Save your party, Republicans

Re “This time, make sure to vote,” editorial, Nov. 1

I wholeheartedly agree with your exhortation to “make sure to vote.” It is most critical for Republicans to get out and crossover vote in droves.

President Trump is a Pied Piper leading his party into an abyss. This time, there are no false promises of draining the swamp, more jobs or infrastructure investment. Trump’s campaigning for congressional Republicans is fueled purely by fear and division.

In spirited debates with my Republican friends over the years, I’ve been lectured on free trade, balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility along with morality and family values. The banner they are now under is not the embodiment but the obliteration of these ideals.

If Republican voters don’t repudiate Trump at the ballot box now, their leaders will continue to kowtow to this would-be autocrat and the hate he encourages. The politics of petty personal insults will be permanently etched into the Republican brand. Robert Fox

Los Angeles

I’m not convinced urging all citizens to vote is a good thing. Even the dedicated voter who never misses an election and is on top of the issues and candidates tosses and turns over the numerous ballot issues and candidates, to say nothing of the judges.

Urging unaware citizens to go to the polls will not help. Instead it will create a “mandate” from the people based on little more than the majority’s best guess on which candidate or cause is better than the other.

Even counting all the Los Angeles Times readers in Southern California, this region is left with millions of citizens who have no idea of the issues and have no guidance from newspapers or other reliable sources.

Perhaps it’s better for you to urge citizens to educate themselves before voting. David H. Barnes

Glen Avon