To the Editor:

The consensus is, our country is more starkly divided today than at any time since the Civil War.  But there is no consensus on how and where to get at the root of the problem.

For example:  Why is it so hard to see that voter suppression is un-democratic and un-American?  Liberals say, “Whether it is gerrymandering, misinformation/disinformation, intimidation, or just trying to overturn an election by trumped-up allegations, it is cheating.”

“Not so!” Republicans  retort.  “It’s just politics.  Without the dirty tricks,  Conservatives might never win another election.  The Voting Rights Act favors Democrats, therefore we are against it.  And anyway, voters cannot be counted on to know what’s best for them.”

  Of course, not all Republicans think that way.  In fact, in this divided nation, the starkest division lies within the  G.O.P.  itself --  and for the first time since Reagan wrought solidarity in the ‘80’s.   Solidarity became an instrument of power that Republicans took firm hold of, and with great success, until Trump came along and shattered it.

So today, as we contemplate the State of the [dis-]Union, is there anyone who truly believes that a divisive, chaotic man like Trump could restore unity to anything whatsoever?  Is there anyone who still hopes that the damage can be repaired somehow but without having to repudiate its perpetrator?  

Clearly we can only unite by condemning Trump’s attempt to overturn the election which removed him from office.   And if our leaders recoil from this duty, who will be able to lead this nation to a place where we can come together?

A concerned citizen,

Taffy Wallace