In his most recent column, “Trump should stick to message that he’s trying to save democracy,” (June 8), Cal Thomas recommends that Donald Trump repeat a sentence from a recent speech he made in North Carolina: "I am not the one trying to undermine democracy, I am the one trying to save it." Assuming that the spirit of either Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde has not taken over Thomas' brain, I must assume that his recommendation is sincere and not straight-faced, deadpan Andy Borowitz-like political satire. Thomas compares Trump's line favorably to a slogan used by Barry Goldwater in 1964 during his run for president: "In your heart you know he's right."

What Thomas fails to point out is the Democrat's brutal, albeit accurate and succinct alternative slogan for Goldwater's campaign: "In your guts, you know he's nuts." As I am sure Thomas recalls, a clear majority (61%) of voters in the 1964 presidential election bought into the Democrat's snappy (not to mention rhyming!) assessment of Goldwater and not the Republican's.

Perhaps the Goldwater slogan that Thomas is so fond of did not resonate with the voters too much because of some issues they had with its accuracy. I would like to believe that accuracy counts for something today, but I am not betting my lunch money on it.

Frank T. Francisconi Jr.

New London