http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/opinion/invitation-to-a-dialogue-twilight-of-democracy.html 2016-09-20 10:16:20 Invitation to a Dialogue: Twilight of Democracy? A reader asks: What does it say about our political system if someone as bigoted and untrustworthy as Donald Trump is elected? Other readers are invited to reply. === To the Editor: Re “ It seems that there’s no end to the list of ugly words and deeds in Donald Trump’s life. What’s more, many are already well known, yet he is rising in the polls for reasons no one seems to fully understand. True, the growing economy has left many behind, and ISIS is still a serious threat, but why would anyone think the solution is electing a self-important fraud who knows nothing of government and boasts of a chummy relationship with a head of state who’s crushed freedom in his own country? The larger concern this raises is about our own political system. If our democracy cannot deny the nation’s highest office to someone so deeply bigoted, uninformed and untrustworthy as Donald Trump, could we be looking at the twilight of democracy itself? Loss of freedom in other countries began the same way, with self-absorbed leaders with similar beliefs and personality traits. It’s ironic to be questioning our democracy after the highly successful two terms of our first black president and the first major-party nomination of a woman, but I have to believe that a great many voters do not appreciate how much is at stake for America’s future in this election. DAVID KERNIS Trumbull, Conn. The writer is a Editors’ Note: