A photo finish election

This letter to the editor, by Jeff Gagen, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on December 12, 2024.

Contrary to what you may have heard, the recent presidential election was one of the closest in US history. Less than 1.7% of all the votes cast separated Harris from Trump. 

And Trump received less than half of all the votes cast, despite getting more votes than his opponent for the first time in his three tries. 

If Harris, rather than Trump, had won a narrow contest, we’d all be hearing media and pundits proclaiming that she must moderate her views and reach across the aisle. Since Trump won, however, we hear none of that.

Keep all of this in mind if the Trump Administration tries to implement any of the radical plans floating about, such as the Department of Government Efficiency’s plan to arbitrarily kick 75% of people off Social Security (Yes, Co-Chair Vivek Ramashwamy really DID say this!). As a senior citizen who paid in for more than 50 years, this kind of talk is very concerning. 

Will  our Republican representatives like Tom Tiffany or Ron Johnson fight for us, or will they crumple to Trump and the billionaires? 

Remember, this was an extremely close race and more than half of voters still believe in the principles and ideals upon which this nation was founded.