I was expecting the MAGA crowd to unleash its vitriol in response to the letter from John Krump which exposed the MAGA philosophy for what it truly is, which is a cult-like adherence to the figure of Donald J. Trump and a total rejection of the principles of democracy.
The letter from reader Sue Speck disputing Mr. Krump at least did not contain the personal attacks as practiced by Trump and his allies when the truth about them is told, but other than that, the content of Ms. Speck’s letter was rife with untruths and factual misrepresentations.
The leader of the MAGA movement and presumptive candidate of the “Republican” party is no lover of democracy. On Jan. 6, 2021, he attempted, by using MAGA dupes, to overthrow our democratic government and stay in power. Mr. Trump is an autocrat who envies dictators, witness that he was meeting with Viktor Orbán, the fascist leader of Hungary, on the day of President Biden’s State of the Union address. Mr. Trump praised Mr. Orbán and the unlimited power he has in repressing democracy in Hungary.
It is no coincidence that the general tenor of conversation and debate in our country has deteriorated in the past seven years. I believe that this deterioration can be placed at the feet of Mr. Trump and his adherents. They call those who disagree with them disrespectful names and threaten them with violence. They make every effort to disenfranchise those who don’t follow their totalitarian vision. Their efforts to repress the rights of women and other groups is well-documented.
Ms. Speck belittles diversity as a negative process. Diversity is what has made this country great, but we still must recognized that there is a long way to go in the protection of the rights of women, LGBTQ and other minority groups, who are constantly under attack by the MAGA crowd.
I guess Ms. Speck was not paying attention during Mr. Obama’s campaigns for the presidency, when references to him and his wife were couched in racist tones. I distinctly remember Republican campaign events in 2008 and 2012 with people carrying stuffed toy monkeys into the event to belittle Mr. Obama. Unlike Mr. Trump, President Obama was an intelligent, thoughtful candidate whose goal was to bring us together, not to label people of a different color or religion as the other.
I agree with Ms. Speck on the importance of the next election. However, I expect that the American people will reject the MAGA message of grievance and hate and vote for the message of freedom and justice for all.
John R. Miller
West Milford