As I explain in a column publishing midmorning April 6, we had an overwhelming response to my explanation last week about why we will keep telling the truth about the danger Trump poses to the United States.
This is a tiny sample of the of the 2,700 comments people emailed to me, most in support of our policies.
You have said what needs to be said in honor of the truth and to counter the torrent of lies spouted daily by right wing media and social media. I agree that we face what Germany faced in 1932. Having survived what happened there and in Austria in 1938 I don’t want to see my country of 64 years go that route! Keep telling the truth and let us do all we can to prevent this catastrophe in November. Let sanity return as it has in past crises.
And then there are the politicians who are blindly supporting him as well just because they are Republicans. I think it’s a matter of them trying to keep their jobs instead of doing their jobs which is a disease prevalent in the United States Congress. I applaud your bravery in stating the truth.
Brave column today. Must have been very difficult to write. I appreciate you and the pd more than ever in the past few years.Bravo for your thoughtful and professional letter of March 30, 2024. Like someone finally opened a window in the nation’s overused and fetid outhouse, the fresh air of your editorial is most welcome! We need much, much more like this from everyone in a position to say so! You can thank the boys at www.electoral-vote.com for the link, and a recommendation to read your thoughts directly today. Thank you and keep fighting for the sake of our values and speak truth to power. We don’t need to see what the 1936 version of Amerika looks like.
I have to admit that it took some real stones to write your newsletter of March 30 about the January sixth attempt to overthrow our democracy. I am in 100% agreement with everything that you wrote. I saw it with my own eyes. I didn’t downplay it after a few days and then make an attempt to dilute the horror of it like many of the Trump followers have done. To me, it is as horrific right now today as it was that day, when I was watching it unfold on television.
Your article was the best opinion piece I have read to date regarding the madman Trump running for President. Thank you for writing and comparing Trump to Hitler and WWII. I will never understand how intelligent (?) men and women in Congress are standing behind Trump with regards to the stolen election and how they are letting him still control them while they are totally disrespectful to our current President. I am scared to death that somehow, someway Trump will be elected. I fear for my family, my children and grandchildren and the future of our great nation.
Fox News and other MAGA sources of information are complicit in the continuing damage to our democratic republic. Most Trump cult members only listen to them and will not accept the truth. Thanks again,
I’m writing this with tears in my eyes because you have the decency to say what I’ve been yelling at too many screens as I’ve watched in horror Trump dismantle our fragile democracy brick by brick while his enablers are clapping in the background. My father was one of those who fought Hitler in WWII and was lucky to have survived but hundreds of thousands of GI’s did not. I’ve wondered my whole life about something I read many, many years ago...a nationwide survey in Germany taken 5(?) years after the war asking if Hitler was good for Germany. This of course was after all the horrors that were revealed with The Holocaust and countless millions that died in so many countries and TWENTY FIVE percent said yes!!! I could never understand how so many millions of Germans thought the worst monster of the modern era could still be idolized. With MAGA I understand...and it makes sense how you can use modern media to dupe certain folks that up is down, big is small, hot is cold and the Emperor has wonderful (invisible) clothes.
I too just read the book about Hitler’s rise to power. The shocking fact was that he was given the power by those who wanted to end the political chaos that existed at that time. The parallels to what is happening in the U. S. Are eerie and i thank you for publishing this possibility that history could repeat itself.
My husband and I are recent retirees in Seven Hills. We moved to the Cleveland area 3 1/2 years ago from Mansfield. I would like to offer you a heartfelt thank you for your editorial on the polls, highlighting the truths surrounding the last election.
Believe it or not, we were both strong Republicans before Trump came on the scene. Now we camp strongly with the Democrats; we are so tired of the false rhetoric about the stolen election, etc. While Biden isn’t the strongest candidate we could have, we view him as moral, and dignified - in our opinion the man fits the role of POTUS.
Trump maybe be the court jester but we live in a clown-world. You are blind to that reality because your media outlet is part of the sideshow.
