End the divisiveness

Regarding “Trump’s affront to democracy” ( Editorial, Nov. 5): The president’s efforts to steal the election by stopping the vote count shouldn’t surprise anyone. President Trump has shown over the past four years that he has no respect for the ideals and institutions of democracy. His goal has always been to be a dictator like his pals Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un.

What was surprising, and depressing, was the closeness of the election. Despite an avalanche of lies, corruption and 230,000 deaths due to his incompetence and malfeasance, Trump was not repudiated. He actually got a higher percentage of votes than he did in the last election. So the evidence is clear: 2016 was not a fluke. The hate, fear and divisiveness that Trump promulgates is now part of who we are. And that is an affront not just to our democracy, but to honesty, decency and morality as well.

Gary Cavalli, Danville