Leadership, not bribes, should govern our country

To The Daily Sun,

Wonderful, that Althea Dunscombe directs her criticism at lobbyists working for big corporations as threats to our democracy — these indulge in bribing our elected officials. Giving campaign donations and then getting special attention, so our Congress works for the corporations’ needs, is bad for our democracy. She says, “Either we change our campaign finance laws or we accept that ‘bribery’ is just how things are done.”

She, however, with the impeachment hearings and Trump’s transgressions as her topic, omits that Trump’s offer to swap military security systems aid in exchange for helping Trump have dirt on Joe Biden, a possible competitor in 2020’s elections, doesn’t involve bribery alone but is also inviting a foreign country (Ukraine) to meddle in our elections.

To Ms. Moulder: The House of Representatives is Democratic-party majority, but the Senate is Republican-party majority. Hence, the Democrats do not control our U.S. Congress, made up of both parties. In fact, our House has done work all along, passing and sending up bills to the Senate for debate and voting. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has them sitting in a dusty pile, refusing to take them forward. So the appearance is right, Ms. Moulder, that “accomplishing something” is not happening. This sad situation began when Obama was President and the McConnell-led Senate swore to let him get nothing passed. We had eight years of Republican obstinacy when the people’s needs were ignored in favor of Republican power-plays.

When I was at Cory Booker’s filing at the New Hampshire State House (I lean to Warren, but I’m still undecided), I asked people among the 250 rallied in the hallway outside Bill Gardner’s office, “What draws you to Cory Booker?” I liked especially, “His moral character.” Also, “He can be a unifier.” Both people didn’t choose a policy causing them to favor Booker. Both chose something broader and relating to Cory Booker as a leader.

Lynn Rudmin Chong

Sanbornton