Postmortems of the 2024 election

I agree with Jay Jacobs, state and Nassau County Democratic chairman, that the Democrats must recalibrate their way of thinking “We Democrats have lessons to learn,” Opinion, Nov. 13].

But I believe he underplayed an important factor that caused the red wave and Trumpism. And that was a backlash to the envelope of social correctness being pushed, not to the edge, but completely off the table in the minds of Conservatives and even many Democrats.

Cashless bail and mandated removal of Native American school mascots, among other issues, were a bridge too far for much of the electorate. Democrats should take a deep breath and recalibrate their thinking, including understanding that mandating and pushing unpopular laws and policies come with a cost.

— Jim Kiernan, Holbrook

Ed Cox, New York Republican State Committee chairman, wrote that “we are forging a new, durable coalition,” echoing the wishful thinking of Karl Rove after the 2000 presidential election regarding “a permanent Republican majority” [“Our GOP coalition here to stay,” Opinion, Nov. 13].

Vague pre-election talking points and cheerleading are now presented by Cox as cogent post-election analysis. No real self-reflection, essential even in victory, is employed. For example, was the United States ready for a female president? Was race a factor? If those things were components of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, the happy talk of Cox’s essay is incomplete, except to cynically use race and sexism as dog whistles.

To the extent that Trump has “redefined what it means to be a Republican” in 2024, I don’t believe that’s a good thing. The GOP is no longer the party of patriotism, liberty, character, values, rule of law, the Constitution, anti-authoritarianism, or a force for good in the world. Stuart Stevens, a Republican political consultant, in his 2020 book “It Was All a Lie,” sadly came to the realization that those values were never truly held. Otherwise, the GOP would not have caved so easily to Trump.

Matt Davies’ cartoon attached to Cox’s essay shows a GOP elephant, enlarged in a fun house mirror. I wonder if that animal gets the message.

— Donald Pfeifer, West Hempstead

Both essayists nailed the reasons for the election outcome. You may be for or against, but Republicans are saying what the voters want to hear. More important, they are saying what they WANT.

The Democrats are telling voters what THEY want, how voters SHOULD think and want. That is not what voters in a free society, in a democracy support. The result was evident on Nov. 6.

— Michael J. Genzale, Shoreham

Almost everyone seems to agree the economy was the main issue in the presidential election. Voters felt President Joe Biden’s administration failed them and were not convinced that Vice President Kamala Harris would do better.

But what puzzles me is that throughout her campaign, Harris never highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic and the catastrophic upheaval to the economy resulting from the deaths of over 1.2 million Americans and the associated massive disruption to the supply chain. It led to severe shortages and limitations in products and services, resulting in higher prices made even higher by the demand sustained by the stimulus payments.

The Biden administration threw its weight behind the public health efforts to stem the pandemic tide and its human impact. That led to a gradual repair and restoration of the supply chain and the steady reduction in unemployment and inflation.

If Harris had constantly reminded voters of this extraordinary chain of events in her speeches and media outreach, would she have won the election? Who knows? But why she did not do so is beyond me.

— Paul Jacobs, Huntington

Donald Trump won the election fair and square. Election Day morning, Trump said Philadelphia voters were cheating. A day later, he had no such complaints. I’ve yet to hear any Democrats say the election was stolen and that dead people were voting.

I am most saddened how Trump’s hateful language not only has been normalized but is now celebrated. Perhaps most upsetting is the Catholic Church’s actions. I understand its unwavering support of Trump on the abortion issue, but no clergy had courage to call out his hateful speech. In fact, Cardinal Timothy Dolan chuckled while Trump disparaged and degraded Kamala Harris at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York.

Dolan seems to fail to recognize Catholic values, which include compassion, humility, honesty, kindness, and respect for others. This is a betrayal of my 12-year Catholic education. It is a betrayal of the values imparted by my parents and the values taught to my children. Dolan and all clergy who cozied up to Trump’s hateful language, implicitly or explicitly, should hang their heads in shame.

How we speak to and about women, people of color and immigrants still matters. Human decency still matters.

— Jim Hickey, Westbury

When I was drafted in 1971 with bone spurs on my feet and put into the infantry, I took an oath to the Constitution, not to President Richard Nixon. The oath says that the president was my commander in chief, but it also told me not to obey an unlawful order. I just pray to God that the generals in place remember that as well.

— Bob Doyle, West Islip

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