Though a sensitive and compassionate person, Biden has never been a charismatic leader or gifted communicator. His ego has gotten out of hand.
There are two contrasting ways to make decisions; there is the “political” way and there is the “do the right thing” way. Sometimes these calculations converge, and we always hope for that. But self-interest and the greater good often end up in tension, which is where the Democratic nominee for president now finds himself. And Democratic leaders are weighing their own self-interest as they consider whether to be first (and maybe the last) to call on Biden to withdraw.
Even if Trump wins against a worthy alternate candidate, the Democratic Party would have confidence in having done the right thing and the integrity to carry forward once the catastrophe of a Trump second term sets in. If Biden does not step aside, this will be a catastrophe equal to or surpassing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s refusal to retire and the subsequent destruction of her legacy.
This is where the media comes in. The Post’s voice just might persuade Biden to end a sorrowful state of affairs.
Henry Goodspeed, Little Rock
Since President Biden’s poor debate performance last week, I have been appalled by how swiftly the mainstream media — including The Post’s Editorial Board — have turned on him. Somehow, you seem to have forgotten all his laudable accomplishments, his integrity, his knowledge and the weight of his experience. One bad debate, and it is as though all of those qualities were erased. I hate to think that any of you could live up to the requirement that one bad night serves as the measure by which you keep or lose your job.
Where was the headline reading, “Disastrous debate performance for Donald Trump, who failed to answer most questions and lied relentlessly when he did answer”? That this behavior is routine for Trump should not lead The Post to normalize it and act in any way as though he somehow won the debate.
Biden rebounded the next day, but somehow doing so is not enough to cancel out his bad debate performance. The Post and the rest of the media are trying to push us all into the kind of chaos that can serve only the interests of Trump. Use better judgment going forward, and stop with the alarmism.
Linda Barnes, Ashland, N.H.
The Post needs a section for optimists
On June 24, I read The Post’s Metro article “Fostering hope for four decades,” about Emma Patterson, who fostered more than 40 children at her home in Northwest D.C. and ultimately adopted two of them. Then I read Kathleen Parker’s June 24 op-ed, “Proof of hope in Haiti,” about Jonathan Glynn’s work bringing hope, health care and education to children in Haiti. I wondered what would happen if The Post regularly dedicated a section of the newspaper to positive stories about normal people who help and lift up others on both a small and large scale.
Inspired Life is upbeat and good, but I’m not talking about the occasional feel-good article thrown into the mix of depressing and alienating local and national news. I’m talking about something more along the lines of Tuesday’s Health section. Isn’t it possible that regularly reading about people who make a difference might inspire readers to do the same, to examine their own lives and think about how they might have a positive impact? Isn’t it possible that by consciously and visibly committing to providing news about people helping others, The Post could create a wave of civic engagement and hope?
Trump’s certainly not spry, either
Media Matters recently analyzed news stories in five of the United States’ top newspapers by circulation (including The Post) from January through June “that focused on either or both Biden’s and Trump’s ages or mental acuities.”
The analysis showed that the newspapers were fixated on President Biden’s age and mental acuity while nearly ignoring the same issues for Donald Trump. According to Media Matters, “144 articles focused on either or both Biden’s and Trump’s ages or mental acuities in the period studied, with 67% focused just on Biden’s age or mental acuity and only 7% on just Trump’s.”
America’s major newspapers have learned nothing from their obsession with Hillary Clinton’s emails — the non-story promoted by Russia and the Trump campaign that helped clinch Trump’s 2016 election win.
Lauri Costello, Las Cruces, N.M.
The Post struggles in testy debate
The Post’s June 28 front-page headline “Biden struggles in testy debate” should have added “Trump lies in testy debate” in equally large type. Every American who viewed the debate would have benefited more from an in-depth analysis of the debate rather than a focus on how each debater “looked” and “spoke.”
