Letters to the Editor: Democrats, go ahead and celebrate. Then get to work

To the editor: There’s nothing wrong with celebrating, but it is premature to assume that the midterm results will change much (“Democrats take Congress in historic sweep as voters rebuke Trump,” Nov. 3). After all, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is still set to lead the Senate. He is a master of accomplishing nothing.

There are also plenty of “Democrats” elected Tuesday night who, like Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), will happily break ranks and join President Trump for some corporate campaign money. Tuesday night was encouraging, but trusting that a blue wave in Congress is sufficient to enact change is the mistake we make every midterm in which Democrats perform well.

Unless we force every Democrat to coordinate for our future, to organize better than Republicans, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other centrists will applaud themselves for half measures that leave the progress Republicans have made fully intact. They take their own presence as progress, regardless of whether they change a thing. If they remain as uncoordinated as they have been, their failure to organize will leave our public lands unprotected from development, and get us no closer to universal healthcare than we were at the start of the Iran war.

If Democrats don’t organize and enact an agenda like Project 2025, there will be no gains made against everything that’s happened over the last two years. We now have one branch of government against two. The president and the Supreme Court have a plan to block every proposed reform.

If this blue wave can’t overcome that, our ineptitude will help get us four more years of a Republican president in 2028.

Nate Craig, Boulder, Colo.

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To the editor: A blue wave has swept the country, one almost reminiscent of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” (c. 1831). The American republic has experienced a historic moment. The outcome is a major victory for the Democrats in both the House and the Senate, but also for every American who went to the polls to exercise the sacred right to vote.

The Trump presidency — with its imperial style, often marked by excess, reminiscent of a cross between a Wild West saloon owner and a Hollywood star wearing a MAGA baseball cap — sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind.

Across America, the high cost of food and energy, inflation and the often unjust targeting of immigrants created ideal conditions for the Republican Party’s stunning defeat. “America First” has devolved into “America First for the Few.”

The Democrats deserved this victory and worked hard to achieve it. The elections brought a new generation of Democratic politicians to the forefront, offering hope for the future of both the party and the country. While the party can draw inspiration from its left wing — championing the interests of workers and the poor — it must also reach toward the center to retain independent voters who gave it such a significant boost.

The Founding Fathers could hardly have imagined a president like Trump. Yet they created institutions and safeguards that have helped American democracy withstand extraordinary challenges, and Americans are celebrating today. Well, most of us.

Dimitris Eleas, Brooklyn

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To the editor: Together, we knocked Trump off the front page of newspapers all over the country. No dictator here.

Trump did what no one thought possible in our polarized country: He brought us together.

This is what democracy looks like. When I went to a “get out the vote” rally on Oct. 17, I saw a woman holding up her phone in a FaceTime call, panning out over the assembled crowd. She looked into her phone and said, “This is Grandma’s work.”

Thanks, Grandma. We can celebrate today as a win for America and Americans.

Joel Pelcyger, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The following letter ran in the Los Angeles Times on Feb. 7, 2019, when Trump was being impeached. I wrote it in an effort to curb Democratic enthusiasm over the “blue wave” they were experiencing back then:

“I can see that House Democrats are pretty high on themselves right now. They should enjoy it while it lasts, because I’m looking into the not-too-distant future and I can see the blue Democratic wave crashing on the rocks.

“Is Trump egotistical, rude, disruptive and offensive? Probably, but real progress is not for the polite. Does the current drive to have Trump investigated for the remainder of his term qualify as harassment? Yes, I think it does.

“There’s a fundamental problem with the Democratic strategy: It is not productive. It is largely vindictive. That is the main reason it will backfire on them.

“Instead of trying to actually correct previous mistakes, the Democrats go out and make a whole set of new ones. That is why the Democrats will not succeed if they continue this course. They will fail.”

And they did fail. They elected Joe Biden (with Kamala Harris as his vice president). Only time will tell, but I don’t see any good coming from these midterms — not for any state or even the nation. It won’t be long before this current mistake is realized and we go right back to where we started, and that’s because neither party by itself has the complete solution.

Arthur Saginian, Santa Clarita

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To the editor: Tuesday’s blue wave is a clear mandate for action, but we must not mistake a shift in power for a permanent victory. We felt a similar sense of triumph when Biden defeated Trump, yet unkept promises and a refusal to listen to voters ultimately paved the way for Trump to return even stronger. If newly elected officials simply replace one set of self-serving, morally degrading policies with their own, this election means nothing.

True progress requires rigorous checks and balances and a unified vision for the nation, not just partisan wins. As an imam, I am guided by the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s teaching that love for one’s country — not blind love for a political party — is part of faith. Furthermore, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has warned that leaders must “set aside their own vested interests” to serve the greater good.

The voters demanded positive change on Tuesday; now, the real work begins.

Mahmood Kauser, Chino

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To the editor: First, congratulations, Democrats! Let’s all enjoy this moment in the sun. OK, that’s enough. Now it’s time to get to work and govern.

Don’t imitate Trump and waste time (and goodwill) getting revenge. Don’t impeach Trump — he’s the lamest of ducks. Do take back the power from the White House. Pass a law disabling tariffs. Trump will veto, but it will make the point to voters that you’re serious about affordability. Vote against the Iran war. Trump will veto, but it shows you’re taking fuel prices seriously. Cut off funds for Trump’s vanity projects, starting with the arch and golf course. And finally, hold Immigration and Customs Enforcement accountable for their crimes against civilians.

Don’t let us down. Once again, congratulations to the Democrats. Now get to work.

Terry McKenzie, Pasadena

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To the editor: Trump: ”Pretend I’m on the ballot!”

The nation: “We did!”

Christopher A. Wills, North Tustin

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To the editor: The referendum on Trump is over, and he lost. We the people won.

Can Congress undo the damage he has caused? Can Congress end the Iran war? Will Congress support Ukraine? Can Congress return civility to government? Will it impeach and remove Trump? Will Trump change, like his predecessors have done in similar situations? Or will it be politics as usual and a lost opportunity?

T. D. Proffitt, Santa Ana

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To the editor: The triumphant Democratic Party may want to exercise prudence with its return to power. It could tell Trump, “If you promise to go play golf for the next two years and leave us alone, we will leave you alone.”

Michael Krubiner, Valley Village

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To the editor: The Republicans had a trifecta — and they blew it. They blew it with racism, homophobia, gerrymandering and an out-of-touch president. On the eve of a midterm election, Trump was talking about the Reflecting Pool while Americans continue to struggle to put food on the table and gas in their cars.

This midterm was a total and unequivocal rebuke of the Republican Party’s ugly politics and policies, and it has restored my faith in the American people.

Trump will never admit or recognize his lies and deceit have been delivered a death knell. Hopefully the rest of the Republicans do!

Paula Petrotta, Rancho Palo Verdes

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To the editor: The midterms are over and now comes the difficult part: governing. Congress can fulfill its constitutional responsibility by working across the aisle and passing legislation that truly is the will of the people, not subject to the whims of a wannabe dictator. Take note, newly elected representatives. This change is not about gender identification, taxes on billionaires, redistribution of wealth, defunding the police or diversity, equity and inclusion.

It’s about private industry working with the government to create jobs by rebuilding the infrastructure, building bridges and roads and water and electrical systems. It’s about restoring relations with our longtime allies, utilizing military and diplomatic coalitions to pressure rogue foreign states, and removing trade restrictions that have put a choke hold on free enterprise.

We can have robust capitalism and lift the quality of life for most Americans at the same time. This is a great country, but we are not an island that can stand alone in the modern world.

Michael Rubino, San Pedro