Opinion: Angry over the election results? Calm down and remember: You will get to vote again

To the editor: I agree with the Ohioan who says that any coming together will have to be “neighbor to neighbor, bottom-up and not top-down.” (“Can Clinton or Trump put a fractured nation back together?” Nov. 6)

Here are five things we can all do to mend the division in our country:

Don’t panic. If your candidate loses, trust that the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rule of law will get us through the next four years.

Don’t gloat. If your candidate wins, remember that both fought hard and both were willing to take on the hard job of being president.

Stay focused. Some important issues were raised by the candidates and their supporters. Continue to give voice to the issues you care about.

Support compromise. Compromise is not failure. A compromise on an important issue that satisfies both parties is a huge success.

Be respectful.

Mary Bomba, Los Angeles

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To the editor: There’s been much understandable dismay expressed in the press and on social media, from both foreign and local sources, bemoaning America’s loss of face and the loss of faith engendered by what has been revealed in this presidential campaign. Fear tends to collapse perspective.

Since the Revolutionary War, America has been an ongoing battleground with very special and high stakes for humanity, a battleground upon which a maturing realization of what constitutes liberty and justice has slowly, and with many casualties and setbacks, blossomed. Nurturing this rare bloom is not for the faint of heart.

The underbelly of opposition to democracy, personal freedoms, accessible quality education, enlightened inclusion, the process of maturation — to the very process of intellectual verification of fact and logic — has become glaringly visible.

A seen enemy is a more vulnerable enemy. I say: Fight on!

Leah Sullivan, Pasadena

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To the editor: While I agree with Mickey Edwards about the need for a graceful loser, the fact is that as our elections become more and more vitriolic and the candidates spend more time attacking the character of their opponent than discussing the issues, being a graceful loser becomes more difficult.

Just recall how difficult it was for President Obama to deal the Republicans in Congress, who decided early on that their main goal was to prevent his reelection. When the losing opposition worries more about satisfying its followers than they do about finding ways to work for the benefit of the entire electorate, the die is cast and compromise simply is not achievable.

Having differences of opinion is OK, but working together for the benefit of all requires that our candidates for office and their followers stick to the issues and not to vilifying each other.

Bernard Otis, West Hills

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