Key voters rejected Dems’ stubborn war stance
Edinburgh, Scotland: On March 5, I blogged that the ghosts of Gaza (photo) will be waiting for President Biden and Keir Starmer in the coming elections. At the time, Biden had still not accepted his frailty and stepped down.
It turns out that the British public really wasn’t that bothered about what the International Court of Justice views as potential genocide, and the party of the illegal invasion of Iraq got in on a landslide. Starmer is still happily selling weapons to kill Palestinian children (2% of the entire population to date). We’re not without our gurning fascist, Nigel Farage, and his cohorts now besmirching Parliament with their presence. However, there seems to have been a more cataclysmic effect in America.
As the sickness lingers for decent folk, many are now contemplating the influence of those voters just too disgusted at Biden’s horrible mishandling of Gaza and Netanyahu and his “world’s most moral army.” Gaza got barely a mention during Kamala Harris’ otherwise apparently well-run campaign. And, as documentary filmmaker Michael Moore pointed out, many U.S. Muslim voters live in swing states.
So, here we go, with four years of chaos and cruelty for the U.S. that, if you look at the proposed lineup of the Donald Trump team, seems set to make the last Trump stint in the White House seem almost benign. You have to wonder if there is some very harsh poetic justice buried under the political rubble. Amanda Baker
Missing voters
Northford, Conn.: There are approximately 240 million eligible voters in the U.S. Approximately 100 million didn’t vote. That means around 40% voted at all. In the 2020 election, 158 million people voted. In the 2024 election, with democracy on the line, only 150 million people voted. What happened to the millions of people who voted in 2020 and not in 2024? Most countries in the world have a better turnout. Kamala Harris got around 74 million votes. Trump got a little more than 76 million. If this was reversed, the Republicans would be screaming “rigged.” Where are the Democrats on this? I smell a rat. Alton Eliason
Cartoon cancellation
Somers, N.Y.: I’m 93 and have been a faithful Daily News reader from when your paper was 2 cents. I am a Trump supporter who still enjoyed reading your paper, as I’ve always kept an open mind to controversial topics. However, Bramhall’s cartoons, although very artistic and creative, have made me decide to cancel my subscription. Bob LaGravinese
Nefarious nominee
Bronx: I see that the president-elect picked Matt Gaetz to be attorney general. It is the equivalent to either Biden or Harris picking AOC for attorney general. So, the conservatives got to stop talking about “the Squad.” Gaetz is worse. Martin Sandok
Bad memories
Bedford, N.Y.: Voicer David Balsam says “everything was better” during Trump. I guess we truly live in alternate universes. During #45’s term, millions of people lost their jobs, thousands of companies, including hotels and restaurants, went out of business and gas prices were through the roof. We couldn’t even buy toilet paper! It was #45’s arrogance and incompetence in dealing with the pandemic that caused the deaths of more than 1.2 million Americans and more than 100 million to be hospitalized and have their lives ruined. Maybe Balsam’s memory has been affected by the bleach Trump suggested people inject to treat COVID. Céline Secada
Unbecoming conduct
Manhattan: Voicer Brian Deasy states that Trump’s caustic personality is like his commanders in Vietnam, and they “got the job done.” Brian should remember that we lost the Vietnam War. Many “caustic” officers were fragged by their own troops, and some were found guilty of war crimes. Trump’s caustic, insulting remarks and actions toward veterans are well documented, his last being a violation of rules at Arlington National Cemetery. Trump dishonored every American veteran. I’m sure that he would never show such disrespect toward the veterans of Russia, China and North Korea. As a veteran, it seems to me that the Republicans could have found a non-caustic, respectful conservative candidate instead of a draft-dodging convicted felon and sex offender. If you voted for Trump then please, don’t ever thank a veteran for their service. Vincent Novak
Bigger issues
Bethlehem, Pa.: I love reading the letters of spoiled sports who religiously bring up Trump’s convictions. Most of us who voted for him didn’t do it because of his personality but rather the border, the transgender nonsense and the flag- and neighborhood-burning leftists. You people targeted him from Day One, ignoring the fact that he wasn’t a sexist, racist, homophobe, etc. when he was a TV star. I hope the next four years for you people are as lousy as the last four years were for the thinking class. Michael McConnell
We pay it
Slidell, La.: Voicer Eugene R. Dunn either never took an economics class in his life or he took one and slept through it. For the final time: The U.S. does not have the authority to impose any taxes on any foreign country. Why is this too complicated for the MAGA faithful to understand? Tariff costs are imposed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry and must be paid for by any American company that is the importer of record of the goods subject to a tariff. Tariff costs are then added to the price of the product sold along with other costs, like shipping, labor and materials — the price of which, all added together, is paid for by American consumers. What is so complicated about this concept? Americans pay the tariffs! Not China! Gerard Kay
Inherited wealth
Staten Island: Buried deep in Saturday’s paper is an article, “Consumers still spending, and econ still rising” (Nov. 16). It notes that Americans “stepped up their spending,” resulting in “driving the economy’s steady growth.” Auto sales, electronics, appliances, restaurants and bars are leading the way. While some of this reflects higher prices, much of it is genuine increased purchasing. However, grocery prices are still a challenge for many. As Wells Fargo put it, “People may not love how much it costs to go out, but their bar and restaurant spending is growing faster than prices are.” Other economic indicators show “inflation has sunk to 2.6%” and “Americans’ take-home pay, on average, has surpassed inflation for about 18 months.” The groundwork is in place and the table is now set up very favorably for the next administration. Let’s hope they don’t mess it up! Gina Ottrando
Bakery blew it
Boynton Beach, Fla.: At the very least, the owners of Holtermann’s Bakery were guilty of bad business (“Staten Island bakery denies refusing Whoopi Goldberg’s order over politics,” Nov. 14). A customer called with a large order (at least $200) for delivery in two weeks that they couldn’t commit to due to a broken machine. In the meantime, the equipment was fixed. Why wouldn’t they have contacted Whoopi to ask if she was still interested in ordering the pastries? Andrew LeWinter
Shunned
Brooklyn: Did I ever tell you my personal story about Dave Sims? It was his “Crazy Hat Night” at the Mariners game. My kids, their friends and I were thrilled to have our crazy hats judged by Sims. He approached our seats in the designated section. He looked in our direction, our eyes locked and Dave quickly looked the other way and never looked at me, my kids or our crazy hats the entire time that he was there to judge hats. I was snubbed by Dave Sims! I wonder if it was because me and my kids are Black. Stanley McKie
Losing lineup
Rochelle Park, N.J.: Another fine mess the N.Y. Giants are in due to poor hiring once again! Brian Daboll, the offensive quarterback guru, lol — yeah, looks like Josh Allen is really missing him in Buffalo! Maybe it’s the coaching and not the lousy job of roster building these two joined-at-the-hip clowns have done! Let Saquon Barkley go for nothing? Let Xavier McKinney leave for nothing? Instead of trading and getting draft picks, they trade for a washed-up tight end that would rather be a rapper than a football player, Darren Waller, and they gave up draft picks for this multiple-times-suspended player! What a joke! B. Boyle