I have stood on a busy corner with other residents of our retirement community holding up “No Kings” signs. It is encouraging to hear the strong support of our Seattle neighbors as they honk in agreement.
But I came from Michigan, a purple state. I see those who voted Republican in the 2024 election as not believing that our Constitution was at stake. Now I think that the Democrats need to redefine their goals in a way that will broaden the tent. I would like to see more emphasis upon the reduction of inflation and job growth, and less talk about divisive issues like abortion and gender. We need to increase revenue through taxation so that we can pay down our national debt and lower the cost of health insurance. What is needed now is national leadership in the fine art of political compromise.
I believe that the “culture wars” that we have fought in American society — at least since 1968 — have fed the MAGA movement. I would like to see the “blue states” recapture the center and help heal divisions. To borrow the words of Andrew Jackson in 1830, “The Union, it must be preserved!”
Doris B. Heineman, Seattle
