Sometimes, I think I should use my weblog as a place to aggregate my writing. Not that I write a lot, but if I answer a question or write a letter, I should post a copy here if it is public enough. In that vein, I’m posting this letter to the editor of my local paper that I wrote this past Sunday.

I was struck by Chris DelVecchio’s statements in the front page article “Trump to remain key figure”. Mr. DelVecchio said “The Republican Party is becoming the party of the people” which sounds strange to me.

He is saying that the party that put up a national candidate that didn’t get a majority of the vote and lost the election is the people’s party?

Someone should tell the people that.

He also pointed to the rise of younger representatives like Matt Gaetz and said it was part of a generational shift in the Republican party. I suppose he thinks this is going to help attract younger voters. Reading exit polls may be a pass-time of the elites, but DelVecchio should at least glance at exit polls like NBC’s which showed that Biden won the majority of all age groups younger than 50 years of age.

But, sure, maybe their political leaning will change when the turn 50 and grow up a little.

While party members like DelVecchio may be enamored with Trump’s populism and think it is a sign that he listens to the people, I think the real story is the record turn-out for this past election—over 66% of the eligible population, the highest in the past 120 years—and that the majority voted to remove Trump from office.

Finally, I hope the events of January 6th will provide compelling evidence for those of us who love law and order that populism and firebrands are a dangerous combination.