Opinion: When the L.A. Times editorial board condemns Trump, it preaches to the choir

To the editor: This is one the times in present history, more than ever, that the news and editorial services of The Times and media across the country are vitally necessary for the very survival of our democracy.

But two main problems always exist: preaching to reader choirs of the like-minded, and the ever-present vulnerability of meaningful, truthful dialogue to tit-for-tats. One reads The Times’ editorial “Our Dishonest President” and reads elsewhere of Kellyanne Conway bemoaning a media “information underload.” Which side wins?

It falls to us citizens to learn the facts and to do whatever an individual can do to contribute to our democracy’s survival and our own well being. These are daunting tasks and needs, and we’ve never needed factual, informative media more.

Jim Gould, Burbank

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Editorial: Our Dishonest President »

To the editor: One of the great insights in life is realizing that people are mirrors, and the faults we criticize in others are the same faults we are blind to in ourselves. To illustrate this, I’ll take this criticism of President Trump and repeat it, simply changing “Trump” to “Democrats.”

“The Democrats are so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind self-regard, so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where the Democrats will lead or how much damage they will do to our nation.” Many Republicans would nod agreement to this statement, and yet Republicans share the same human nature and, likewise, constantly criticized President Obama.

This is the learning opportunity. If we accept that we are looking at ourselves in the mirror and we don’t like what we see, we only have two choices: change or turn away and stop looking.

Alan Sworski, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: I too am worried about our new president. Afflicted by cognitive disinhibition, Trump is rude and crude, unnerving in a president, especially as Obama was urbane and dignified.

And yet, while I am disturbed by Trump’s thin skin and easily bruised ego and his penchant for cutting insults which skirt truth, I note that Trump, revealing more of himself to the electorate than his closely scripted Democratic opponent, won the presidency square and fair. Those who voted for him knew the candidate inside and out, knew that they were voting for a loose cannon with little allegiance to the truth, and knew that they would be making excuses for his wayward tongue and tweets.

Caveat emptor!

Paul Bloustein, Cincinnati

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