Americans in the Age of Anger (Letters to the Editor)
nytimes.com
To the Editor:
Re "Hold the Vitriol" (column, Nov. 12):
To Nicholas D. Kristof's point that liberals have become intemperate, I plead guilty. Sadly, as he wrote, Americans have become polarized. While this certainly began before the last presidential election, most of the change has come more recently.
Remember that when President Bush won the election in the balloting controversy, he pledged to work in a spirit of bipartisanship. During his election campaign and after he became president, he indicated that he was a moderate.
Nevertheless, he almost immediately began pursuing an extreme political agenda on almost every issue, including the environment, corporate regulation, personal liberties, judicial nominations, budgets and taxes.
It feels as if those who disagree with the administration's agenda have been assaulted. While Democrats' reactions have been counterproductive in many ways, liberals have gotten nowhere by trying to understand the other side's viewpoint.
The hypocrisy of the right is stunning. Is it any wonder that so many of us are angry?
WILLIAM R. HALL
Wayne, N.J., Nov. 12, 2003 |