I’m sitting here in tears having just read your Letter. It’s a sad state of affairs when I’m weeping because you told the simple truth. Thanks for having the courage to put candor ahead of mollifying the masses.
I loved this very well written article. I’m a veteran and was so sad when I watched this happening to the country I served.
Mr. Quinn - Your observations on the need for truth in reporting, awareness of tragic historical analogs, and the corruption of our media and political right, were spot on. That so many before us fought and sacrificed to rid ourselves of tyrants, and that we now face this in the form of one so transparently petulant and self-serving is hard to fathom. Thank you for these important reminders.
Thank you! Your letter brought me to tears. Thank you for being a champion for truth. I no longer live in Ohio, but I’ve just purchased a year subscription. I hope the Plain Dealer continues to be a beacon in these chaotic times. Thank you again for your words.
With the simple comparison to 1930s Germany--frightening as it is--you appeal to people to disregard their single interests that his election might support (taxes, abortion, etc) because the big picture of re-electing him is potentially catastrophic for our country overall. Actually, my only critique is that you could have added a sentence that mentioned the 2-3 core issues that cause some otherwise responsible citizens to hold their nose and vote for him, as that might resonate more deeply with some folks in that position who can’t or don’t want to draw the line connecting themselves to the Weimer Germany people who thought they were using Hitler to further their own interests.
Thank you for having the courage to write this article. I have no idea whether or not it will actually change anyone’s vote, but you did it factually and in the respectful and non-condescending tone that many other news outlets fail to achieve.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Last year, while on vacation in Ireland, I met a person from Germany on a ferry ride to the Aran Islands. When Trump’s names came up I laughed a little and she, in a very serious tone, said, “it’s no laughing matter. In Germany we study history and we know where a person like him can lead you.” The danger of people not reading newspapers is everything they read online is biased. Keep reporting the truth and hope it makes a difference.
You will be vigorously assailed for mentioning Hitler. So be it. Necessity demands the warning. Hitler didn’t rise to power overnight. It was a gradual process. Preventing something similar requires nipping it early. We still have time.
You wouldn’t know truth ‘your north star’ if it slapped you in the face
Thank you very much for the column frankly pointing out the difference between President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Yes I find many things President Biden does as confusing and frustrating. His support of Benjamin Netanyahu is something I fail to understand, but it is nowhere near the offenses that Donald Trump has done.I hope and pray that the American electorate votes President Biden back in office this fall. P.S. As a retired military member who is proud of my father’s service landing on Normandy I have nothing but disrespect for Donald Trump.
My dad was a paratrooper in World War Two. He and his fellow soldiers jumped into hell and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. My wife’s father was a Marine and fought in the Pacific. Those men risked everything to end the rule of dictatorships bent on taking over the world. Both are gone now and both would be, in my dad’s words “really pissed” at Trump AND his supporters.Keep up the good fight.
I am a retired FBI Special Agent. My father is also a retired FBI SA. The FBI has been a part of me since I was 7 years old. Based on my experiences, I have a pretty good understanding of what justice looks like. In my career there were many constants. Not the least of which was the reality that when you have another human being cornered with facts they will attack and deflect. This is human nature…fight or flight if you will. But the facts almost always win out. My worry today is the death of the fact. In my 26 year career I never witnessed the division we have now. At the same time it is not surprising. Trump spent a lifetime being skilled at marketing his message…no matter how criminal it is. He has targeted those perceived to be disenfranchised with surgical efficiency. The message is essentially…don’t believe the truth. I pray for institutions such as the media, the FBI, DOJ and the court system to stay the course and ignore the deafening noise. I honestly have confidence that they will do just that. Despite that confidence, this does feel like the largest test of democracy in our 248 year history.
I guess my message to you is simple and one you already know. Stay the course. Don’t let the fact die. I thank you for putting yourself out there on our behalf.
