Inquirer letters: Philly 'did our part'

No one was more disappointed in Tuesday's election results than me.

Philadelphia did our part. We produced votes, energy, and financial resources to fuel Hillary Clinton's historic candidacy, but it wasn't enough.

Few people did more to elect Hillary and NOT elect Donald Trump than I did. But we need to move forward. Trump will be the president of the United States of America, and we are all Americans. He will be our president, and we should give him a chance to work for all of us. His success could be Philadelphia's success. Where he opposes our interests, no one will work harder to stop him than me.

We have work to do - creating jobs, rebuilding schools, keeping gun violence from our streets - and that fight remains no matter who is president.

I'm ready to get to work, and I know Philadelphia is as well. And, where the president-elect is on our side, I welcome him enthusiastically.

|Bob Brady, chairman, Philadelphia Democratic Party

The outcome of this presidential election has shattered the fabric of this nation. The rhetoric of the winning candidate displayed many of the worst attributes of humanity: racism, bigotry, misogyny, narcissism, lack of empathy, vulgarity. And now those are being openly displayed by many who supported him. And violence has taken place.

Add the candidate's lack of knowledge and understanding of how the world really works, which has put this country in a precarious position. It will allow our enemies to aggressively seek ways to undermine our strengths. It can, and has, made our allies doubt our commitments.

For those of us of mature years and many others, this election was to be an affirmation of our commitment to equality and the principles we have aspired to and fought for. The result has left me still clinging to those principles but no longer feeling that this is my country. Tears do not bring relief.

|Genevieve S. Bullock, Phoenixville, genbullock@verizon.net

Your analysis of voting in Potter County tells us that distrust of the government runs high ("Trump Country," Sunday).

"People around here are tired of career politicians," one resident said. And that, no doubt, explains why Sen. Pat Toomey got only 78 percent of the vote there against Democrat Katie McGinty.

|Michael Mannella, Philadelphia, memannella@yahoo.com

I was incredulous reading the analysis, "For Trump, votes from white women proved to be critical" (Saturday). One such voter criticized Hillary Clinton for not publicly denouncing President Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Absurdly, that amounts to faulting Hillary for her husband's bad behavior (Melania Trump stands by her man, in spite of everything).

Another voter was willing to overlook Trump's vulgarity to embrace his promises of prosperity and security. I'm mystified as to how she finds these promises credible, coming from someone who has refused to honor his business commitments and whose university allegedly has swindled hardworking Americans who trusted Trump to improve their lives. Think!

|Leslie Fenton, Devon

Will Bunch's column mentioned his college-student son's despondency over Donald Trump's victory ("There's Only One Truth About Trump," Thursday). My granddaughter, a freshman at Tulane University; her friends; and many others on campus were similarly despondent the morning after the election.

Bunch's son realized that Trump's victory indicated the need for more education and enlightenment of Americans and a possible need to protest actions of the new president. In the case of my granddaughter, she pulled herself together, walked to the College of Liberal Arts, and declared a major in political science. She knew the importance of this election and was determined to put herself in a position to possibly influence future elections - and perhaps be a candidate herself.

|Gerald D. Klein, Elkins Park

It has become popular to call disgruntled Hillary Clinton voters "whiny." Whiny is a tired toddler or a teenager with too much homework. But, is it whiny to be concerned about Donald Trump's ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin? Is it whiny to worry about Trump's ignorance about global warming and lack of desire to protect our land and water from pollution? Is it whiny to be frightened of the racist and sexist taunts that have sprung up in the wake of Trump's inflammatory rhetoric? I hope Trump supporters can understand that these are not trivial annoyances. More than that I hope us "whiners" stay more informed and vigilant than ever and continue to make our voices heard.

I will continue to whine about my daily inconveniences, but don't call my deep concern for the future of this great country whining.

|Paula Love, Royersford