Will the GOP budge for Biden?

Re “Biden pushes ambitious agenda,” April 29

President Biden’s address to Congress was uplifting and professional, but let’s be clear — his attempt to negotiate with Republicans on behalf of the American people will never work. We are a divided country.

The COVID relief bill passed without one single Republican vote in support, yet we can see how successful it has been in bringing us closer to defeating the virus and helping people who desperately needed it. Republicans will not even consider a climate change bill even as we see destruction in many states.

Many of the president’s proposals make sense, and he is willing to meet and negotiate with Republicans. This is the way it used to be when both parties worked on behalf of the American people. Democracy requires a two-party system in which the sides work together. Edward A. Sussman

Fountain Valley

Biden’s programs pick winners and losers. There is nothing for the people who often fall between the cracks — the homeless, the retired with only a small Social Security payment, and single people with no income.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson helped the people because they helped all people, not just those who have made the most noise. Only a universal basic income treats everyone fairly. Kathie Harine Kingman, Ariz.

The Biden administration’s big bet is convincing working-class Americans that our constitutional order can still produce for them. The former president’s mob attack on our Capitol has suggested what could happen if Biden fails.

It’s also noteworthy that our president’s speech quoted Abraham Lincoln when raising his fundamental question: Can representative government “long endure”? Ramón Castellblanch

Benicia, Calif.