The Issue: Bette Midler’s comment that the people of West Virginia are “poor, illiterate and strung out.”
Sen. Joe Manchin shouldn’t care one iota what Better Midler thinks (“Bette the Illiterate,” Andrea Peyser, Dec. 22).
He has the great honor of representing genuine, hard-working, God-fearing people — qualities that I have a very difficult time envisioning Midler being in possession of.
On the plus side, every time a Hollywood or pro-athlete elitist shares what they think with the world, they highlight how far removed they are from the heart of what it means to be an American.
If I were a Democratic Party leader, I would plead with them to just shut up already.
P. Cartabiano
Budd Lake, NJ
The nerve of liberal elitists, like Bette Midler, never amazes me.
She proved the saying, “Better you be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
My advice to these naive liberal entertainers: Shut up and act, sing and entertain.
Learn to keep your ignorance to yourselves or risk losing revenue as fewer people will pay their hard-earned money to see your entertainment.
T. J. Murray
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Bette Midler’s ignorant, intolerant and stupid comments about Manchin and the people of West Virginia tell us more about her than they do about those her barbs were aimed at.
The Build Back Better bill that Manchin felt impelled to vote against was a piece of legislation that was produced by the snobs who run the Democratic Party.
It spent not billions, but trillions, on every pet project that Democrats have ever dreamed of and on nonsensical climate-change programs that would have very little effect on climate but would have a huge effect on inflation and on our national debt.
Bette says West Virginians are poor, illiterate and strung out, which only reveals her own bigotry. The truth is that West Virginians are ornery, full of common sense and won’t be taken advantage of by the lies and propaganda of the left.
Steve Heitner
Middle Island
Midler’s recent comments about the good people of West Virginia are yet another example of what the Democrats and their elite leftist benefactors really think about ordinary Americans.
Our country is broken not because of West Virginians and Manchin. It is broken because of the progressive policies that are infecting our nation.
Policies that the Democrats promote have destroyed jobs and our education system. And the results are no more apparent than in places like West Virginia.
These people need responsible leaders, not a bunch of lecturing, woke elites who have no idea how people live, much less know how to help them.
There is a reason the good people of West Virginia voted overwhelmingly for former President Donald Trump.
They finally realized that they’ve been duped by a Democratic Party that includes people like Midler, who could care less about them.
Michael D’Auria
Bronxville
The sentiment expressed by Midler (and many other Democrats, including members of the Squad of radical socialists) betray their true feelings.
In their view, Manchin has no inherent obligation to the people of his state — the people who elected him to represent them.
Instead, they believe that his duty is first, foremost and always to the Democratic Party and their ideology. And if they continue to say the quiet part out loud, soon they will start expressing their belief that senators from these “backward” states should be elected by the people of New York or California or by a nationwide popular vote.
Joseph J. Grassi
Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Kudos to Andrea Peyser for putting Bette Midler in her place.
I wish the elitist Hollywood crowd would do what they do best — entertain — and leave politics to the politicians.
At one time, I did think Bette Midler was divine; not too much anymore.
Nicholas Paul
Fort Lee, NJ
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