Dear Mr. Quinn: You are repulsive and deceitful. You present your opinion as facts and insult and demean anyone who doesn’t think like you. You are a committed leftist that follows the left and all that they stand for. Yet, you are wrong on every issue. You are so arrogant and egotistical, you really believe your viewpoint is completely accurate at its core. Your goal is to get your readers to think like you, opposing viewpoints completely unwelcome… We still only subscribe to you because we want the crossword puzzle
I grew up in central Europe where the impact of WWII was talked about and played a vital part in the school curriculum. We were told that history has a tendency of repeating itself. The parallels between the 1930s in Europe and today’s USA are striking. Nevertheless, many Trump supporters I have spoken to see absolutely nothing wrong or alarming about this. It seems to me that using this analogy makes them dig in even more.
there is one Hitler and one Hitler only. Same as there is one Lenin or one Mao. Certainly, we could and should learn lessons about the road to fascism through the German people and how a fringe discounted political party combined forces with another to become the National Socialists and threw the world into war while committing genocide. But that is a lesson applicable to the fringes of both dominant American political parties and attempts to directly tie Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler will only get you head nods from your progressive reading audience while disenfranchising those of us who already feel caught in the middle. It may even serve to drive us in the direction of defending someone that we don’t even want to defend in the first place.
You are a lying pos trying to help out the corrupt Joe Biden. He is a traitor and he lets illegals in as a bid to make bigger blue districts to stay in power. That is treason and Trump was right that they stole the election.
If we can cling to the north star of truth as a nation and a people, our democracy will emerge stronger, upholding not only our shared common good as Americans, but the shared common good of the global family of nations of which we are a part. You were born for this moment. We need you. The whole world needs you and every journalist to point us all to that guiding north star of truth.
I very much enjoy your columns, for their clarity and honesty. I realize that you write them in order to (a) encourage a dialogue with readers, and (b) hopefully illuminate readers about how journalistic organizations work, and why newsrooms do what they do. Those are admirable goals. I hope that your columns do prompt some healthy dialogue. We need more of civil conversations in this country, rather than what we largely have now.
Thank you for your column today. I subscribed to Cleveland.com over a year ago because of your columns, but this is the first time I am writing to you. We need more journalists of major publications like yours who are willing to say it like it is with Trump, to tell the truth and tolerate the backlash.
Well said. When truth becomes uncomfortable we need to ask ourselves what role we play in making that happen. As an addiction counselor, I have seen many clients bend over backwards telling lies instead of facing their own reality.
My father was a decorated WWII veteran; fortunately he passed before he could witness the rise of fascism in this country. If we are to preserve the ideals for which he fought, we must confront the threat that Trump and his supporters represent. This must be done no matter the hurt feelings it engenders in those who are simply on the wrong side of history. Please keep up the good fight.
Although I don’t live in America, I have followed his story over the past years and have to agree with your conclusions. I don’t think that the susceptibility of some Americans to “the truth” is unique to the USA. Here in Northern Ireland and in other places in Europe ( including the rest of the United Kingdom may I add), exactly the same thing is happening. If you spin the facts enough, people will believe you and vote for you. The media have a lot to answer for in that the don’t question politicians enough on statements they make and lies they continue push as truth.
My friends and I have discussed the parallels between Trump and his GOP minions with Hitler’s 1930′s Germany several times. In the past we could never understand how Germany, Italy, and others could have fallen into such a trap until Trump. I still do not understand how he can brainwash so many people and be so divorced from facts that they believe him, but it has happened.
I have read many articles exploring the roots of the angry and cynical wave that Trump incites and has branded in his own name. This will certainly be a challenge for future historians to fully unpack. While I remain hopeful the best of this country will join you to overcome the Trump threat this year, we will need you and the rest of your community of journalists to provide insight and a narrative to help the loyal 30-40% base of Trump supporters reestablish a belief in truth and legitimate paths to resolving our political differences.
Thank you for your fantastic piece and your ongoing fight to tell the truth. As a historian I agree the parallels with 1930s Germany are frightening, all the more so because so many Americans refuse to heed the hard learned lessons from that era.
