Conservative Bullying Tactics

This letter to the editor, by Laurie Harmon, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on July 16, 2026.

One thing the Trump administration has done well is encourage bullying tactics, and as this behavior becomes more common in public forums, we have a few ways to respond. Last week’s letter by Rick Coalwell (Responding to ‘Are we free?’), where he delivered some scathing commentary against my letter on America being a Democratic Republic is a prime example of bullying, so, I’m going to employ what he claims to be my feeble, lazy, “dilettante” mind with just a bit more rhetorical gymnastics to provide some counterpoints.

Often the best way to manage a bully is to walk away — to avoid giving them more ammunition to sling at their perceived opponent. Although I considered the obvious merits of that approach, I must first address the very obvious elephant in the room, rather than the giant steaming pile it left behind, which requires some tidying up.

To the actual point of my previous letter and for the sake of clarity, Coalwell’s attempt to discredit my explanation that our American government is a Democratic Republic is at best ill-informed and at worst manipulative and purposely misleading.

For example, his comment regarding cabinet members and Supreme Court Justices being appointed misses an obvious point. The people elect presidents and trust them to choose wisely on their behalf. No president can appoint anyone unless the people give them permission first. This might actually be a great example of a democratic republic in action.

Another example is when Coalwell veered widely to avoid addressing comments on federalism, which is a central feature of America’s republic. Federalism established 50 semi-autonomous states that control voting laws and police operations within their boundaries. As a tactical move, this was pretty smart, because conservatives have always defended states’ rights, at least until seizing control of voter rolls and state elections might help them win a few elections.

In the future, I suggest Coalwell spend less time on the unserious nonsense coming out of the White House and more time actually studying the Constitution and American history. If he does, he might discover some obvious truths, including one key example of a democratic republic in action: the people elect presidents and trust them to choose wisely on their behalf. No president can appoint anyone unless the people give them permission first.

I stand by my discussion and explanation and I can only hope that in the future, Coalwell will trade his intimidation tactics for finding real solutions to our nation’s current issues and problems.