Jill Dearman

Brooklyn

To the Editor:

Re “The Harrowing Chaos of the Democratic Primary” (column, Feb. 8):

Michelle Goldberg says she envies those who are exhilarated, rather than terrified, that “the fate of American democracy could soon be Bernie or bust.” I share her sense of terror. I do not think the vast majority of voters will embrace Bernie. I believe that this is President Trump’s dream scenario. We can’t afford the risk.

But there is one candidate who is gaining traction and could well be a viable alternative: Amy Klobuchar. She had a stellar debate performance Friday night. She has been endorsed by this newspaper (with Elizabeth Warren), as well as by three large daily New Hampshire newspapers. This isn’t a Buttigieg-Sanders fight. Ms. Klobuchar is a serious contender, and it’s time she received the attention she deserves.

Anne L. Finger

Teaneck, N.J.

To the Editor:

Michelle Goldberg blames Joe Biden for the chaos? President Trump clearly went after Mr. Biden because he knows the former vice president is the candidate best positioned to beat him. The question is, why do Democrats and the “liberal media” also attack him, at best damning him with faint praise?

We need to choose a candidate who can’t be immediately dismissed by many as a socialist, or inexperienced, or buying himself an election, or perhaps even, I am very sorry to say in 2020, a woman. That candidate, who has, as Ms. Goldberg concedes, an “unmatched biography and name recognition,” is Joe Biden.

Cut the chaos, fellow Democrats, or we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves for Mr. Trump and the Republicans’ continuing destruction of our Constitution and our democracy.