You’ll be pleased to know that I received a link to your March 30th Letter from the Editor from two close friends, one a small business owner in California, and another an infrastructure development lawyer from Florida. All of us thoroughly enjoyed your letter. I am a commercial bankruptcy lawyer in Texas and am often dumbstruck by the willful blindness of devout Trump supporters.
You need to wake up and see what America is becoming without real leadership. WAKE UP!
My question to the MAGA people would be, what did your ancestors die for in WWII? Your family members of “The Greatest Generation” bled, died and were buried on foreign lands FOR YOU so that America would never face such an atrocity on her land. Seriously, I’ve never been more worried for the safety of our country (more worried than when as a child, we practiced Atomic Bomb Drills FOR YEARS) than I am right now as I cradle my newborn great-grandson. I weep for the confused Americans who are uninformed and who haven’t studied history. (a bona fide true patriot, member of Daughters of the American Revolution,member of The Mayflower Society)
A sense of relief overcame me as I read your editorial. Our citizens need to face up to Trump’s deceit . Mainstream media is our only hope for seeing what is before our eyes. How unfortunate that unbiased journalism is struggling in our country! I appreciated your insight into why our Republican politicians support Trump because I find it inconceivable.
This column makes me proud to be a subscriber. Please continue doing your part to tell the truth and protect the proud democracy that so many have bravely defended....especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.....indeed, there are not two sides to facts!l
As an American, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an educator, a human being, I have thought many of the ideas you articulated with courage and care. Until reading your column, I haven’t ever encountered anything that summed up where our country is so concisely and directly. I can only hope that people read your work with at least a sliver of an open mind.
While I have been on the fence for a while about canceling my paper subscription and the online version due to the heavy democratic views, you have forced my hand on it. I cannot concisely give my hard-earned dollars to an organization pushing such propaganda.
Thank you for recognizing the consequences of the side seeking only their own power and enrichment. The Nazi analogies here are far from exaggerations. They are reality, and it is happening here.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have voted for more R’s than D’s in my 70 years. I never will again. If truth does not matter, we are 1930′s Germany, and the world of the 1940′s may well follow. I pray all our media would act this year. as you so clearly articulated.
Hi Chris , obviously, you can tell which side I am on, which is in the quickly shrinking middle. I fear for the world that our society is leaving for our great grandchildren. Authoritarianism and bigger and bigger climate disasters. It’s not too late, and I appreciate your taking a stand.
I am a republican, but I thank you for this article on Trump and the truth about Jan 6. Not everybody is drinking the Kool-Aid.
Eloquent, truthful and hopeful read. You won’t reach everyone but to paraphrase the Senator Everett Dickson a vote and vote there and pretty soon we’re talking real progress. Keep up the good fight.
Thank you so much for writing and saying what I wish every journalist in America would say. I saw a repost of your editorial in Threads and, sad to say, I almost couldn’t believe it was real. That’s how far the media has fallen. You are the first journalist in a major paper to stand up and say, “Enough!” No catering to supporters of sedition.
A whole branch of my family tree was lost to Hitler’s concentration camps. My father’s family fled to New York. I’m too aware that the tipping point comes quickly. I think often about when/if my family should leave the country. Each day that I decide it is safe to stay is because of voices like yours. Thanks for your bravery and sanity.
Thank you. As a registered republican and believing in some of the ideas Trump proposes or attempted while in office. I cannot again support someone who attempted to destroy our democracy with bald faced lies. I now see him as what he truly is. We need more Mattis, Cheney, Christie and Pence of the world.
I won’t waste time - your recent letter from the editor about Trump reporting has made me so proud to call Cleveland my hometown. I hope this small note of encouragement cancels out some of the rant-filled emails I’m sure you’ll get as well.
Dear Sir, thank you for articulating what many Americans feel and understand about the dangers of Trump. Your discussion of the sacrifices of our WWII troops in an effort to stop the nightmare of totalitarianism in Germany was particularly poignant. Again, your letter was much appreciated.
