Your editorial several weeks ago characterized Joe Biden as a liar in his presidential candidacy announcement for stating that he was compelled to run because Mr. Trump divided America with his statements concerning the Charlottesville protests. Your editorial angered me and other concerned Democrats. The term “liar” is untrue, incendiary, and insulting to Mr. Biden and like-minded Democrats.
After a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. in 2017 during which a counter protester was killed and 19 injured, Mr. Trump said, “There were good people on both sides.” Fox News reported it was believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade.
Mr. Biden and I and many others believe that Mr. Trump’s failure to condemn white nationalism, Nazis, the KKK, and general racial hate and violence shows a lack of leadership and a lack of support of American beliefs of freedom and justice for all.
We may have differences of opinions with your conservative editorials, but we are not liars. Your characterization is insulting and provocative. We are patriotic, caring Americans who intend to call out Mr. Trump when he fails to represent all Americans and sows the seeds of discord with his “Them” versus “Us” rhetoric.
We will continue to submit differing opinions concerning our democracy to your conservative, pro-Trump newspaper and hope that you are supportive enough of a free exchange of ideas to print them.
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NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my column. We are always better when we communicate and debate in a civil matter.
Before President Donald Trump said “you also had people that were very fine people on both sides,” he twice denounced the violence and hate from both sides of the Charlottesville rally, as I previously quoted him in my column from May 1.
Notice he did not say everyone there was good. He was trying to defuse the situation. Trump also said he has “condemned neo-Nazis and many different groups” in that same press conference.
Just because many in the national press and the Democrat party refuse to acknowledge Trump’s own words condemning the hate and violence does not mean they were never said.
Dennis Warden,
Publisher
