I sent my original letter to the editor asking what “MAGA” meant (Nov. 13) because I wanted to promote mutual understanding in the midst of bitter political division and mistrust.
Until I read her last paragraph, I thought that Jennifer McDonald was interested in that as well. Sadly, like Karen Murphy Ballash, who accused me of not loving American enough (Nov. 30), Ms. McDonald accused me of not being a “true American” because I have been a “Never Trumper” (Dec. 18).
Are all MAGA supporters incapable of responding to people who disagree with them without questioning their love of country? I hope not, because nothing could be more un-American that questioning someone’s patriotism over a political disagreement.
Moreover, while I did not vote for him, I fully acknowledge that Donald J. Trump has been duly elected as the next president of the United States. That’s more than many MAGA supporters did for President Biden in 2020.
As with Ms. Ballash’s letter, I found a number of points in Ms. McDonald’s letter that I agree with. For example, America was great when college and other post-high school education was affordable, but that has been in increasing jeopardy. The future of America is at risk if we cannot provide affordable post-high school education for all Americans.
She, like Ms. Ballash, writes that America was great when it took on the Nazis, the Soviet Union and Iran, but she didn’t mention Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Presumably she would tell him to FOAD as well (her words, not mine), but will President Trump?
Reading Ms. McDonald’s and Ms. Ballash’s letters makes me long for another time when America was great — when people of different political beliefs spoke to each other with respect rather than invective and worked together to come up with bipartisan, practical solutions that best meet the needs of our country.
We saw a brief glimmer of that last January when a group of senators worked out a bipartisan immigration bill to address one of the most contentious issues facing our country. Unfortunately, candidate Trump torpedoed it, letting the problem fester for at least another year.
I hope that MAGA supporters will agree with me that America is great when we approach our problems with a bipartisan spirit of getting the job done. I for one would welcome discussions with MAGA supporters in that spirit.
Ed Rutan
Pinebrook