Advice for President Obama: ‘Lead, follow or get out of the way’ | Opinion

Obama’s remarks aren’t helping

Barack and Michelle Obama have spent their life’s work doing meaningful things. But Mr. Obama’s latest message has been a downer.

His and others’ words about Democrats’ failings are inaccurate and unhelpful. So many of our national, state and city leaders are working nonstop to right the constant blast of wrongs being committed against our citizens and our lawful way of life.

Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Kathy Hochul, Adam Schiff, Salud Carbajal, Alex Padilla, Corey Booker, Hakeem Jeffries, James Talarico, Ro Khanna, Elissa Slotkin, Pete Buttigieg, Chris Murphy, Jamie Raskin, Jasmine Crockett, Tim Walz, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, the majority Democrats and many others are out there in numbers.

Ordinary citizens are participating in rallies, vigils, letter-writing, speaking, donating and running for office. My community, my friends and my family have never been so engaged.

It’s disappointing to hear him say to his donor groups that Democrats are a mess. He’s not helping. He’s out of touch.

Please, Mr. Obama: Either lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Carol Swain

Morro Bay

Dems should court independent voters

So now the USA has a masked, storm-trooper police force and domestic gulags. Who would have guessed? There have always been prior examples of treating the undocumented poorly, however, the sheer scale of the current effort is terrifying to those of us who love freedom — but freedom for everyone. The projected ramping up of the budget and hiring of new personnel for this force guarantees that unprofessional and poorly trained thugs will be among the armed and masked enforcers.

California can set the example for opposing this catastrophe by taking two key steps. First, of course, is by protest and legal challenges. Second, and probably more important, by significantly increasing the transfer of independent voters to its democratic base. This step fundamentally requires de-emphasizing identity politics and inviting to their number old dudes who still attend church, synagogue or mosque, and even those Neanderthals who avoid self-selected personal pronouns.

If the nation follows California’s lead, the elections in 2026 and 2028 can begin the turnaround needed to save our Republic. Stop fighting and start recruiting.

Dan Biezad

San Luis Obispo

War criminal

While the media is preoccupied with the Epstein saga, NPR has carried reports from several eye witnesses in Gaza to the slaughter and deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza. Deliberate starvation is a war crime under protocols of the Geneva Convention. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is thus a war criminal and should be prosecuted as such. By turning a blind eye to this, both the Biden administration and the Trump administration are complicit and by our silence in response to this atrocity so are the American people.

Ray Weymann

Atascadero

Where’s the news about attacks on Druze?

Scanning the headlines on July 16, I was unfortunately not surprised to see there was no coverage of the reported 300 members of the Druze minority killed by agents of the Syrian government. If his had happened a mere 40 miles to the west in Israel, it would be everywhere.

Perhaps if you had run a headline, it would inspire the gentlemen who stands on the corner of Santa Rosa and Highland every Thursday with signs accusing Israel of every crime under the sun and flags of various nations, including, Norway, Palestine and Iran, that bastion of progress, to fly a Druze flag.

I daresay he wouldn’t because the news would include the fact that it is Israel defending the Druze against the genocidal attack by the Islamists linked with the Syrian government. Often such cases are dismissed because the US isn’t funding it. In fact, President Trump just removed sanctions on the Al-Sharaa government. Will the protesters looking to get into “good trouble” demand Trump take a hard line on Al Sharaa, or are the protests only reserved to help the enemies of the west, like Iran?

Jon-Erik G. Storm

Los Osos

Keep Diablo running

Diablo Canyon Power Plant is not just a facility. It is a foundation of stability for San Luis Obispo County. As a data scientist by profession, chair of the South County Chambers of Commerce, a mother of young children and someone who has called the Central Coast home my entire life, I believe we must protect what is working.

When the Coastal Commission recently met here, I spoke in support of Diablo Canyon. It powers four million homes, provides nearly 17 percent of California’s carbon-free electricity, and operates 24 hours a day —something intermittent sources still cannot match.

The local impact is deeply personal. PG&E is the largest private employer in our county, supporting thousands of jobs and nearly $900 million in annual economic activity. It keeps our tradespeople working, our schools funded and our small businesses strong.

I first visited the plant as a student. Now I bring my own children to learn about marine life, clean energy and what stewardship looks like in action. Diablo Canyon is part of our story.

In a time of rising costs and climate urgency, we should not walk away from something that delivers so much — so reliably — for this region.

Susannah Brown

San Luis Obispo