Readers Corner: Letter explaining vote for Trump draws impassioned responses

Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Editor's note: On July 28, the Sun published a lengthy letter to the editor from Las Vegas resident Mike Measday explaining why he voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The letter drew a particularly strong response from readers, a number of whom wrote letters sounding off on Measday’s opinion. Today, we spotlight those letters.

My first thought when I saw Mike Measday’s letter to the editor, which filled an entire column of the Op-Ed page, made me wonder if folks who normally write letters to the editor went on holiday. Look, I’m glad that Measday had the opportunity have his voice heard, but I can’t let this go without commentary.

I was struck by the specificity and detail in which Measday enumerated Trump’s failings and yet seemed to justify his vote as being more of a vote against Hillary Clinton for reasons that lack any specificity or detail. Measday characterizes Clinton as offering, “more of the same old empty lies and dirty politics emblematic of Washington.”

Exactly what lies and what dirty politics? Keep in mind that Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives for six of the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency and controlled the Senate for two of the eight years of Obama’s term in office. So what dirty politics are we talking about? Would it be the Republican determination to make President Obama a one-term president? That kind of dirty? Perhaps blocking President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee from a Senate hearing? That kind of dirty?

Some points that Measday cites to support his argument are just plain wrong. As an example, Measday characterizes Obama’s short term in the U.S. Senate before becoming elected as president to support a characterization that Obama lacked experience in government. I would remind Measday that before he was elected president, Obama was a constitutional scholar and professor and served in the Illinois Legislature for eight years.

Measday’s point that because there is no law requiring a person running for president to release tax returns and therefore Trump gets a pass seems quite flaccid. The purpose of a candidate releasing tax information is to provide information to the American people for them to assess the individuals they may vote for. Measday is correct that there is no law requiring the release of Trump’s tax returns. I would only say in response that the law is the ethical minimum.

After reading Measday’s letter it seemed to be yet another regurgitation of those often-repeated, overly broad and unsubstantiated attacks against Hillary Clinton. It sure sounded like something that I’ve heard before on, oh, say Fox News. I guess my final reaction would be to say, “I smell a Fox nearby!”

James Sida, Henderson

...

If Donald Trump was Mike Measday’s 15th choice out of 17 Republicans, shouldn’t that have given him a clue that this guy slandered and belittled the other 16 candidates because his qualifications were at the bottom compared to the others?

Measday says it is true that Trump was included in a racial discrimination suit at the age of 27 but that was in 1973. A business bigot is the worst type of bigot.

Measday says it is laughable when it is pointed out that Trump had no political experience, then he tries to draw a comparison with former President Barack Obama, a brilliant law scholar and former senator. Now, that is laughable.

Then Measday begs us to let Trump get his feet beneath him and asks for some courtesy for him. How can anyone with good conscience get behind a liar?

Measday says there is no law requiring Trump to release his tax returns. Well, Trump’s excuse was that he couldn’t under audit, which was a lie. He then said he would release the returns, which was another lie. Trump will release them when the special prosecutor gets done with him.

The writer, like many other Trump voters, keeps making lame excuses for him and why they voted for him. But the damage is done, and they need to own up to it.

Don Ellis, Henderson

...

Just who erred at the Sun and let Mike Measday’s letter to the editor actually run? He (or she) is now probably looking for a job!

Measday wrote the words that scores of what we Donald Trump supporters know to be the case: We did not want another tired old leftist politician directing our every thought, our every action with politically correct nonsense! We also didn’t want the usual suspect from the right showing no guts when it came to actually bucking the good-old-boy system, and that’s why 16 other candidates were vanquished by Trump in the primaries.

The truth of the matter is we didn’t want any craven politician sitting in the Oval Office doing the same old thing over and over — fiddling while Washington, D.C., burned and we were ignored.

I can only hope that “outsiders” are paying attention and will, in droves, rise up to challenge the insipid drones (Republican and Democrat) in Washington, and put themselves out there in the primaries as alternatives. We need men and women of honesty and integrity to represent us in government — something sorely lacking in the majority of those now in office.

Jerry Fink, Las Vegas

Editor’s note: Although the Sun has been critical of Trump in its editorial pages, we have published several letters from writers defending the president. We will continue to publish such letters.

...

I like the fact that this man took time out to do a research and soul search before voting. He is to be commended for his effort.

Just one more area to be covered for Mike Measday: Are you satisfied with your choice after six months? No need to reply to me. Ask yourself. Take a pat on the back no matter which way you answer. You did do some thinking before casting your vote, and that is better than a vote for petty stuff.

Having voted for the last 63 years, I have had the option of the BEST of two and not only the lesser of two evils. Only in America.

Bob Hartman, Las Vegas

...

I read through Mike Measday’s long and torturous explanation of why he voted for Donald Trump.

Turning from one negative thought to another, by the time I reached the end I was beginning to feel sorry for Measday. Then, I realized, I just couldn’t muster any sympathy for a person who thinks that someone who spent his adult life running a family-owned real estate business where he immediately got what he wanted or people got fired or sued would be any good at running a government where there are some 535 members of Congress he must work with who all think they can do a better job than him at being president.

To make my voting decision, I flipped it around and looked at the positive. In researching for the good that both candidates had done in their past, I found a lengthy list of what Hillary had done over her lifetime as an attorney, first lady, senator and secretary of state where she made things better for other people. I was unable to find one thing that Trump has ever done that benefited anyone except himself. As with Measday, it was the easiest choice in the world for me.

Charles Parrish, Las Vegas