In scarcely fewer than three generations, the Democratic Party has devolved into an entity hardly recognizable from the Kennedy administration of my childhood. I remember a bipartisan tone of legislative compromise and collaboration which, over the decades, has transformed into vitriol, hypocrisy and an attempt to divide the nation into racial and ethnic factions, and stir class warfare. Gone are the days of moderate Democrats — no Scoop Jackson, no Sam Nunn, not even a Bill Clinton. Instead they close ranks behind a candidate of dubious ethics and a proven liar. Their only hope is pinned on the appeal that she’s not as bad as her opponent.
I hope that out of the ashes of this year’s dismal choices,either party, or perhaps a third one, reclaims the center — socially tolerant, fiscally conservative and internationally responsible — so the vast majority of Americans are not ever left again with such a sad choice as one of these two extremely flawed candidates.
John Bush,Denver
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