Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 18, 2023

Huffman should reach out on Biden’s behalf

Like many IJ readers, I get updates from Rep. Jared Huffman’s office. What has been missing from recent emails is an appeal to younger voters who may be unenthusiastic about President Joe Biden and considering sitting out the coming 2024 presidential election or voting for a third-party candidate.

It’s up to everyone who has a big voice, like Huffman, as well as everyone who has a little voice, to call attention to the consequences of such youthful petulance.

If former President Donald Trump wins in 2024, it would be a catastrophe for America. It would impact younger people for far longer than their elders. I worry that, if elected, Trump would have plans for retribution. I am concerned that he will pardon people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Parents, if your children are old enough to vote, please tell them about the dangers of another Trump presidency.

— Chet Seligman, Point Reyes Station

Kaiser professionals delivery quality care

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt gratitude to the medical and support staff of Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Marin and San Francisco. I received extraordinary care during a recent medical procedure.

I had heart surgery for a valve replacement and an additional concurrent surgery to clear arteries. For me, one who had rarely had even minor surgery, this experience was frightening.

I have been a Kaiser member for 15 years. The surgery took place in the San Francisco Medical Center on a Friday morning. Obviously, I remember nothing of the actual surgery and was vaguely conscious for two days afterward. However, I woke on the third day fully aware of my surroundings and remained in the hospital for a total of seven days.

The medical staff in San Francisco was excellent. The doctor in charge of my case, the nurses, the aides and the staff were all professional, attentive and, most of all, cheerful and disciplined. I rarely felt pain resulting from the operation and they checked on me regularly, encouraging me to get out of bed daily and walk for increasing periods. This must be the result of exemplary training and leadership of the senior staff.

Since returning home, I have been visited by a nurse regularly and encouraged to walk more each day. The medical staff has responded to every difficulty. All in all, I do not believe that any patient has been treated with more care, attention and understanding.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the management, leadership team, the surgeons, my primary care physician, cardiologist, nurses, pharmacy personnel and the entire staff of Kaiser Permanente. I have no words that can express my feelings, except to say thank you.

— Bruce Huff, Novato

Democrats could have voted to keep McCarthy

Recently published op-eds, letters to the editor and even cartoons in the Marin IJ have been uniformly critical of new House Speaker Mike Johnson. I am concerned that this is based on little more than his reputation as a conservative Christian.

I would like to review the history of events that led to Johnson’s election. Republicans narrowly won a majority in the House of Representatives in 2022. After 15 ballots, Rep. Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield was finally elected speaker. McCarthy, who some would argue is a relative moderate, made an effort to reach out to Democrats to come to a compromise on various legislative issues. This infuriated a handful of far-right Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the chair, but 210 Republicans voted to retain McCarthy. However, eight Republicans and 208 Democrats voted to oust McCarthy.

Republicans then nominated the more conservative Rep. Steve Scalise. The same group voted against Scalise. Republicans then went to Rep. Jim Jordan, who is even more of a conservative than Scalise. Once again, all Democrats and that tiny group of Republicans voted against Jordan. Finally, Republicans came up with Johnson, the most conservative member they could find who would satisfy the group led by Gaetz.

If only three Democrats out of their entire voting caucus had voted to retain McCarthy, he would still be speaker. So when complaints begin coming in regarding the legislative initiatives taken by Johnson, I think Democrats should take the blame. Blaming Republicans in the House — the vast majority of whom voted to retain McCarthy — is not fair.

— Victor Reizman, San Rafael

Jimmy Carter’s points about Middle East valid

As the founder of the Jimmy Carter Jamboree, an eight-year project honoring the former president, I feel profoundly obligated to raise the conversation about his book, published in 2006, titled “Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid.” It is relevant in the current conversation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We have a responsibility to this conflict and for ignoring the wisdom of Carter, our 39th president, who raised the conversation nearly 20 years ago and endured intense criticism for his book. Before we blame ourselves for ignoring Carter’s wake-up call, let’s acknowledge the level of propaganda that has consumed us in our own country. The assault on Carter has lasted for more than 40 years. I wonder if our alliance with Israel made us deaf and blind to Carter’s call for peace and cooperation.

We are so mired in political narratives and indoctrination. I marvel at the fact that former President Ronald Reagan, the hero of the Republican Party, stands as a statue today representing California in Washington, D.C. Reagan’s policies devastated our middle class, cultivated billionaires (as well as the working poor) and pushed military spending and big corporate power with his trickle-down economics and knock down of labor. Reagan was making business with the oil industry in Saudi Arabia while Carter was pushing for sustainable solar energy to curb greenhouse gases and pushing the U.S. to be energy independent.

It is high time to ask about the wisdom we have ignored for these past 40 years. It’s time to listen to Carter.

— Barbara McVeigh, Fairfax

Do not be fooled when Trump plays victim card

Alice Liddell’s recently published letter implying that the Democratic Party is inventing charges against former President Donald Trump for the purpose of “election interference” is puzzling.

I would like Liddell to consider the possibility that Trump has done much to force these trials with his words and actions. Liddell points to the fraud case in New York as an example. But there are other trials.

Democrats did not invent the recorded phone call asking Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” him more than 11,000 votes in the 2020 election. Trump has never commented on why he initially did nothing to try and quell the storming of our Capitol by his supporters. In fact, there are credible stories he wanted to join them.

The corruption in his business dealings, his real estate empire and Trump University are documented. Liddell seems to portray a double standard, as she criticizes a lack of investigations into President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Allegations against Biden are unproven and Clinton has been away from the political spectrum for close to a decade now.

I think that Trump’s apparent desire for almost unlimited presidential power, his support of the most extreme nationalist elements of the Republican Party and the perception that he insists on blind fealty of the people who work under him remind many of the techniques used by other fascist leaders of history.

Those who wish to enable Trump to win the American presidency are free to do so. But the concern that many have for the weakening of our democracy should not be confused with persecution. Trump is crying out now because calling himself a persecuted victim is a major part of his persona. I, and many others, see right through it.

— Mark Silowitz, Novato