Given the American voters’ reliance on videos, podcasts, pictures and graphics that present news in digestible formats, it would have been constructive if The Post had presented the facts and lies in graphic form. It would have been useful to have shown President Biden’s steadfastness and Donald Trump’s despotism in photographs. It would have been practical to have shown charts comparing the cost of cups of coffee with the price of eggs. It would have been valuable to present a tabulation of the number of open jobs as compared with the millions of “illegal aliens” taking them. It would have been worthwhile to graph the number of homeless children of unwanted pregnancies in each state with restrictive abortion laws.
Biden’s debate performance on June 27 was not a winning show. The debate was not a rehearsed video clip from an inane influencer. It certainly was not an Academy Award-winning blockbuster. It was, however, an opportunity to see two men’s perspectives of America’s future. The Post and other print media could have done American voters a great service by presenting facts in formats that readers could understand instantly.
Why were the numerous lies Donald Trump has been repeating for years, and which he repeated during the debate, described as “falsehoods” on The Post’s June 28 front page? The first listed definition in the dictionary for that is “lie.” My fear is that many who read the words “falsehoods” or “untruths” might think those words are on a spectrum between lies and the truth. They are not.
Every time Trump lies it needs to be called a lie.
Mark Parkhurst, Silver Spring
Major kudos to The Post for the two-page June 30 article “Fact-checking the first Biden-Trump 2024 presidential debate in Atlanta.” Others in the media (as well as the Democrats) have to hold Donald Trump accountable for his blatant misstatements. And, to be fair, the media needs to point out the actual achievements of President Biden and not dwell on MAGA rhetoric.
By inference, The Post’s fact-check raised some key questions for me about the Democrats and how Biden’s team is campaigning against Trump.
Where are the Democrats who should be speaking out on the misstatements The Post highlighted? Where are the members of the Jan. 6 committee and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)? Why aren’t they speaking out to show that the march on the Capitol was neither a peaceful protest nor a stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue? At least the Biden campaign was able to quickly release an ad calling out Trump’s lies, including those about his role on Jan. 6, 2021.
Charles Goldman, Silver Spring
As a retired magazine editor, I come across grammatical errors in daily life, often on televised newscasts or sports programs. But I do not expect to find them in The Post.
While it is admittedly a minor concern (and a personal pet peeve), I am amazed at how many people misuse “amount” when the correct word is “number.” In the June 19 Metro article “Key races called in Virginia primaries,” for example, we learn that delegate Dan Helmer “garnered the second-highest amount of votes.” That should be “number of votes,” because there is a specific number associated with the count. “Amount” is appropriate when talking about bulk items with no specific number, e.g., “amount of water in a glass” or “amount of dirt to fill a hole.” It is never used when talking about people or other things that can be counted, though I constantly hear about the “amount of fans in the stadium” or “amount of cars on the road.” Precision matters.
Carl von Wodtke, Leesburg
Lift the veil on judges’ records
There has been much written about Judge Aileen M. Cannon’s handling of the case regarding whether Donald Trump mishandled classified documents.
This reader would appreciate a story that describes her caseload since she was appointed, how promptly (or not) she dealt with the cases, how her caseload compares with those of other newly appointed judges and how her disposition of cases compares, among other questions. We know more about baseball players’ statistics than we do of judges.
It’s hard to know whether her performance on the Trump case is typical without knowing the bigger picture.
John J. Landers, Bethesda
Local deaths deserve attention
As The Post struggles to choose a new executive editor, I urge the paper to turn its attention to a question that might seem smaller, but that is of great emotional importance to readers: the obituaries.
While The Post’s Sports section should be applauded for its coverage of professional teams based in Baltimore as well as in D.C. and great reporting on college and high school events, and the Metro section for its local focus, the obituaries have almost totally lost mention of the deaths of present and former residents that would be of interest to hundreds or even thousands of readers.
My good friend Kai Yui Yeung died in his home in Breckenridge, Colo., on June 21. Before retiring, Kai was a prominent oncologist and hematologist in Prince George’s County and served countless residents — many of whom would find his death newsworthy and sad. Because he moved to Colorado several years ago, his family did not feel that a paid death notice in The Post was necessary, but I bet that scores of those who survived malignancies thanks to my friend’s care would be interested in this news.
