Letters From the February 8/15, 2021, Issue

Letters From the February 8/15, 2021, Issue

Letters From the February 8/15, 2021, Issue

No hope or change… An open question… It’s time… Fly high, comrade… Higher math…

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No Hope or Change

Re “Biden’s Picks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” by Robert L. Borosage [Dec. 28, 2020/Jan. 4, 2021]: Joe Biden made it clear from the very beginning of his campaign that his intent was to return the country to its pre-Trump status quo, not move the needle forward one iota. Of course, the pandemic has forced him to make some alterations to his program, but no one should be so naive as to expect any substantive or fundamental change to the root causes of the problems baked into our capitalist system—problems that Trump et al. simply exploited, as the article points out so well.
Lin Kaatz Chary

An Open Question

I very much enjoyed Peter E. Gordon’s article about Theodor Adorno, “The Scars of Democracy” [Dec. 28, 2020/Jan. 4, 2021], especially his discussion of the concept of fascism arising within liberal democracy. But I was very surprised that once the word “commodity” entered into the discussion, there wasn’t a larger spotlight on capitalism, rather than liberal democracy, as the “base metal” of fascism. Is it possible to have liberal democracy without capitalism, or are the two intertwined?
Gregory Arnold

It’s Time

Re “The Center Didn’t Hold,” by Elie Mystal [Dec. 28, 2020/Jan. 4, 2021]: For a few hundred years, Americans were taught that the Electoral College was intended to save us from demagoguery. Whatever the original intent, the last four years have shown us the folly of that belief. It’s time to do away with it before the next would-be Trump gets his act together well enough to succeed at what Trump attempted. He didn’t even have a rudimentary level of competence, but look at what he did. The Electoral College can now be seen as a ticking time bomb.
Richard Bagby

Fly High, Comrade

Kudos to Dave Zirin for capturing, in very few words, the essence of a complicated and complex character, defiant and contradictory, as large in charisma as he was diminutive in stature [“Diego Maradona (1960–2020),” Dec. 28, 2020/Jan. 4, 2021]. Maradona lived, in spite of the obstacles life threw at him. His unpredictable and oft-unedited charm will be missed, and so will the man for the icon that he was.
Antony Esuk

Thank you for your kind and warm words that do justice to a person who used his skills as the best athlete ever to advocate for political sovereignty, economic independence, and social justice. Vuela alto Diego!
Pablo Sadler

Higher Math

Brandon Hasbrouck suggests that Black votes be counted twice [“The Argument: Double-Count All Black Votes,” Dec. 28, 2020/Jan. 4, 2021]. This proposal would violate the “one person, one vote” rule and is accordingly unconstitutional.
Edmund Rosner

Can we count on you?

In the coming election, the fate of our democracy and fundamental civil rights are on the ballot. The conservative architects of Project 2025 are scheming to institutionalize Donald Trump’s authoritarian vision across all levels of government if he should win.

We’ve already seen events that fill us with both dread and cautious optimism—throughout it all, The Nation has been a bulwark against misinformation and an advocate for bold, principled perspectives. Our dedicated writers have sat down with Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders for interviews, unpacked the shallow right-wing populist appeals of J.D. Vance, and debated the pathway for a Democratic victory in November.

Stories like these and the one you just read are vital at this critical juncture in our country’s history. Now more than ever, we need clear-eyed and deeply reported independent journalism to make sense of the headlines and sort fact from fiction. Donate today and join our 160-year legacy of speaking truth to power and uplifting the voices of grassroots advocates.

Throughout 2024 and what is likely the defining election of our lifetimes, we need your support to continue publishing the insightful journalism you rely on.

Thank you,
The Editors of The Nation

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