OPINION:
Two recent op-eds “’Where do we go from here?’” and “Replacing facts with hysteria” (Web, Oct. 9) illustrate the sharp division within American society regarding the way the two major political parties are viewed.
In the first piece Mark Weinberg, an admirer of President Ronald Reagan, questions how the Republican Party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and others became the party of Trump. He laments the loss of the civility that characterized earlier Republican leaders, while describing current members as an aggrieved group who want to settle scores.
By contrast, the writer of the second piece, Frank V. Vernuccio Jr., attributes the inflammation of discourse to the use of verbal and physical violence by the Democrats. The approval process of Justice Kavanaugh seems to justify his proposition.
What is abundantly clear to anyone with a degree of objectivity is that political discourse has degenerated into a slanging match, with neither side willing to even consider compromise.
The undoubted success of Mr. Trump’s policies in terms of the economy, enhancing the military, making solid trade deals and handling Iran, North Korea and other hostile nations confirm his “Make America great again” claim. These successes undermine the opposition concept that Mr. Trump is an illegitimate president.
No appeals to either side to cool the rhetoric seem to have any chance of success. Until the emergence of some new leaders with genuine diplomatic skills, we are condemned to stagger on toward more civil unrest. It is the sad but inevitable conclusion of the deterioration of civil society that we have witnessed over the past two or three decades.
STANLEY ORMAN
Rockville, Md.
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