Only one party was a sore loser

Recent letters have equated Democrats with Republicans as sore losers ["Democrats are the sore losers," Letters, Nov. 30]. This is untrue. Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump by fewer votes in key states than Trump lost to Joe Biden. Clinton filed no lawsuits challenging the results and conceded graciously. President Barack Obama welcomed Trump to the White House two days after the election. Clinton and Obama were gracious in defeat and, despite Trump’s history as a cheat, did not question the integrity of the electoral process. This decent behavior stands in stark contrast to the whining, dishonest behavior of the current president. His nonsensical lawsuits have been dismissed at every level by judges as baseless. The president accuses Republican governors and other states’ officials of participating in widespread fraud but cannot offer one factual example. His behavior and the anti-Democratic raving of his legal team and followers is an embarrassment to our country. Maybe Trump supporters should accept the fact that most American voters refused to support a racist, hate-mongering bully, which is a good thing.

Cynthia Lovecchio,

Glen Cove

I take issue with the reader who wrote that Democrats are sore losers. He claimed about 2016 that Democrats "tried everything to change the election" for four years. They did not. Hillary Clinton conceded graciously, although she had won the popular vote by almost 3 million. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, lost this year by more than 6 million and also lost the Electoral College by a wide margin. Yet he has had his army of lawyers issuing claims of "unfairness" in more than 30 courts. Virtually every claim has been thrown out because of lack of evidence. Not only is Trump a sore loser, but he also is trying to undo one of the foundations of our democracy, the right to vote, with baseless claims. Additionally, he put our national security at risk by not allowing President-elect Joe Biden to have access to daily intelligence briefings for three weeks. The people have spoken. It is time for Trump to realize that Biden’s win was not fraudulent. It’s time for him to stop being a sore loser.

Lyn Mendelsohn,

Oceanside

Biden must help all of us feel respected

While Scott D. Reich’s op-ed "A unity message Biden must deliver" [Opinion, Nov. 30], is well taken, especially his point about all Americans working toward a common goal, President-elect Joe Biden must do more. A portion of President Donald Trump’s voters were white people without a college degree who feel disrespected by better-educated Americans. Many of these alienated people live in rural areas and are blue collar workers who are either skilled trades people or unskilled doing many necessary jobs. They should be shown respect and feel they are respected. I suggest that Biden should visit these areas himself and send Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and his cabinet to listen sympathetically to how these people are feeling and what they say they need. They shouldn’t tell them what Biden will do for them. When the officials return to Washington, it is important they speak to those needs and devise programs the people say they want. This is good politics, will be necessary for him to govern and, to me, is the right thing to do. Americans deserve to feel they have the respect of their government and their fellow Americans.

Adam Fisher,

Port Jefferson Station

Don’t blame drivers — it’s bad bikers

Reader Michael Vitti, an attorney who litigates cycling issues, seems prepared to assign blame for accidents on drivers ["Bike punishment idea is off-track," Letters, Nov. 30]. Really? I might be 80 years old but still have my marbles and skills, and I remember my biking days. We evolved from Roadmasters to English Racers and went everywhere by bike. The thing is that we were taught to be respectful by parents of a different age. I see too many young cyclists who have zero consideration and zero fear. They ride at night without lights, ride in bunches through traffic, and also don’t wear reflective clothing. To start blaming drivers of any age might be an easy target for a lawyer, but it is outrageous to disclaim the fault of the cyclist.

Anthony Bruno,

Babylon

President Trump has no ‘fresh’ ideas

Reader Karen Sheerin writes that President Donald Trump "approaches the problems of our times with fresh ideas" ["Too bad Republicans didn’t speak out," Letters, Nov. 24]. In my view, not only are Trump’s ideas not "fresh," they are moldy. His isolationism — America First — comes out of the days before the world wars. His economic policies are based on trickle-down economics, which has been tried and failed many times over in the past century. I believe his "movement conservatism" wants to set us back to the 1920s, which resulted in the Great Depression. Sorry, but Trump has had no "fresh ideas." I believe he has wanted to set this country back decades, if not centuries.

Scott Diamond,

Levittown