To the editor:
After nearly twelve years of bitter divisions, it's crucial that President-Elect Joe Biden really means it when he says the theme of his inauguration will be "America United." Unfortunately, the signs thus far do not make one hopeful.
In a united America, it would be considered to be of little importance that the vice president could break a tie vote in a Senate split evenly between the two major parties or that one party or the other had a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. In a united America, neither Senators nor Representatives would automatically vote against legislation simply because it was proposed by someone from the other party; they would vote on the merits of the proposals, which would not pass without significant support from members of both parties.
I call on our incoming president to make clear he will not sign legislation that does not have a reasonable amount of support from both parties and make clear that he disapproves of the incredibly divisive exercise, of at best dubious constitutionality, of carrying on with a Senate trial of a soon-to-be former president who, despite his many faults, has strong support from nearly half the populace.
Lest anyone think this is from a Trump supporter, I am a traditional liberal, have been a registered Democrat my entire adult life, do not think someone with Trump's character should ever be president, and voted against him in both 2016 and 2020.
Sincerely,
Alan Stein