What the heck is wrong with the Republican Party? | Opinion

Jordan, the GOP

What is wrong with the Republican Party at the national level? How could a small group of people have allowed a lockdown of the U.S. House and the hijacking of our government by insisting Jim Jordan of Ohio become speaker?

One of the most outrageous, ultra-right MAGA-oriented people on the Hill, Jordan could have literally shut down our process of government, killed our economy and cratered the U.S.

How can the American people allow this mega-minority of firebrands, (Jordan, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Green, Matt Gaetz, et al.) let this happen? And, why do so many other GOP “leaders” kowtow to this destructive group?

Jordan has proven he is a divisive lap-dog beholden to #45 and the radical right. He was not the right guy to be speaker.

Timothy McCulla, Matthews

Nancy Pelosi

The headline of an Oct. 13 Opinion column reprinted from the Washington Post about electing a new Speaker of the House read, “Is there a grown-up in the House?”. It went on to espouse the virtues of former speaker Nancy Pelosi and her mature leadership.

Is this the same Nancy Pelosi who flamboyantly ripped apart then-President Trump’s State of the Union speech on national TV?

Dan Houston, York, S.C.

House Republicans

Rather than try to find a path to working with the other side of the aisle in this time of multiple global conflicts and an impending shutdown Republicans in Congress are stuck in self-created muck. It’s criminal they get to keep their paychecks — please don’t vote for them again.

Philip Solomon, Charlotte

Jordan and Scalise

I found it interesting that Congressmen Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise were able to count votes and recognize that neither of them had enough votes to win Speaker of the House. Where were those math skills on Jan. 6, 2021 when Jordan and Scalise failed to certify Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election? At that time, President-elect Biden’s 306 Electoral College votes eclipsed Donald Trump’s 232 votes. I guess math only matters to Republicans like Jordan and Scalise when it reveals an outcome they are willing to accept — unlike the reality and truth that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

Patrick Miller, Deep Gap

CMS bond

Passage of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ $2.5 billion property tax-funded bond proposal would be rewarding incompetence. Less than 50% of CMS’ third through eighth graders are able to read proficiently. More than 23% of students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year. And during the 2021-22 school years CMS led the state in criminal/violent acts per 1,000 students. Newer, shiny buildings will not change this. I am voting no.

Jason Huber, Charlotte

Overreacting?

Regarding “Lindsey Graham used terrorist logic in barbaric Gaza remarks” (Oct. 18):

I don’t think for a minute that Sen. Lindsey Graham “believes murdering Palestinian children is a rational way to respond to the murder of Israeli children..” Saying “Level the place” might have been an inappropriate gut reaction to the Hamas attack on Israel, but Bailey’s comment in reaction, about leaving “our Palestinian brothers and sisters to be slaughtered by men like Graham,” is a worse one. “Words mean things,” as a controversial radio host used to say. Both Bailey and Graham should consider words more carefully.

Phil Clutts, Harrisburg

Lyrics to remember

Those who’ve seen “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein may recognize the pivotal song in the story — “You’ve got to be carefully taught.” The play involves a woman who falls in love, then realizes the man’s children are half islanders. She has a hard time coming to grips with her bigotry, as we are not born hating; hatred has to be carefully taught.

A sample lyric: “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear, You’ve got to be taught from year to year, It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear — You’ve got to be carefully taught.”

These words still seem to be needed today.

Keith Wilson, Charlotte