Cutting to the heart of the art of hiring, billionaire businessman Warren Buffett has observed that the three things he looks for in job candidates are intelligence, energy and integrity. If the last one isn’t there, he doesn’t bother gauging the other two.
Sound advice, and applying it to the presidential race, it’s apparent many voters have eliminated Donald Trump and JD Vance on that score alone. Which is fitting, if — if — you buy into the media image commonly painted of Trump. As a conservative and an independent, though, I remain unsold. I’m looking at issues, No. 1 being the economy.
A metric I haven’t seen referenced a lot is a staple count of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Since its inception in April 2020, this social/economic battery of questions has included this pertinent one: How difficult has it been for your household to pay for usual household expenses? Based on the results, the paycheck-to-paycheck crowd appears to be growing.
Is this consistent with a vision of prosperity or at least of progress? I’m not seeing it. And if the Democratic duo can’t explain what I’m missing or how they plan to rectify this, it’s going to be “Kamala Harris/Tim Walz: Not my ticket” come Nov. 5. I’ll take my chances with Trump.
— Tom Gregg, Niles
Leaders who support democracy
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in democracy, caring for all people regardless of race, religious beliefs or ethnic backgrounds. They believe in and understand the U.S. Constitution, the principles upon which this nation was founded. They believe in the separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government. They believe that all are equal and that no one is above the law.
Harris and Walz believe in facts. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the electoral vote 306 to 232. All 50 state attorneys general and governors certified the election as correctly and fairly tabulated; there was no doubt about the results and the fairness of the election.
Unfortunately for the sanity of this nation, one individual could not accept defeat and the customary transfer of power. The ego, the immorality, the greed of this one person led to the attempted overthrow of our government. This traitorous attempted coup caused injuries to 140 police officers, led to the deaths of five police officers and resulted in extensive damage to the Capitol building. In fear for their lives, the vice president and federal lawmakers had to seek safety. Vice President Mike Pence fulfilled his sworn patriotic duty to defend the Constitution and officially certify the election results.
The United States needs leadership that believes in democracy, not dictatorship. A presidential candidate who declares he will be a dictator and vows to attempt to control the media, eliminate the Departments of Justice and Education, seek retribution on all who oppose him and pardon all convicted insurrectionists is, in no way, a rational, moral, mentally competent individual to serve as president.
To preserve our democracy and bring this polarized nation together, we need the leadership of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. They truly care.
— Lee Mulcrone, Glenview
Preying on voters’ worst instincts
Do the simple norms of decency no longer hold sway over the power centers of the Republican political class? Watching Donald Trump repeatedly define migrants as “animals” and “subhuman,” I experience a level of dismay and disappointment I rarely allow myself. No viable political candidate spewing such cruelty deserves the votes of an enlightened electorate, especially in a nation born of immigrants (with apologies to Native Americans, of course).
While any fair-minded observer would admit that the migrant/refugee crisis, here and globally, requires urgent attention, the reality is that it remains maddeningly intractable — a searing problem of mass desperation and suffering that can’t be humanely remedied easily or quickly, in days or weeks. But these desperate people, striving for a better life, do not commit crimes equal, in per capita terms, to native-born Americans. That’s just a fact. Only cruelty and political opportunism, preying on the worst instincts of voters, would portray any people, en masse, as less than human.
The history of World War II teaches us what unspeakable horrors can arise from cynically, viciously defining our fellow beings as outside the family of humankind. Stirring up hatred, fear and abhorrence of “the other” never ends well and can never inspire “the angels of our better nature.”
Our moral choices define us. How much hate-filled rhetoric and flagrant lies about immigration will rabid partisans condone? How much manipulative invective is OK in the pursuit of power? I guess we’ll see who we truly are in November.
In the meantime, I pray that this man selling Bibles can’t also sell the brand of poison and snake oil he’s peddling.
— Jane Artabasy, Glencoe
Where is discussion of issues?
I get both Chicago newspapers. It used to be that one was Republican and the other Democrat. Now both of them are staunch Democrat.
Do you know what is missing here? Voting has already started, but I have not seen either paper do a series where they actually have discussed the issues. They’re making this all about the person. Kamala Harris is a minority woman, and so she deserves to be president? Donald Trump is power-hungry and unstable, though we had him for four years, and I think most Americans were happy with what he did.
Maybe if the media actually discussed the issues, they would see that there is some really important stuff here that affects all of us.
— Larry Craig, Wilmette
Not the same Republican Party
I’m an independent who has been called “too liberal” by some and “too conservative” by others. It depends on the issue. I consider that a good thing. My wife says that I just like to argue. She might be right.
I was raised in a split family. Dad had a business and leaned Republican. Mom had a heart of gold and was a Democrat. When I cast my first vote, it was for John Anderson, an independent presidential candidate in 1980. I was young and idealistic.
In 1984, I was on board with Ronald Reagan. Wasn’t everyone? He received 525 electoral votes. And I’ve voted for many Republicans since then. In this year’s presidential primary, I supported Nikki Haley. But I am a “Never Trumper.”
