to the editor: re <u+201c> 12 steps for voters in despair ,<u+201d> by nicholas kristof (column, nov. 17): in the last two presidential elections, the candidate i voted for lost. i did not do the following: cry for three days; wear muted colors; decide that the electoral college system is faulty; take to the streets with a vicious message on a sign; threaten to move to canada. politics is always about power. it<u+2019>s no different this time. the reaction of the aggrieved is nothing more than poor sportsmanship dressed up to look noble. they believe that theirs is a righteous despair, but all that has happened is that a candidate they disliked won, voted in by people they misjudged as their inferiors and therefore not entitled to select a president. i didn<u+2019>t want either candidate, but i will give donald trump a chance because hillary clinton asked us to, because i respect the process and because i have faith in a government framework intended to disseminate power. margaret mcgirr greenwich, conn. to the editor: re <u+201c> let<u+2019>s now hope trump succeeds ,<u+201d> by nicholas kristof (column, nov. 10): like many, i have serious concerns about the election of donald trump to the presidency. but people with these concerns should calm down and wait to see what he will do first. let him earn the outrage, if indeed he does. the signals are mixed at this point that he will become that demagogue the founders so worried about. it will not be helpful to the country if those on the left or anyone with serious concerns becomes just as extreme as those on the far right. i agree fully with mr. kristof on this point: let<u+2019>s grit our teeth, give him a chance and hold him strictly to account. christopher follenus windermere, fla. to the editor: nicholas kristof writes, <u+201c>having lost, we owe it to our nation to grit our teeth and give president-elect trump a chance.<u+201d> does mr. kristof believe that we americans still need to give donald trump a chance now that he<u+2019>s appointed stephen k. bannon as his top adviser? at what point will we know that we<u+2019>ve given mr. trump enough of a chance? when the last of 11 million undocumented immigrants is deported? when women must flee to canada for abortions? christopher pavsek vancouver, british columbia a version of this letter appears in print on november 25, 2016, on page a26 of the new york edition with the headline: should we give this president-elect a chance?. today's paper | subscribe
should we give this president-elect a chance?
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