Letters to the Editor: Where were Democrats when Trump was trying to get rid of the filibuster?

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo President Donald Trump invites Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to speak in the East Room of the White House during a ceremony where Trump spoke about his judicial appointments in Washington. Trump is nominating Justin Walker, a 37-year-old judge and former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to a seat on the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Walker of Kentucky is one of the youngest federal judges in the country. He has deep ties to McConnell. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Then-President Trump and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the White House in 2019. (Associated Press)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

To the editor: I had no idea columnist Virginia Heffernan was a Trump supporter. I do not remember her writing supportively of the former president four years ago when he was calling on the Senate to get rid of the filibuster. ("What's the matter with Kyrsten Sinema?" Opinion, June 4)

In 2017, 28 Republicans, 32 Democrats and one independent in the Senate signed a letter in support of the filibuster, citing its importance in facilitating bipartisanship. Now, the only Democrats willing to stand up for the filibuster are Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Where are all those other Democratic senators who signed that letter four years ago? Who is playing politics here?

Donald Lau, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Sinema sounds like a child psychologist trying to explain to concerned parents why they should use reasoning instead of some sterner method when dealing with their tantrum-throwing toddler.

In her unyielding support for keeping the filibuster, Sinema has also stated that Democrats should try to change their colleagues' behavior, not the rules. Whose behavior is she advocating changing?

The Senate is not some social science lab where there is time to experiment with behavior modification. As nice as it would be to modify many of the current senators' behavior, we just do not have time for that.

Our democracy as we have known it for more than 200 years is at stake, coming perilously close to being destroyed.

Jacqueline West, Inglewood

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.