Letters to the editor: Voting integrity, election results, ‘like-minded’ comment, Senate

Voting integrity

The Editorial Board’s Nov. 7 opinion, “Idaho’s congressmen offer weak response to Trump’s attacks,” condemns our members of Congress for failing to “stand up against [Trump’s] baseless attacks on our democratic process.” Unfortunately, the opinion lacks intellectual honesty.

Granted, some of Trump’s unidentified “attacks” may amount to nothing. It’s legitimate, however, to challenge (1) two Democrat-controlled cities, Detroit and Philadelphia (both located in swing states) for violating state law after barring Republican poll watchers from observing vote counts, (2) backdated ballots, (3) election boards unilaterally extending ballot deadlines, and (4) the Dominion Voting Systems that “glitched” after an update in the middle of the vote count. So not every Trump attack is “baseless.”

But comparing today’s generic accusations of voter fraud during COVID — when some states sent mail-in ballots en masse, promoted ballot harvesting, and called on voters after Nov. 3 to “correct their ballots” — to actual voter fraud in a 36-year period when states sent mail-in ballots only upon request, is like equating an apple with an elevator. And because Oregon perfected mail-in voting over a 24-year period, that does not mean all states can achieve that level of competence in under a year. This election proved it.

Elizabeth Harvey, Boise

Election

A special thank you to all of the thousands of volunteers that spent countless hours of their time counting and sorting ballots for the presidential election. It is sad that Trump and the Republicans have made up lies and false accusations that you did not do your job and the votes were rigged for Mr. Biden, even though countless Republican and Democrat poll monitors, mayors and governors have stated that no such thing occurred. The people have voted and they want a change in the President and government, they want someone to help in this pandemic and stop the constant lying every single day.

Please do not waste any more taxpayer dollars in these ridiculous lawsuits, the result will be the same — Mr. Biden won fair and square. Republicans and Trump, stop being rich, spoiled crybabies and put on your big boy pants and support Mr. Biden. If you cannot, suck on a pacifier so we do not have to listen to these lies without any purpose. Take lessons from Mr. Biden — try being a gentleman.

Linda Barrett-VanNortwick, Nampa

‘Like-minded’

I take issue with Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke when he makes statements about attracting “like-minded” people to move to Idaho. That statement sets off alarm bells for me. What we all need to be doing at this point is building bridges and finding common ground. It’s comfortable and easy to surround ourselves with members of the same team. However, this seems to have gotten our country into a divided state of dysfunction. As the past decade of politics have demonstrated, we are too often at odds with one another and we live in different worlds with different facts. To solve the big challenges facing our communities we need to expand our circles and reach out. The solutions will come when we have the courage to welcome “all-minded” people to Idaho. That’s how the big things get done.

Nancy Budge, Boise

Senate

Joe Biden will be the 46th president. The make-up of the Senate in 2021 remains in question. President-elect Biden campaigned consistently on the theme of uniting Americans and being an administration committed to governing for all of us. It will get interesting if a partisan divide exists between the White House and the Senate after Jan. 20.

I’ll be watching a number of details to see what kind of individual character is exhibited in D.C. under these circumstances. My first focus will be on 100 separate stories in that new Senate. How will they each behave after all of us watched that legislative body get almost nothing done (with the exception of appointing judges) over the last eight years? Will bipartisanship flourish or will these elected geniuses retreat back to their partisan tribes?

Then I will watch closely what happens in the White House. I admire that primary theme of bringing us back together. Can President-elect Biden and his team pull it off? That will be a tall order amid the absolute lack of trust in Congress and D.C. now.

John Lodal, Boise