Paul Jenkins’ column on Jan. 27 called President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech “ominously unsettling.” Republicans should certainly be running scared, and it’s about time. President Obama has thrown down the gauntlet, and even in the face of continued Republican obstructionism, the Democrats and liberalism will again save our country — and its economy — like we did in the 1930s.

As for Mr. Jenkins’ comment that “the Constitution is clear,” as a historian who has taught Constitutional history, I can state without qualification that the tone of his column indicates that he probably has very little idea as to how “clear” the Constitution really is.

— Gary C. Stein

Eagle River