Small, local community publications would have published this news in the past. I submit that it would not be very costly for The Post to renew serving this need.
Barry H. Epstein, Silver Spring
Back the boys in blue shorts
I found The Post’s June 25 front-page article “Thousands of pieces of mail under surveillance” to be one-sided. The framing suggests nefarious or inappropriate conduct by the Postal Service in response to thousands of requests for information from law enforcement agencies, which do not need to get warrants for this kind of investigation. It’s not until the 10th paragraph that The Post explains that the program is not merely legal, but that it follows longstanding precedent dating back to 1879.
The article focuses on the volume of the requests and the high rate at which the Postal Service grants them, but does not mention any abuses or inappropriate uses of the information. To my mind, a more balanced article would have noted various successes of this investigative technique, including to track down fugitives, criminals, fraudsters and terrorists. As a former federal prosecutor, I found these investigative steps crucial to effective law enforcement. Judicial oversight should be added to the program only if a thorough and independent review deems it necessary to prevent serious abuses.
If the eight senators who wrote the letter were so concerned, they should work with their colleagues in Congress and with the executive branch and pass legislation to seek change. They should not be attempting to intimidate the agency head instead of doing their own work.
Does The Post really need to kick the post office around as it struggles for its existence?
Ted Cronin, Locust Grove, Va.
We need to talk about the weather
I am writing to express my frustration regarding the recent decision to cancel the Capital Weather Gang daily newsletter.
The daily email has been an invaluable resource for weather updates, forecasts and expert analyses. Its timely and accurate information has become a crucial part of my daily routine, helping me plan and prepare for various weather conditions. The convenience of having this information delivered directly to my inbox cannot be overstated.
The Capital Weather Gang’s expertise and dedication have set a high standard for weather reporting, and the daily email has been a significant part of that excellence. Removing this service feels like a step backward in providing accessible and reliable weather information to your readership.
Russ Higgins, Falls Church
We read The Post’s note about the Capital Weather Gang newsletter being discontinued, and we are very sad.
We look forward to the forecast every day, and it is the first thing my wife reads in the morning. We often say: “The guys said today is a one and that says it all.”
We are not sure why this is being discontinued. Is it from lack of readership? I hope not. Weather will play an even greater role in our lives because of climate change.
Robert Carlisle, Arlington
Coming out isn’t a piece of cake
I sobbed for five straight minutes after reading just the headline of The Post’s June 24 news article “Man dies at 85, uses obituary to come out.” I initially hesitated to read the article until I saw “Inspired Life” above the headline and thought, “This has to have a happy ending.” It did, but it could have been so much happier.
As a 73-year-old gay man, I can identify with Edward Thomas Ryan’s fears of being ostracized by family and friends, but I did come out to my parents the summer after I graduated from high school. At the time, I thought I needed some kind of treatment, so my parents sent me to a psychiatrist. Coming out while still in school wasn’t an option. I, too, had heard the derogatory things classmates and others said, and even had “friends” who invited me to “roll fags” — violently attacking suspected homosexuals for fun or money — with them in Lafayette Park.
Though Ryan’s self-written obituary was an act of disclosure, I’m sure so much was not said. Staying in the closet is a little sad and it says a lot about our society, but it also shows his instinct for self-preservation during a time when that was the practical thing to do.
Ryan knew what he wanted from life, and he found it in his own way. He had the love of a partner for 25 years and the love of family and friends; served in the military; co-founded a radio station; became a firefighter for the service and camaraderie, and shared his culinary skills with fellow firefighters and other organizations; and lived a private, country life. His secret was shared only with those very few he trusted.
To be openly gay can still make you vulnerable these days. Coming out is a process all in the LGBTQ+ community must face or ignore. Because of the heightened hatred and bigotry across the nation, coming out should be done in the safety of loving arms, whether those of family, friends or LGBTQ+ organizations. It can be daunting, but if you nudge the closet door a tad, you may find, as Auntie Mame would say, “doors you never even dreamed existed.” I’m glad Ryan, who was nicknamed “piece of cake” by his firefighter colleagues, had his and ate it, too.
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