To the Editor:
Re “Elise Stefanik Is Playing a Dangerous Game With Her Career,” by Elizabeth Benjamin (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, May 14):
By elevating Elise Stefanik to a high post, the Republican Party is trying to move forward by having the party not focus on whether it is pro- or anti-Trump, but rather on what it needs to do to defeat enough Democrats to flip the House and get rid of Nancy Pelosi as speaker.
Ms. Stefanik has proved herself to be not only a remarkable fund-raiser for Republican candidates, but also someone who can organize campaigns and get Republicans elected. Although Liz Cheney was a loyal conservative, she kept dwelling on the past and was tearing the party apart — a very counterproductive move. That the Democrats fear a reinvigorated Republican Party is only too evident in the spate of nasty and critical articles that have come out against Ms. Stefanik.
I never thought I would hear the liberal media praising the likes of Liz Cheney, the archconservative from Wyoming, but lo and behold, she gets accolades on a regular basis now as they are desperate to denounce the Republican rising star, Elise Stefanik.
Mary Sykes
Rye, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Re “G.O.P. Replaces a Trump Critic With a Trump Convert” (news article, May 15):
I am a moderate Republican who has traditionally voted for my party’s line of candidates. I now fear that our party is in trouble. With the removal of Liz Cheney our party has shown that it cares more for the hard right of Republican voters than it does for the truth. This is going to disenfranchise a substantial number of traditional Republican voters like me.
I cannot support a party that feels that it must curry favor with a past president for fear of losing the support of his radical legions. Our party will lose the midterm elections when moderate conservative voters either cross over and vote for Democrats or, what is more likely, simply don’t vote.
In every candidate debate in the coming elections, I expect that Republicans are going to be asked, “Do you believe that the election was stolen from Donald Trump?” Our former president must announce not only that he legitimately lost, but also that he is no longer considering returning to the political arena.
Donald Trump, this is your chance to do the right thing and save our party. Please get “the big lie” behind us.
Michael D. Greenbaum
Paradise Valley, Ariz.
To the Editor:
The coverage of Elise Stefanik’s elevation to the House Republican caucus’s leadership has focused on her support for President Trump, but we must not ignore a very important point. Ms. Stefanik has a 44 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union, one of the lowest among Republicans in the House. In other words, she is not a dogmatic ideologue.
This is a good thing, because the American people want bipartisanship in Washington, and that will never happen if ideologues rule the day. If the Democrats would follow suit and put a moderate in their leadership, maybe some good things would follow.
Rob Grien
West Stockbridge, Mass.
Source: Read Full Article
Home » Analysis & Comment » Opinion | The Rise of Elise Stefanik in the Republican Ranks
Opinion | The Rise of Elise Stefanik in the Republican Ranks
To the Editor:
Re “Elise Stefanik Is Playing a Dangerous Game With Her Career,” by Elizabeth Benjamin (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, May 14):
By elevating Elise Stefanik to a high post, the Republican Party is trying to move forward by having the party not focus on whether it is pro- or anti-Trump, but rather on what it needs to do to defeat enough Democrats to flip the House and get rid of Nancy Pelosi as speaker.
Ms. Stefanik has proved herself to be not only a remarkable fund-raiser for Republican candidates, but also someone who can organize campaigns and get Republicans elected. Although Liz Cheney was a loyal conservative, she kept dwelling on the past and was tearing the party apart — a very counterproductive move. That the Democrats fear a reinvigorated Republican Party is only too evident in the spate of nasty and critical articles that have come out against Ms. Stefanik.
I never thought I would hear the liberal media praising the likes of Liz Cheney, the archconservative from Wyoming, but lo and behold, she gets accolades on a regular basis now as they are desperate to denounce the Republican rising star, Elise Stefanik.
Mary Sykes
Rye, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Re “G.O.P. Replaces a Trump Critic With a Trump Convert” (news article, May 15):
I am a moderate Republican who has traditionally voted for my party’s line of candidates. I now fear that our party is in trouble. With the removal of Liz Cheney our party has shown that it cares more for the hard right of Republican voters than it does for the truth. This is going to disenfranchise a substantial number of traditional Republican voters like me.
I cannot support a party that feels that it must curry favor with a past president for fear of losing the support of his radical legions. Our party will lose the midterm elections when moderate conservative voters either cross over and vote for Democrats or, what is more likely, simply don’t vote.
In every candidate debate in the coming elections, I expect that Republicans are going to be asked, “Do you believe that the election was stolen from Donald Trump?” Our former president must announce not only that he legitimately lost, but also that he is no longer considering returning to the political arena.
Donald Trump, this is your chance to do the right thing and save our party. Please get “the big lie” behind us.
Michael D. Greenbaum
Paradise Valley, Ariz.
To the Editor:
The coverage of Elise Stefanik’s elevation to the House Republican caucus’s leadership has focused on her support for President Trump, but we must not ignore a very important point. Ms. Stefanik has a 44 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union, one of the lowest among Republicans in the House. In other words, she is not a dogmatic ideologue.
This is a good thing, because the American people want bipartisanship in Washington, and that will never happen if ideologues rule the day. If the Democrats would follow suit and put a moderate in their leadership, maybe some good things would follow.
Rob Grien
West Stockbridge, Mass.
Source: Read Full Article