‘Playing on fears’ goes beyond President Trump or Republicans (letter)

In his Sunday, Feb. 3 commentary, Jack Van Ens accuses President Trump of playing on our fears. He references political rallies where Trump wears a red Make America Great Again hat. Van Ens says Trump “promises to turn back the clock to the 1950s” (in the author’s opinion). I hardly believe red hats and political rhetoric strike fear in the hearts of most Americans. If Van Ens ever experienced a teenage son getting a drivers license, then he would know true fear.

No Van Ens commentary would be complete without his referencing the scriptures. In this case he refers to “Armageddon” and the “apocalypse.” The apocalypse refers to Trump’s “dreadful tales of our nation’s demise under Democrats.” This is how Trump plays on our fears? Van Ens has a way of analyzing an issue from only one point of view. I’d like to present an alternative viewpoint. Let’s see how the Democrats play on our fears when they promote their issues.

Regarding the GOP tax bill, Nancy Pelosi referred to the bill as “the end of the world.” She added, “this is Armageddon.” Bernie Sanders said the bill amounts to “class warfare” and is one of the “greatest robberies in American history.” California Gov. Jerry Brown called the bill “evil in the extreme.” These statements are more fearful than wearing a red MAGA hat.

The GOP healthcare legislation failed to gain congressional approval largely because of Republican infighting regarding the bill’s specifics. That didn’t stop the Democrats’ hyperbole regarding the bill. According to Bernie Sanders, if the bill passed, “Thousands of Americans would die because they would no longer have access to healthcare.” Senator Elizabeth Warren warned, “#AHCA will devastate American’s healthcare. Families will go bankrupt. People will die.”

Most recently, we have been inundated by arguments to release or not release the “memo.” The GOP’s rationale for its release is for the people’s “right to know.” The Democrats’ reasoning for keeping the memo secret was built on fear mongering. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence Committee, said release of the memo could indirectly lead to “domestic terrorist attacks.” Sen. Dick Durbin warned it could “precipitate a constitutional crisis.” Well, the memo was released and our republic is still intact.

Jeff Miller

Minturn