Opinion: Hillary Clinton’s message was solid. Democrats should avoid straying too far left of it.

To the editor: Ace Smith and others who would push the Democratic Party to the left because “we didn’t have a message in 2016” will just pave the way for a different sort of defeat in the future. (“Democrats find their voice in the protests against President Trump,” Feb. 6)

Hillary Clinton’s margin in the popular vote exceeded that of four candidates elected president in the last 60 years. That’s not a failed message. We should not confuse problems of electoral tactics with those of ideology. We should not alter the message if there were problems with the messenger.

From the French Revolution to the “flower power” upheaval of the 1960s, pendulum swings to the left have led to the ascendancy of the reactionary right. Democrats don’t need to change their message to fight Trump.

To paraphrase Barry Goldwater, ideological extremism in opposition to Trump will prove a vice, not a virtue.

Daniel J. Stone, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Many people counsel Democrats to exercise caution in opposing President Trump. But democracy does not survive favoritism, unfair voting rights or undue influences.

People are disturbed about more than the Trump presidency, although the Trump presidency is very troubling by itself. The citizens who contribute most to the well-being of our nation do not decide the country’s course; people realize that and are fighting back. If we don’t, we will have more of what happened in the George W. Bush presidency.

In America, individual rights, safety and economic stability were threatened during the Bush years, and the measures taken to prevent that from happening again are now being reversed. The status quo is not healthy for our country, and we desperately need change.

Maybe money can buy elections, but it can’t buy fairness or wisdom.

Barbara Snider, Huntington Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook