Thiele letter: Hugh Hewitt
Rebuttal to opinion of Hugh Hewitt (Sunday, Feb. 19), titled, “Stop the hysteria; early stumbles are hardly new.”
Opposition — yes. Hysteria — a biased, derogatory description of the voting majority (and perhaps other patriotic Americans) exercising their First Amendment right. The “long overlooked but eager for relevance” Hewitt refers to are the voters that put Trump where he is. The “defeated looking for revenge” are the majority of the voters.
Yes, Mr. Hewitt, there are citizens aghast at what they see and hear from the White House, but it is not hysteria, and shame on you for misstating their legitimate concern as a desire to find “revenge.” Furthermore, it is not the “stumbles” that are concerning, but rather his and your rhetoric used in an apparent effort to pit Americans against each other. Mr. Trump too frequently uses falsehoods, exaggeration, and propaganda, loaded words (such as yours) to describe the opposition, patriotic Americans like yourself. His and your words are both unethical and a danger to democracy, promoting disunity, incivility and tribalism within our country. In addition, Mr. Trump’s words promote the acceptance of authoritarian leadership. His rhetoric excites his base, but treads on free speech and truth — a dangerous path for any democracy.
Barbara Thiele, New Meadows
This story was originally published March 3, 2017 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Thiele letter: Hugh Hewitt."