Will Moore work with Trump?

Gov. Wes Moore has said that he is “ready to work with the incoming administration to ensure that Marylanders are protected.” But after galivanting around the country on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris instead of remaining home doing the job he was elected to do and dealing with our state problems — like the mammoth impending budget deficit and rampant juvenile crime — I seriously doubt he will find a willing collaborator in President Donald Trump.

— Robert West, Ellicott City

Democratic Party needs recalibration

The Democratic Party has become a party ruled by a consultant class. Affluent people with opinions and degrees, few hardships to their name, and who have an almost religious faith in institutions that most Americans feel abandoned by.

This election result was of little surprise to most outside the liberal bubble. Predictably, I see think piece after think piece blaming the “radical left.” Were we watching the same election? Harris tacked to the center and lost. Americans were promised a neoliberal interventionism for the middle class, and responded with a resounding “NO.”

The unavoidable truth is this: Americans are suffering and only one candidate promised radical change.

Bernie Sanders is the nation’s most popular senator by a considerable margin. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez out-performed Harris drastically. Yet in a complete inversion of reality, a huge cohort of pundits and politicians insist that left-wing populism is somehow unpopular.

Harris could’ve pushed back against the anti-immigrant framing, instead she played into it. The majority of Americans support an embargo of weapons for Israel, instead she pledged unwavering support for an ongoing genocide. She was given chances to separate herself from the historically unpopular administration, instead she pledged more of the same.

We must push back against the narratives shoved down our throats by out-of-touch Democratic politicians and pundits. Americans have rejected their ideology. For the sake of the country and our collective future, those holding institutional power must step aside for fresh voices that are better in touch with the world of today.

— Jester Fox, Glen Burnie

Step right up

When the first Tyson/Paul fight was canceled due to Tyson’s ulcers, it was clear he didn’t have the stomach for it anymore. Last night’s Pepto Bismol performance proved that he has allowed himself to become a sideshow.

Now he is reportedly going to be passed around, drawing suckers to see the spectacle of an aged champion becoming a high-priced journeyman.

I still see a rudderless orphan, making a mockery of himself and the sport of boxing.

— Abdul Latif Balanta, Parkville

RFK Jr. is right about drug advertising

Although opposed to many of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on reforming health care (“Trump picks Kennedy to lead HHS,” Nov. 15), I strongly agree with his position regarding drug advertising. The U.S., along with New Zealand, are the only two countries in the world that allow direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. In 2021 the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spent $7 billion on prescription drug advertising, the majority going to TV ads. Drug advertising, strongly opposed by the American Medical Association, is an effort to drive patient demand for drugs that clinicians would be less likely to prescribe. The ads often present incomplete or biased information, and, according to a recent study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, many of the advertised drugs offer low added benefit.

Kennedy is on target in opposing direct-to-consumer drug advertising which he has called for banning. A bipartisan bill to support a ban has been introduced in Congress, but one can predict that it will be fiercely challenged by the drug and advertising industries.

— Beryl Rosenstein, M.D., Pikesville

Chris Van Hollen’s agenda

Chris Van Hollen and his ilk personify the reasons Capitol Hill has a 30% approval rating. He’s vowing to tear the Trump agenda apart before the man even takes office. It reminds me of November 2016 when Maxine Waters started screaming impeachment the day after the election!

It obviously doesn’t occur to him that at least some of Trump’s ideas may be good for the people. You know, Chris, the people who elected you. Heaven forbid, Mr. Van Hollen, that you actually wait until something is on paper before you decide what’s good or bad for the American people. He’ll be the first to bemoan partisan politics when that’s exactly what he’s practicing. So Trump wants to cut the federal work force. Sorry, I don’t see that as a bad thing. Governments, whether local, state, or federal, are not known for their efficiency. Looking at the places where Trump turned things around — central California; Dearborn, Michigan; sections of New York and Virginia — it’s obvious the American people want some change. Pay attention, Washington.

— Diane Pazourek, Sparks