The Issue: Charged conversation between candidates during Wednesday’s GOP primary debate.

During Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate, Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Nikki Haley for allowing her daughter to use TikTok (“Republican candidates engage in heated spat,” Nov. 9).

Haley’s response was akin to “shut your trap.” Then she whispered: “You’re just scum.”

Had the former South Carolina governor said Vivek was a fool, brat or toad, I doubt people would be talking much about her reply today. But she said “scum.” Words matter, especially in a presidential debate.

Remember what President Ronald Reagan said of Walter Mondale in 1984: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
My guess is that Haley’s four-letter word will be repeated a million times between now and Iowa’s GOP caucus in January.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach, Calif.

Every Republican candidate is qualified to be president. But no more debates: These candidates’ time will come.

But for now, they need to get together and back former President Donald Trump. We must make America great again — and keep it that way.

J.R. Cummings

Manhattan

The third Republican presidential debate was the most substantive so far. It was largely civilized, informative and well-moderated.

Most notable was Vivek Ramaswamy’s performance — but not in a good way. He spoke like an overly scripted hustler. Fortunately, his antics backfired and he was exposed for what he is — an unelectable fast-talking con-man who obfuscates rather than elucidates.

These debates clearly have value: They expose the candidates’ imperfections.

Peter Janoff

Stamford, Conn.

When the third Republican debate discussed Israel, it became a contest to see who could deliver the strongest language upbraiding Hamas, without a breath of concern for the slaughter of Gazan innocents.
Diplomacy and lawful justice systems seem no longer relevant to far-right Republicans.

Today’s politicians appeal to the basest instincts of the electorate. This war-mongering is just an effort to fill campaign coffers with war-industry money.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Woods Cross, Utah

The Issue: A Manhattan teacher who offered anti-Israel “teach ins” to educators and activists.

We have reached a new low by allowing a pre-kindergarten teacher in the New York City school system to give lessons condemning Israel (“NYC pre-K teacher pushes anti-Israel agenda,” Nov. 4). Children are impressionable.

Ed Greenspan

Brooklyn

What is wrong with the New York Department of Education? I feel lucky that I don’t have any children of school age.

If I did, I would home-school them, so I could feel assured that they would not grow up with the prejudices that seem to be everywhere you look these days.

I feel like I am living in a real-life episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

Warren Goldfein

Mount Arlington, NJ

If one looks closely at a photo in the article, they will see Siriana Abboud holding her welcoming message to students, dated Sept. 2021.

How is it that a person who promotes anti-Israel hate has been in the public school system since Sept. 2021, and this is only now being exposed?

Abby Fink

New Rochelle

What an affront to every moral and clear-thinking educator in New York.

She’s wasting her time in pre-kindergarten. She could get a job at Harvard or Columbia. She would fit right in.

J.J. Levine

Miami Beach, Fla.