An open letter to Sen. Shelly Moore Capito:

Like it or not, the president of the United States is an embodiment of America. Any person living in the White House is a symbol of who we are and what we represent as a nation and a people. In a sense, he is us. Over the course of the past several years, our country had taken on the trappings of a monarchy, the president along with some members of congress were enjoying a rarefied space as our king/emperor with a court of dukes and duchesses. After all, the British had their royalty in Buckingham Palace. We had ours in Washington.

Several years ago, very few saw this cult of the presidency and Congress as cause for complaint. This past election came with massive hysteria.

In response to Donald Trump’s election,we have witnessed fear, anger, bewilderment, disgust and despair, an upheaval without precedent. The ruling elite itself has seemingly gone off the rails. nothing could have prepared them for a vulgar Donald Trump’s defeat of an impeccably credentialed graduate of Wellesley and Yale who had served as first lady, United States senator, and secretary of state.

A vulgar, bombastic, thrice-married real-estate tycoon and reality-TV host as prophet, moral philosopher, style setter, interpreter and chief celebrity?

The very idea seems neither absurd or intolerable to people like me. Mr. Trump’s election was a referendum on the course American politics had taken.

Senator, it is not the president we need to be concerned about staying focused and on track, it is you. Senator, you had an open forum to discuss the accomplishments of the administration and you blew it.

Come next election, Senator, you’re fired!

Robert Ware

French Creek