I’m not Jewish so I am probably not “vermin” to Donald Trump, but I am sure I fit into one or more of the other groups he plans to “root out” in the unfortunate event of his reelection. And my Italian grandfather certainly suggests my blood is not “pure.”
So I appreciated your editorial on Thanksgiving Day where you pointed out that civil dialogue is very difficult when there are “bad guys,” such as Trump, on one side. And it is nice that Gov. Spencer Cox wants us to disagree better. That is all to the good.
Unfortunately, the march to the authoritarian — yes, fascist — future won’t be halted until the media and the Republicans begin to specifically and consistently reject the MAGA claims and threats.
Did Celeste Maloy or our other representatives go public with a condemnation of Trump’s screed? Not that I saw. That would move beyond civility to courage, since they would certainly be subject to threats and intimidation by the MAGA crowd.
A few, such as Mitt Romney, have done it.
Liz Cheney, anathema to MAGA, calls out lies as her response to Mike Lee’s lie about Jan. 6 showed: “Heads up, a nutball conspiracy theorist appears to be posting from your account.”
And conservative Rep. Ken Buck (R, Colorado) gave up reelection, saying, “too many Republican leaders are lying to America, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen…” (WSJ, Nov. 24, p. 4)
What is at stake in November 2024 is not just civility and better disagreeing. Rather, it is democracy and the rule of law. We should not get distracted looking at polls and treating the election as a horse race. As Jay Rosen of NYU puts it: “It is not the odds, but the stakes for U.S. democracy” that will be on the ballot. Civil dialogue will become immensely easier once Trump’s “extremism in defense of himself” is voted out.
Ken Jameson, Salt Lake City
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