Tim Moore: No automatic acceptance of Trump
In response to the Nov. 13 letter “So long, liberals” about Americans giving Donald Trump a “mandate”: I would like to point out that, while Trump won the electoral vote, Hillary did carry the popular vote. Yes, the electoral vote is what really counts, but the voices of more than half the Americans who did not vote for Trump cannot and should not be ignored.
As for a so-called “mandate” I would ask, a mandate for what exactly? That racist rhetoric will now be acceptable in polite society? That torture should be considered acceptable when interrogating people suspected of terrorism? That health insurance for at least 20 million Americans is at risk of being reduced or eliminated altogether? That the rights of married gay couples, and all LGBTQ citizens in general, are in danger of being diminished or removed altogether?
Some people might be OK with some or all of these points, but there are more than 59 million Americans who say otherwise.
Trump did win the election, but that should not mean automatic acceptance of his words and actions during his candidacy or after he’s sworn in.
Tim Moore
Raleigh
This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Tim Moore: No automatic acceptance of Trump."