratic organization that they did not build and have no intention of supporting to advance their narrow agenda. I believe in their right to be heard and wish they realized that others have the same right.

|Barbara Brewton, Young Harris, Ga., axobrewton@windstream.net

Religion not the issue

In response to Brad Marshall, chief financial officer of the Democratic National Committee, who asked whether Sen. Bernie Sanders "believes in God," I couldn't care less whether Sanders is an atheist ("Turmoil at the top," Monday).

I care that he addresses the issues that are important to me. Among them are raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour over several years, ensuring equal pay for women who perform the same work as men, addressing the prohibitive cost of college tuition, overturning Citizens United and making campaign funding transparent, developing a humane immigration program, and increasing affordable housing.

Anyone can be an effective president regardless of race, sex, sexual preference, religion, or non-religion. I've lived to see prejudices disappear when a Catholic, a black man, and a woman were nominated for president. Maybe I will live long enough to see an atheist nominated.

|Judy Rubin, Philadelphia

Putin's motives a concern

Why fuss about some emails between Democratic Party operatives that were simple gossip or persuasive banter? What should be the concern or the outrage is that Russian President Vladimir Putin sees Donald Trump as an ally and may have used hackers to help the Republican nominee win in November. Maybe enemies do make strange bedfellows, but for what reason? That should be the focus of our concern, not the emails.

Distractions like this can cause a huge misstep that we might regret for years. Putin is hoping we take the bait and elect Trump. Don't be a sucker.

|Ernie Sherretta, Broomall

Move over, Santa - you've got company

At the opening of the Democratic National Convention, the mayor of Baltimore thanked God for the wisdom to nominate Hillary Clinton for president. The reference to God was greeted with a chorus of boos.

We once were ridiculed for booing Santa Claus. What are we to make of this?

|Stephen Hanover, Doylestown

Sanders supporters need to wise up

I cannot understand Bernie Sanders' supporters not supporting Hillary Clinton ("A call for unity," Tuesday). They must have no clue what a Donald Trump presidency would do to their future.

If they care about nothing else, I would think climate change and Supreme Court appointments would get their attention. It is unfathomable to imagine a president in 2016 who doesn't believe in science and understand the urgency for action on climate change.

Many young people are so rigid and uncompromising because they were raised in a world in which everyone got a trophy just for participating. Now they are in the real world, with no idea how to act when they don't win. I hope they wake up in the next few months and realize the vast difference in their options.

|Kit Miller, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Mayor's shout-out

for soda tax

In his address on immigration to Democratic delegates Monday, Mayor Kenney paused to pat himself on the back for being the first mayor of a major American city to secure a soda tax ("Kenney's history lesson," Tuesday). He casually mentioned that his success followed two attempts to pass a soda tax, conveniently omitting that those times he voted against the tax as a councilman.

Kenney understood then that the tax was regressive, discriminatory (singling out one industry), and likely unconstitutional. As a mayor fixated on funding his ambitious first-term agenda, he rationalized that his prior, legitimate concerns were less important than fulfilling his campaign pledges, no matter how unfair the funding formula may be.

Kenney also referred to his chat with an unnamed immigrant restaurant owner who he claimed supported the tax despite the fact that it would cost the restaurateur beverage sales. I'd sure like to meet that person and introduce him to hundreds of fellow restaurateurs and grocery store owners who oppose the soda tax because of the harm it will do to their businesses. A court fight looms.

|Daniel H. Grace, secretary-treasurer, Teamsters Local 830, Philadelphia, dgrace@team830.org