To the Editor:
Re “Seven Theories for Why Biden Is Losing (and What He Should Do About It),” by Ezra Klein (column, nytimes.com, May 19):
President Biden,
Your campaign is failing, as spelled out plainly by Mr. Klein, and your chances of winning seem increasingly out of reach.
For love of country, I ask that you look honestly at yourself, relinquish pride, dispel delusions regarding your electability, reassess your decision to run again and drop out of the race for the good of the country. Democracy is at stake!
For a long time now polling has consistently shown low approval ratings, the preferences of most voters that you not run again and qualms about your age, but you decided to run anyway. You insisted that you were the best candidate to beat Donald Trump and that you must do so for the good of the country.
Most voters don’t want Mr. Trump or you to run again. Democrats can bolster their chances of winning by running a different candidate, a candidate with fresh energy and perspective who could stir passions and motivate people to vote — none of which you’ve demonstrated an ability to do effectively.
Several moderate-leaning Democratic candidates had the stuff to pull it off if given the chance (Josh Shapiro, Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Jim Himes, Elissa Slotkin are just a few of them). There is still time to fix this if you would just allow it.
Let go and take a back seat. History will be much kinder to you than if you stayed the course and lost our democracy to Mr. Trump.
Dennis Jaccarino
Gainesville, Fla.
To the Editor:
There is an eighth theory that Ezra Klein does not mention: It could be too early for polls to accurately reflect the race. Incumbents typically rise as the election gets closer: Barack Obama did, George W. Bush did and Bill Clinton did so quite remarkably.
The likely cause is that many months from the election, polling data is really a popularity contest of the incumbent versus himself. As the election gets closer, voters are forced to confront the reality of what the opponent would do in office. Then, polling numbers start to reflect the true horse race.
Mr. Biden is doing everything he can to maximize his chance to rise by debating Donald Trump earlier than usual. It is a high-risk strategy, but it’s the correct move designed to expose Mr. Trump’s weaknesses to the voters again.
Stuart Gallant
Belmont, Mass.
To the Editor:
I read with interest Ezra Klein’s take on why President Biden is losing and what he should do about it. It is my view that Joe Biden is not communicating as well as he used to before falling behind in the narrative on two issues: the economy and the Middle East.
Mr. Biden has been known to be a warm communicator to the public. But younger voters in particular (I’m a father to three) will not respond to being talked down to. On both the economy and the war Mr. Biden is coming across as “I know better” or worse, “you don’t know what I know.”
A particularly strident example was when he was asked by a reporter if the Gaza protests have changed his mind on the war, and Mr. Biden’s response was a very sharp “No.” That may play well with some; it will not play well with youngsters.
Donald Trump has a knack for talking with voters (even when he is rambling) and not to them or at them. His language level is attuned to the audience, and he draws people in with cadence and inflection. Mr. Biden should learn some of that.
Sandeep Johar
Sterling, Va.
Netanyahu’s Fate
To the Editor:
Re “Netanyahu Gains From a Request for His Arrest” (front page, May 22):
I hope that the unification of Israelis behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the request by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor for an arrest warrant against him is short-lived.
Mr. Netanyahu and his allies have formed the most immoral and ineffectual government Israel has ever had. That government is straining Israel’s relationship with the United States. It undermines President Biden’s campaign and his ability to stave off the emergence of a potential Trump dictatorship here.
Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu and his co-conspirators are watering the garden of extremism that threatens to end what remains of Israeli democracy. Dear God, save us!
George B. Driesen
Washington
The writer is a retired lawyer and rabbi.
Madonna at 65
To the Editor:
In “The Nerve of Madonna to Pull It Off, Again” (Opinion guest essay, May 18), Mary Gabriel and Kristin J. Lieb write:
“She chooses to age as she sees fit, she says what she believes loudly and forcefully, and she is as proudly sexual as she was in 1985.”
That may well be the case, but Madonna, who is 65, has badly let down women in their 50s and 60s. Instead of aging naturally, she has chosen to reinforce conventional standards of beauty that are totally unattainable for the average person and feel oppressive to many women.
As a 45-year-old woman with plenty of fine lines (and surely more to come), I feel very disappointed in Madonna. Her choice to appear unnaturally young reinforces the belief that women are no longer desirable as they age.
Maria Ryan
Nottingham, England
Pediatrics Group’s Policy on Gender-Affirming Care
To the Editor:
Re “Growing Divide on Youth Gender Medicine” (Science Times, May 21):
Despite how it is often characterized, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ gender-affirming care policy statement calls for individualized health care for each patient, in consultation with their family and health care team.
Dr. Hilary Cass suggests that American doctors should do what they are trained to do. We agree. The A.A.P. recommends that pediatricians care for gender-diverse young people the same way they care for all their patients.
Critics of our policy often mischaracterize gender-affirming care as aggressively pushing medications or interventions. That is wrong. There are no predetermined treatments or timelines.
Gender-affirming care begins with conversation, and it often goes no further than that. For many young people, having the space and time to explore their gender identity with the support of their loved ones and health care team is critical to their well-being. This health care approach integrates medical, mental health and social services, including resources and supports for parents and families.
Dr. Cass says that politics should have no role in medical decision-making. We agree. In the U.S., politicians in over 20 states have placed their judgment ahead of parents and doctors by seeking to ban this care and criminalize those who provide it. Even following the publication of Dr. Cass’s report, no European country except Russia has fully banned the provision of gender-affirming care when medically necessary.
Dr. Cass casts broad-scale doubt on existing research. We disagree. The evidence supporting our recommendations is far more nuanced than is represented in the interview. An independent review that is already underway will evaluate the body of evidence so the A.A.P. can continue to provide the best guidance to pediatricians. Dr. Cass’s conclusions will be considered in this review.
The A.A.P. will continue to follow the science and put patients and families first.
Benjamin D. Hoffman
Portland, Ore.
The writer is president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.