Your recent letter from the editor on March 30 was a beacon of truth amidst the relentless storm of deceit that pervades our current discourse. It was truly refreshing to witness someone in your influential position take a firm stance against the prevailing tide of misinformation and dishonesty. I earnestly hope that your counterparts in other news organizations will find the same courage and integrity to follow your lead, thereby fostering a culture of honesty and accountability in reporting. The future of our democracy hinges upon individuals like yourself, who are willing to champion the truth without reservation. We need you all shouting the truth from every available rooftop!
I greatly appreciate a cogent explanation of why people should not keep silent in the face of evil. It is generally an ardent task to find reasonable and respectable words that identify dishonesty, corruption, and downright danger. And, as you point out, no matter how well one might succeed at this, those who drink the cool-aid will fluster and foam at the mouth unceasingly.
Kudos to you, job well done. Water is wet, the earth is round, Trump is a criminal insurrectionist.
As a military veteran of 37 years and one who returned to Active Duty after 9/11, I appreciate you restating facts and telling the truth about what a threat to democracy the former President truly is. He is, in short, a menace, and should never be allowed in any public office ever again. Thanks for being about telling your public the truth about historical events and disturbing future trends.
Trump’s appeals to fear have unmasked American’s veneer of self-assurance and famous optimism. Fear is a powerful emotion that overrides almost all others: faith, patriotism, love, fellow-feeling, a sense of decency and even generosity towards the vulnerable. If we are going to survive as a country we must cultivate these actively in the face an existential threat to our democracy, which I agree, Trump is.
Saw your Letter from the Editor. Awesome. Love it. If you know of any Wisconsin outlets that have the same integrity as you please let me know. Never give up.
I just want to drop you a quick note to express my appreciation for clearly and forcefully calling out Mr. Trump and his supporters for the danger they pose to American Democracy, and furthermore why you will not engage in ‘both-sides-do-it’ journalism. It was an absolute breath of fresh air to read. While I live in Portland Oregon (the editorial was brought to my attention via the Balloon Juice blog) I will pick up a three month subscription - consider it further incentive to keep up the work of local newspapers to bring the truth to the general public, no matter how unpleasant that truth might be.
Thank you for writing this. Will it move the Trump followers? They are more like a cult, and criticizing their great leader will likely be very offensive to them. I always remember visiting an elderly German relative of mine in Munich about 40 years ago. She recalled, “The people just loved Hitler!” When you fall in love, facts often become of secondary importance.
I want to believe that there are many Trumpers who know in their heart of hearts that Trump is a danger to our country and to democracy itself. I also think that it is their pride that prevents them from publicly changing their voiced allegiance. It believe that it would be difficult to admit that one has followed a madman for so long.
Given the divisiveness that exists in so many areas of society today, I think it would also be difficult to be a reformed Trumper. Were I in the position of acknowledging that I had been mistaken in following Trump, could I be comfortable that the non-MAGA contingent would accept and forgive me? And could I be comfortable that the Trump band I had left would not persecute me for leaving? Perhaps some people feel compelled to hold on to something, even though erroneous, rather than to risk living in isolation or abuse.
I watch in horror as Trump and his supporters march toward a dictatorship that, in the end, will only serve Trump and a handful of others. I feel the last line of defense is independent, honest and ethical journalists and the organizations that employ and support them. You are spot on, as the Brits would say. Members of my family have served, been wounded, and died for this country since the revolutionary War. I myself served but was fortunate not in a war setting. These people, as you point out, are exactly the same synchophants that supported and encouraged Hitler for their own greed. This plunge into the abyss is exactly why I think this country will be in a civil war within 5 years. Less if Trump loses in the fall. People who are too whatever to think read and understand that he and his enablers are a cancer killing democracy will rise up when he says he was robbed against.… The 5000 Year Leap offers the premise that our democracy was so well built it would last far longer than democracies in the past which never lasted more than 300 years. Guess who isn’t 300 years old yet. This is not what since many men and women have died for. I am 71 years old and I am so sad I could cry. Keep putting out the good word and pushing against the tide. I hope you win the battle.
Journalists will save us. A thousand thanks for that editorial about the 45th president’s threat to our nation. Keep up the good work.