Opinion: Will Democrats take advantage of the promises Trump made and broke to struggling whites?

To the editor: As the Trump presidency continues, I can only hope and pray that the leaders of the Democratic Party read this timely reminder that the key to winning Senate and House seats in the 2018 midterm election lay not only in our heartfelt concern for the plight of immigrants and people of color, but also the wide swath of foundering white workers without a college degree whose financial and communal world has collapsed. (“‘A sea of despair’: White Americans without college degrees are dying younger,” March 23)

In desperation, they turned to Trump as a beacon of hope, only to now discover he and the Republican Party conned them. If Democrats add their legitimate cause to our collective goals, victory in 2018 and beyond will be assured.

Robert Stiff, Palm Springs

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To the editor: It annoys me that that people who did not attend college are labeled “uneducated.” I had the GI Bill advantage, which I opted to use to enter a skilled trade.

Are people like me uneducated? Ask any skilled craftsperson if he or she is in a “sea of despair.”

Most skilled craftspeople serve an apprenticeship, and in my trade that involves five years of hands-on experience under journey-level employees and requires attending classes.

Eric David, Long Beach

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