The most important issue for me when selecting a president is character. Are they honest, trustworthy and truthful? Do they possess a strong moral compass? Will they put the good of the country, and all its citizens, ahead of their own ambitions? These traits determine how they will handle all the other issues they will face.
Richard Nixon may have said it best in an interview after Watergate: “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.” He continued, “Well, I’m not a crook,” his most famous quote. He was a crook, and several members of his own party forced him to resign or face impeachment in August 1974.
Fifty years later, the Republican presidential candidate is a man with 34 felony convictions. Some might argue that covering up sex with a porn star is not nearly as bad as Watergate. But Jan. 6 was far worse. Watergate was done in secret during the dark of night. The insurrection was in broad daylight for all the world to see. Nobody was hurt in the Watergate break-in. Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted protecting the Capitol, and a protester was shot.
Trump continues to insist the 2020 election was stolen and calls Jan. 6 offenders “hostages.” He plans to pardon them. He has said that he would be a dictator “on day one” if he wins. And he promised a “bloodbath” if he loses. He has the full support of his party and a game plan called Project 2025.
Beware — this is “not your father’s” Republican Party.
— Randall Rousselo, Roscommon, Michigan
He’s fit to be the court jester
Donald Trump’s public appearances over the last few weeks have shown that he definitely is qualified to be elected — if he ever runs for official U.S. court jester. No one is better than he at attracting attention.
However, functioning as president of the United States requires the skill set of a mature, resolute, diplomatic, self-controlled personality, not a clown. Only one of the candidates fits that description. Kamala Harris will undertake the actual work of a president, not simply revel in the office’s trappings.
— Nancy Meyer, Mundelein
These Republicans all agree
What do these people have in common? Mike Pence, John Bolton, Mark Esper, John Kelly, Ty Cobb, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Stephanie Grisham, Cassidy Hutchinson, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, William Webster, Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney, John Danforth, Chuck Hagel, Ray LaHood, John Negroponte, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, John Boehner, Joe Walsh and others too numerous to mention. They are all Republicans. They all know Donald Trump. There is one thing they all agree upon: Trump is not fit to hold office.
It is a sad state of affairs that some among us still cling to the false hope that Trump is worthy of the highest office in the land. He has proved time and again that he is not. It behooves all of us to consider what is best for our nation over loyalty to one deeply flawed man.
— Marla Cowan, Glenview
Consider ancestor’s sacrifices
I am the proud daughter of a World War II Marine. My dad served four long years in the South Pacific and survived treacherous battles, including the Battles of Peleliu and Okinawa and the New Britain Campaign. He was one of five brothers to all serve in the war, and sadly, his oldest brother lost his life in the Pacific. My siblings and I are lucky to be here, considering the horrors they all endured. After the war, my dad created a beautiful life for our family, retiring as a professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University.
Fast-forward to 2018, when I took my dad at the age of 96 for his regular physical. He was asked to draw the hands on a clock, count backward and, finally, to name the current president of the United States. At this, his memory took a bit of a stumble, and all he could say was “some joker”! The nurse chuckled a bit and said, “I’ll give you credit for that answer!”
My parents both passed away in 2019, but I am certain that both of them would be astonished and mortified that Donald Trump is once again the standard bearer for the Republican Party. After all of his lies, misdeeds and an attempted coup, it is mind-boggling that anyone would even consider him for the “leader of the free world.”
Please, consider the sacrifices of our ancestors in the fight against fascism when you cast your vote. Our future world depends on you.
— Carrie D. Provost, Glen Ellyn
Choice for president is clear
As one who grew up in a conservative Republican household, I understand the values of the old Republican Party deeply. In fact, my family’s loyalty to the Republican Party dates to the Civil War. My great-great-grandfather, for example, was a proud Republican and Abraham Lincoln supporter. He fought in the Civil War for three years before dying at age of 27. He was a true patriot who gave his life for freedom.
And what are Donald Trump’s values? The leader of today’s Republican Party would probably call my grandfather a “sucker and a loser.” Trump has no respect for veterans or those who have given “the last full measure of devotion.” He is a fundamentally dishonest man who continues to peddle the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Now this convicted felon is prepared to unleash his army of election deniers and insurrectionists again, should he lose on Nov. 5.
Trump is an authoritarian who consistently praises dictators such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. He is also a racist who scapegoats ethnic and racial minorities and warns that they will “pollute the blood of our country.” No wonder his former chief of staff John Kelly has called him a fascist. Trump is clearly a demagogue, a man totally lacking the character and virtue needed to be president.
True patriots must unite. The choice is clear: Vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. A vote for Trump is a vote for fascism.
— Owen Doak, Crystal Lake
Help young voters understand
In this election year, all adults have the opportunity — and responsibility — to show the young people in their lives the importance of voting. Voting is both a right and a responsibility in a functioning democracy. As parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends, all adults need to make sure young adults understand the importance of voting. Encourage them to learn about the candidates and the issues. Explain how and where to register to vote. Then make sure they exercise their right to vote. Help them understand that their future is determined by who they vote for.
To have the future they want, they must vote for candidates who will work for that outcome.
— Mary Stapleton, Westmont
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