Letters to the Editor: John McCain was brave enough to stand up to bigoted supporters

To the editor: President Trump’s silent “renouncement” of the chant at the North Carolina rally on Wednesday brought to mind how another GOP leader handled inappropriate audience response.

Sen. John McCain’s immediate and firm public repudiation during one of his 2008 presidential campaign town halls of a deplorable attack on his opponent further illustrates the gaping chasm between a real statesman and the 45th president.

To borrow an expression, “Sad.”

John Brock, Hansville, Wash.

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To the editor: The same courage Trump demonstrated when he was called to duty during the Vietnam War was still on full display during the “send her back” chant at his campaign rally.

The great Republican warrior once again ran from duty and responsibility only to backtrack after he was told there might be a political price to pay for his silence while his supporters chanted, “Send her back.”

How proud his supporters must be of this man who compared serving in the Vietnam War to avoiding sexually transmitted diseases.

Martin Wauson, Westminster

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To the editor: It will be difficult for me to forget the scene at the president’s July 17 rally.

As an amateur history buff who studied modern autocracies in college, I was reminded during the “send her back” chant of the many films I have seen of Adolf Hitler addressing his supporters.

The audiences of course consisted of his brown-shirted thugs and selected military personnel, but the majority of people listening to him were civilians receptive to his insistence that the only real patriots were “genuine” Germans. If only the Germans who believed in Hitler knew where he was taking them, they might have curtailed the atrocities that took place during the Third Reich’s short existence.

I hope the president’s fiercest supporters start to question him and do not let themselves be led down a path of bigotry and hate.

Steven Schilling, Sierra Madre

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To the editor: Trump has said that people who do not love this country should leave. I’d like to point out that he obviously doesn’t love this country as it is right now, because he is changing it from the one we all love into what he deems is “better.”

He uses ugly, mean spirited names for our citizens and is undoing all the progress we’ve made over the years.

Therefore, I suggest that he go back to where he came from. He has made it clear that it doesn’t matter if you were born here or are a citizen, so there’s no excuse.

Joanne Tatham, Irvine