Letters to the Editor

Too many prioritize party affiliation

Excessive partisanship has rightly been condemned.

It is an example of Party Over Principle, of categorizing other people as us (OK) or them (not OK).

I have characterized the us vs. them distinction as the scourge of humanity (dcpsych.org, Capital Psychiatry, Spring 2023). Legislatively, it rejects compromise.

Critics blasted state Rep. Jim Gregory for supporting a Democrat for House speaker.

Presumably, Gregory was seeking the better leader for his chamber. (I suspect that many Republicans in the U,S. House would have had more confidence in Hakeem Jeffries than Mike Johnson.)

Too many Americans cast presidential ballots based primarily on party affiliation. Considerations like competence and character are wiser choices.

A case can be made for party disloyalty when bilateralism serves the common good.

Joseph Silverman, MD

Hollidaysburg