Letters

In Ed Surgan’s recent letter [“Let It Play Out,” Letters, December 26], he disagreed with me due to “primarily … faceless, anonymous sources.”

The reality of D.C., statehouses and sometimes even local government is the use of anonymous sources when gathering information for a story. Retribution has become a key tool for many in power. Donald Trump, in fact, openly threatens the use of retribution quite often and did use it to punish perceived enemies during his first term.

Whistleblower protection laws were enacted because of such threats and actions from people in power. What Mr. Surgan doesn’t acknowledge in his letter is that I used quotes from articles, two of which came from right-leaning organizations (Fox News and the New York Post) regarding Pete Hegseth.

I do agree that we should let the process play out regarding the nominations. This would include a full and open FBI investigation, along with relevant witness testimony. It should not be a rushed, biased probe, as was done to benefit Justice Brett Kavanaugh during Trump’s first term (“Report shows that the supplemental background investigation was a sham, controlled by the Trump White House” — The Guardian).

Mr. Surgan further asserts that there is “compelling evidence” of Trump’s acceptance, both nationally and internationally. I would counter that foreign leaders have learned from Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and others that flattery is the key to getting the inside track with Trump. As to the legal cases being halted, that has nothing to do with Trump’s innocence or popularity. It has everything to do with the Supreme Court putting the presidency above the law.

Finally, Mr. Surgan once again tries to use the “Trump derangement syndrome” moniker as a cudgel to dismiss any criticism of Trump. I would again agree with Mr. Surgan that some are afflicted with TDS, but with a caveat. There are those who can find no redeeming qualities in Trump, and that is a far-left bias. But there also is a far-right version of TDS: People who fawn over and are unable to see or admit any fault with Mr. Trump. I would offer Mr. Surgan as an example of the latter.

The vast majority of voters are not in the far-left or far-right camps. Unfortunately, our political system rewards these extremes. If we had open primaries, ended extreme gerrymandering, enacted rank choice voting, and got rid of the big money that pollutes our politics by ending Citizens United and other anti-democratic loopholes, we could actually have a system that fosters compromise and common sense, instead of a race to the extremes.

I’m afraid that I don’t see that day on the near horizon. Until then, I fear for our nation, and for our unique experiment in democracy.

Harry Mainzer

East Quogue