What a dilemma voters face. From what I hear and read, this election will be a disaster.
If former President Donald Trump wins, the Democrats feel it will be a disaster, and it will be the Republicans’ fault because they pushed the right buttons to win.
If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, the Republicans feel it be a disaster and it will be the Republicans’ fault because they did not choose a candidate who was less abrasive.
— Don Mueggenborg, Lemont
Don’t sit out this election
For those who say they are not going to vote in this election, I tell them, “Not to vote is to vote.”
Please vote while we still have the opportunity to do so.
— Janice M. Schmid, Chicago
Why I’m voting for Trump
Please vote for Donald J. Trump and JD Vance. Vote as if the survival of the American Dream is on the ballot. Because it is. Vote as if the sovereignty of our border is at stake. Because it is. Vote as if the safety of your community and our national security are in jeopardy. Because they are. Vote as if we are at an inflection point between a future of endless inflation or one of limitless prosperity. Because we are. Vote as if your choice is between a China-Russia-Iran-controlled order or U.S.-led hegemony driven by freedom. Because it is.
Vote as if your ballot will send us into battle or accelerate a new era of peace. Because it will do one or the other. Vote as if the solvency of our economic system and the strength of the U.S. dollar hang in the balance. Because they do. Vote as if you intend to continue offshoring American jobs or take a stand for American exporters and the renewal of our manufacturing base. Because your vote will decide which course we chart. Vote as if the existence of the state of Israel and the Jewish people will be determined by your presidential selection. Because they will.
Vote as if your ability to speak freely and without fear are on the ballot. Because they are. Vote as if your own “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” rely upon a Trump-Vance victory in this election. Because they do.
Vote as if the very fate of our beautiful country rests in your hands. Because it does. If you cannot imagine a world without America, vote for Trump to save it. Vote for Trump to preserve the Constitution and advance America.
— Henry Wilson, Washington
What makes America great
We are being urged to make America great again. As I think back to my school days in the 1960s, I recall being taught why America was regarded as the greatest nation on earth. The message was simple. We were a country that warmly welcomed immigrants and stood by our allies against tyranny, even to the point of sacrifice.
When you go to cast your ballot, consider which choice would support keeping that kind of greatness in America.
— Gerald Erjavec, Schiller Park
Take Dick Cheney’s advice
One thing I never thought I’d say with Tuesday’s election is: Listen to Dick Cheney.
— Nancy Kelley, La Grange
Disparaging Republican men
The Democrats’ ad encouraging women to vote for Kamala Harris for president and not tell their husbands is offensive. It implies that all Republican husbands are intimidating, controlling and abusive toward their wives.
It’s just another display of divisive Democrat rhetoric that’s far from the truth and certainly not the case in my marriage.
— Bruce R. Hovanec, Chicago
Cartoonist misses the point
The Steve Kelley cartoon (Nov. 2) referencing the Kamala Harris ad that advises women to lie to their husbands if they do not vote for Donald Trump totally misses the point. Considering the recent MAGA rhetoric concerning women’s rights, if I lived with a man who did not respect my choices, I would lie — and move out.
I am disappointed the Tribune opinion team would run an editorial cartoon that vilifies the victims.
— Christina Cable, Frankfort
What about Trump’s lies?
Steve Kelley, in his political cartoon, obviously overlooks the fact that Donald Trump lies every time he opens his mouth. He berates anyone who challenges him. He threatens to destroy people who speak against him. He tries to intimidate and bully people who disagree with him. He has said that he admires Russian President Vladimir Putin, he wants to terminate the Constitution and he wants to be a dictator, not a president. He is also a convicted criminal who was found liable for sexual assault.
How about doing a political cartoon depicting these attributes?
— T. Widder, St. Charles
A president I can be proud of
I am 94 years old. All I want is a president I can be proud of, and that’s not Donald Trump.
— Isobel Thompson, Lindenhurst
A criminal over a prosecutor?
In Jonathan Zimmerman’s op-ed about Donald Trump voters in the Nov. 1 edition (“What one immigrant taught me about the election”), his subject “Gopal,” a legal immigrant, was mainly concerned about immigrants crossing the border illegally. Gopal said that these people are criminals, and he felt that Trump would do a better job keeping them out of the country.
Ironically, though, Trump himself is a known criminal. He was convicted of 34 felonies and has been held liable for sexually assaulting a woman. Zimmerman didn’t ask Gopal why, if he’s so concerned with immigrants being in the country illegally, he’s voting for a known criminal over a woman who has spent most of her adult life prosecuting criminals.
Zimmerman may be correct that Trump voters are not stupid, but why would anyone who is concerned about crime vote for a criminal over a prosecutor? It is not a smart choice.
— Judy Weik, Oak Park
Making profit the priority
We have been Tribune print subscribers for 30-plus years. Alden Global Capital purchased Tribune Publishing in 2021. In 2022, Tribune Publishing announced that the Tribune Editorial Board would no longer endorse presidential candidates. This reversed the paper’s history of doing so.
By 2022, Donald Trump — a candidate whom the Tribune Editorial Board did not endorse in 2016 or 2020 — had already declared his intention of running in 2024. Looking ahead, Tribune Publishing took the easy way out, one it believed would best suit its pocketbook: It announced all of its newspapers would opt out of future presidential endorsements.
Yet Tribune Publishing continues to allow endorsements of local candidates — in other words, having an opinion on which candidate is most suitable. This year’s presidential election is between two candidates whose record and character can be easily compared side by side. But the Tribune Editorial Board was directed to not even do that. This reflects Tribune Publishing’s decision to put profit over a commitment to honest and responsible representation of editorial opinion.
Since profit is something that Tribune Publishing and Alden Global Capital understand, we are “voting” with our pocketbook. We have canceled our subscription to the Tribune.
— Sally and James Walker, DeKalb
Proving Donald Trump right
In what could be the demise of any shred of ethical journalism, papers such as The Washington Post and the Tribune have declined to have their editorial boards endorse for president.
Such a cowardly stand in possibly the most important election in history cannot go unanswered by loyal subscribers. I have watched as this formerly great newspaper has slowly headed toward its demise. This is the last straw; I am canceling.
How ironic that in its cowardly failure to stand up to Donald Trump’s constant attacks on a free press, the Tribune Editorial Board is, by this action, finally proving him right.
Sad for journalism, the First Amendment and our country.
— Ken Kramer, Glen Ellyn
Let’s hope for great turnout
As many decry the poor choices we have in this election, another side of the story is starting to crop up, and that is voter turnout. If Election Day turnout is as impressive as early voter turnout, a record turnout is in the offing — a good thing for sure.
Better that we get two uninspiring bland noncontroversial candidates and a turnout of, say, 31%? I don’t think so.
— Neil Gaffney, Chicago
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