The truth is, Democrats demonize and “other” Republicans as much as the other way around. It’s time to have leadership nudge our divided country toward real dialogue and reconciliation, in brave, practical and highly visible ways.
Mary Grover
Oakland, Calif.
To the Editor:
Re “We Still Don’t Really Understand Trump,” by Frank Bruni (Sunday Review, Nov. 8):
Like Mr. Bruni, I wonder how more than 70 million Americans could have voted for Donald Trump. I understand that many who live away from large, diverse urban areas believe that “elites” look down on them and have strong negative feelings about nonwhites and immigrants. That said, I am baffled as to why his failure to manage Covid and its economic fallout — which must have affected many directly — wasn’t more important in their electoral decisions.
Part of the answer is that many of them do not share the view that, in fact, he did fail. I heard an elderly person in Florida tell an interviewer that she thought Mr. Trump had done all he could about the virus. Yet those of us who read The Times and other mainstream media know that Mr. Trump rejected science-based recommendations. As a result we did worse than every other developed country.
Since the data don’t lie, my assumption is that those facts did not make an impression on Trump voters. Why? Because they get their news and views from sources — Fox and social media — that overwhelm them with “alternative facts.”
To make progress on the many fronts that need attention, this is a problem that must be overcome.
Stephen M. Davidson
Philadelphia
To the Editor:
As I read the opinion pieces and letters to the editor since the election, it remains obvious to this New York Times reader that your journalists and many of your readers still don’t understand President Trump’s supporters. I accept that and expect that this mistaken and condescending view (we are all “deplorables”) will yield gains for the G.O.P. in 2022 and 2024.
Gerald Katz
Edwards, Colo.
To the Editor:
The most important takeaway for Democrats is that it’s time to get to know the voters in all of the states, and learn how to communicate in a way that does not frighten or insult them.