Barbara Palitz: Republicans have short memories about Obama’s election
Re “So this is how you treat a president” (Page A9, Jan. 23): With all due respect, are you joking? You write that Republicans disagreed with but “accepted” Barack Obama’s presidency. Might you perhaps be overlooking Mitch McConnell’s meeting with other Republican leaders in the immediate aftermath of Obama’s inauguration in which all vowed to obstruct Obama across the board, including issues with which Republicans previously agreed, like funding infrastructure repairs (which our current president is now trumpeting as top-priority). Further, Republicans, most notably Donald Trump, engaged in relentless efforts to delegitimize Obama by questioning his birthplace and citizenship. Remember the “birther” movement?
Obama’s win by 7 percent in 2008 was decisive, and yet your party refused to accept the election’s outcome. Imagine how Democrats feel with Trump losing the popular vote by 3 million, a “victory” further tainted by likely Russian interference.
Barbara Palitz, Modesto
This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Barbara Palitz: Republicans have short memories about Obama’s election."