By LETTERS TO THE EDITOREnvelope(photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
With regard to Donald Trump’s election (“‘I will be president for all Americans,’” November 10), it appears that the whole US has gone mad, and the inmates have taken over the asylum. Unbelievably, Americans have elected a narcissistic, misogynistic, female-obsessed political and universal ignoramus as president.I am donating all my assets to charity now in the hope that it will help me somewhat in the imminent days of the Messiah.Lord help the world!MARCHAL KAPLANJerusalemWhy is Donald Trump the president-elect, and not Hillary Clinton? It is because Trump has the uncanny ability to look at a situation that is staring everyone in the face and see an opportunity no one else sees.While Clinton put all her energy into helping black voters and illegal immigrants, Trump realized that there was a huge group of faceless people, the under-educated white workers, who were being overlooked by everyone and needed help in a desperate manner.His ability to organize a campaign to give these people hope turned what seemed to be a sure loss into the most impressive victory in the history of modern US politics. This ability was also probably responsible for making him a multi-billionaire in the first place.I hope that Trump will be a really great president. I, for one, wish him the best of luck.P. YONAH
ShohamDonald Trump’s win is good for Israel and, we hope, for the US.I hope J Street lost a fortune backing Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. It serves them right.ARTHUR LAMPERTRa’ananaThe election of the president of the United States is Greek irony, where everyone, except for the main actor, knows he’s a tragic figure.DANIEL ABELMANJerusalemNoa Amouyal’s thesis about Hillary Clinton’s loss (“A defeat for feminism,” November 10), is not only false, it neatly encapsulates a large factor in said loss.The fact that a woman ran at the head of a major party’s presidential ticket is absolutely a triumph for feminism. To turn around and say that the voters, having looked at her merits, decided not to vote her in, and that this is a defeat for feminism, is just as ridiculous as claims that all the people who voted against US President Barack Obama were racists.Some feminists need to accept the fact that just because a woman loses an election, it does not automatically make voters sexist.The American electorate grew tired of the insinuation by Clinton that this was why she absolutely had to win. A presidential election is supposed to be about selecting the best candidate. It is not a social litmus test.MENACHEM G. JERENBERGBeit ShemeshCongratulations to Gil Hoffman for “Israeli Right celebrates Trump win, declares end to era of ‘Palestinian state’” (November 10). Nevertheless, the obituaries he brings from both Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett and Joint List MK Yousef Jabareen about the supposed demise of the two-state solution are highly exaggerated, to quote Mark Twain.A more successful paradigm for future dialogue between US president-elect Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be that there is no place for two sovereign states in one land. Once this is understood and accepted by the Palestinian Authority (if ever), the sides can then usefully come together to discuss security parameters for Palestinian statehood.As that issue moves to the back burner, America and Israel can usefully focus on the more critical issue of Iran and its continuing reach for nuclear military capability through North Korea.AARON BRAUNSTEINJerusalemThe writer is a retired US Foreign Service officer.The American electoral system is very strange, but I must admit it was good for this election, where many voters wanted both candidates to lose.Donald Trump lost the popular vote, and Hillary Clinton lost the Electoral College votes. Now we are all happy.W. MALKINSONRa’anana
