Should Biden resign, Harris' comment on Biden, 'fascism' accusations, AI and recruiting

GOP wants him out now? Sure, let’s go

It might not be the worst thing for President Joe Biden to resign now [“As Dems hail Biden news, GOP seeks resignation,” News, July 22]. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that if Biden is not fit to run for president, then he’s unfit to serve as president.

At the same time, some Democrats are divided over whether to stand behind Vice President Kamala Harris. If Biden stepped down now, then Harris can step in, completing the duties of his presidential term. She’d have a rare opportunity to prove she is capable of running as the Democrats’ next presidential nominee. This would help unite the party behind her and quiet the Republicans’ concerns. A double win.

— Larry Parker, North Woodmere

The man we thought would be our candidate stood down [“Biden drops out of race; Harris gets his nod,” News, July 22]. He’s a man who gave more than 50 years of his life in service to our nation. A man whose faith and fortitude enabled him to overcome tragedies that would crush a lesser person.

How many of us could survive the loss of a wife and a child and move forward with our lives’ trajectory?

The future will determine how history evaluates his presidency, his legacy. What we can say, regardless of our own politics, is that he made a major sacrifice on behalf of his country and party. We owe him a debt of gratitude for choosing to step aside, a decision that will resonate for decades.

— Michael Cohen, Brightwaters

In ’19, Harris did not call Biden a racist

A reader claimed that Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist [“Vance cartoon was disingenuous,” Letters, July 22]. That is false.

During a 2019 Democratic presidential debate in which Harris criticized Biden for an old stance on busing, Harris prefaced her comments by saying, “I don’t believe you’re a racist.”

In this most consequential presidential election, I believe that truth is imperative for people to cast informed votes.

— Raymond Boivie, Kings Park

Stop fascist words — it’ll calm things

Some Republicans are quick to point out that Democrats may be responsible for the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump because the Democrats refer to Trump as a fascist and compare him to Adolf Hitler [“Readers share outrage over Trump shooting,” Letters, July 21].

If Trump doesn’t want to be compared to Hitler, he shouldn’t repeat the same phrases Hitler used. Republicans have called Democrats communists. Communists in the 20th century were also a threat to democracy just as the fascists were. Why is the Republicans’ rhetoric deemed less inflammatory than the Democrats’? They also point out President Joe Biden’s phrase to put a bull’s-eye on Trump’s back although Biden later admitted it was a poor choice of words.

However, shall we recall Trump recently reposting a picture of Biden hogtied in the back of a pickup truck? Certainly that is also a call to violence.

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025. He said he had never heard of it but disagrees with concepts in the project. And yet he said, “I wish them luck.” Why would you wish them luck if you disagree with their programs?

— Richard Rosener, Blue Point

Keep recruiting from becoming Wild West

I’ve recruited employees since paper resumes ruled, and the premise hasn’t changed — an open job needs to be filled with a qualified candidate.

While technology is great for administrative purposes, there’s too much reliance on it to do what a human should do — match a candidate to job requirements and interview that person [“Hiring: Personal touch also needed with A.I.,” Letters, July 14].

I constantly read and hear about people who apply for jobs and never get a response. Or if they interview, they never hear back. LinkedIn, Monster and other sites have democratized recruiting but have also turned it into the Wild West with job postings and resumes everywhere and ghosting prevalent.

Adding tools like artificial intelligence won’t make things better but will only provide more crutches and excuses as to why jobs remain open while candidates are left hanging.

Maybe companies should take a breath and realize faster isn’t better, revisit how they recruit, and put more resources into training recruiters to better understand what they’re doing. It seems as if using various metrics has become more important than getting jobs filled.

Recruiting has never been perfect, but it’s never been as broken as it is now, so putting humans back in qualitative control might help.

— Gary Mantell, Plainview