Biden must meet the press to assure the public
The barrage of bombast that former President Donald Trump spewed during the June 27 debate was explained as a reason why President Joe Biden was stunned into incoherence. Now, Biden has said that his travel schedule was so busy that he nearly fell asleep on stage. We, the public, are led to believe this was a one-off situation and that Biden is still able to express his thoughts in a logical manner. That remains to be seen.
No amount of magical thinking by the coterie surrounding him will suffice to reassure the public. Biden must meet the press in a series of conferences at which he responds to reporters’ questions without access to notes or a teleprompter. That is a value of a free press in a democracy.
ERROL REISS, ALPHARETTA
Overcoming voting obstacles is paramount
I recently listened to a report on National Public Radio on the unexpected results that elected Harry S. Truman president over Thomas Dewey in 1948. Was this a hope that the coming election would be the same? Overlooked is gerrymandering sanctioned by courts, attacks on the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, voter suppression made easier by legal legislation, misinformation proliferated by some media as well as social media, along with vast money contributed to campaigns with no accounting (thanks to Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission). Polling might not have had the sophistication in 1948 as it does today, but neither did it have all the obstacles of today.
Are voters who recall Ben Franklin’s statement, “A republic, if you can keep it,” concerned enough to make an effort to keep it? It is sad that such a small percentage of potential voters actually exercise their rights. It’s going to take every lover of justice and rights to get out and overcome all the obstacles. You never appreciate what you have until you don’t have it anymore.
JOAN LONGFIELD, DECATUR
