to the editor: those of us who thought the ugliness of this presidential election would end, or at least die down, on election day now have to confront the probability that nov. 8 is only another beginning. if donald trump wins, it will be four years of worry that he will continue to erode our democratic traditions, unravel our international partnerships and have a twitchy finger on the nuclear button. if hillary clinton wins, it will be four years of republican obstructionism and unending congressional investigations into allegations of criminal behavior. renewing the spirit of optimism for which america is known may be difficult in these dire times. john corbin cary, n.c. to the editor: conservative commentators have been preemptively arguing that if hillary clinton is elected, she<u+2019>ll lack a <u+201c>mandate.<u+201d> why? because <u+201c>any other republican would have won<u+201d> or <u+201c>if only <u+2026> (fill in the blank).<u+201d> unprovable hypotheticals, however, are not the way we keep score in a democracy. you win, you govern. george w. bush didn<u+2019>t even capture the popular vote in 2000, yet no one seriously questioned his authority. now, however, frenzied sore losers keep repeating that she<u+2019>s a <u+201c>criminal<u+201d> (evidence not required) to justify a quick <u+201c>impeachment<u+201d> and/or a <u+201c>scorched earth<u+201d> strategy to delegitimize her presidency. that is profoundly radical though not unprecedented. recall how g.o.p. senators on his inauguration day agreed to oppose everything president obama proposed so he<u+2019>d suffer the political blame. if elected, mrs. clinton should call out such obstruction and use her <u+201c>political capital<u+201d> to leverage congress toward the popular progressive program that she campaigned on: an infrastructure bank, a path to citizenship, family-friendly policies, a green economy, criminal justice reform, debt-free college, and a stronger democracy based on automatic voter registration and campaign spending reform. oh, and get the senate to actually consider her supreme court nominees, as it has for 227 years. mark green new york the writer, new york city<u+2019>s first public advocate, is the author of the recent <u+201c>bright, infinite future: a generational memoir on the progressive rise.<u+201d> to the editor: should i vote for donald trump or hillary clinton? here<u+2019>s how i came to my decision. i asked myself questions like this: do i want my country to continue on its current path or do i want something different? if i vote for mrs. clinton, i can depend on no surprises. the national debt will continue to spiral upward; organizations like planned parenthood will continue to use my money and yours; the welfare rolls will continue to grow to include many who should be working and earning their own way rather than nursing at the public breast; and immigration will continue to be monitored in a haphazard way. if i vote for mr. trump, i need to look deeper than just the rough-and-tumble personality. i need to believe in the possibility that, under his leadership, our country will take a new direction in its domestic and foreign policy. i do believe that this man knows enough to surround himself with the necessary knowledge and skills in his staff to meet the challenges. he may not express it in the most eloquent words, but you know where mr. trump stands on the issues. he is sensitive to the mood of the average, hard-working, family-loving american. so there; that<u+2019>s why my mark goes next to donald trump<u+2019>s name! david costello salem, n.h. to the editor: if hillary clinton wins, and the democrats achieve gains in congress, the g.o.p.<u+2019>s defeats will be blamed, by g.o.p. apologists and others, on the messenger (donald trump), not the message. the g.o.p. message is nominally one of lower taxes (at least for the wealthy), less regulation and <u+201c>entitlement reform.<u+201d> but in essence the party is hostile to any solutions to our country<u+2019>s most pressing problems: rising income inequality, climate change and gun control among them. the g.o.p.<u+2019>s essential message will remain unchanged, and the consequences are ominous. robert e. lehrer chicago to the editor: is it good for our children? my decisions are better when i remember that question. in this election, i see the faces of children in my neighborhood, the faces of my nieces and my nephew. as i reflect on the past nine months, i see pressing issues drowned out by character issues. we<u+2019>ve lost an opportunity to seek common ground on what we want our government to do and not do. but that<u+2019>s past. two very different futures lie ahead. as i write these words, with tears in my eyes, i ask: which candidate is better for our children? kirk winters arlington, va. to the editor: i believe that donald trump is one of the most despicable individuals ever to run for president of the united states. yet those voting for him are my fellow americans exercising their most precious right and responsibility as a citizen of our democracy <u+2014> voting for the candidate of their choice. they are not my enemy. they are not despicable or irredeemable or deplorable for choosing mr. trump. and as far as i<u+2019>m concerned, anyone within my circle of family, friends, neighbors and community who votes for mr. trump will still be within that circle on wednesday. we simply disagree on who is the best candidate in this election. many millions of americans have an equally low opinion of hillary clinton and considerable evidence to support that opinion. i hope they will extend the same courtesies to me and the other half of the country who are voting for her. richard kreitman carmel, calif. a version of this letter appears in print on november 8, 2016, on page a18 of the new york edition with the headline: america on election day, and beyond. today's paper | subscribe
america on election day, and beyond
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