Re “The Tragedy of Fox News,” by Bret Stephens (column, April 26):

We’ve heard this plea before: If only there were a rational, honest, center-right party or news source!

Mr. Stephens and similar lamenters don’t indicate what such a party’s positions would be, other than general shifts to more liberal democratic ideals.

The fact is, the agendas of these center-right Republicans have already won the day. We live in a country dominated by their policies, which today’s Democrats either acquiesce to or try vainly to mitigate, while occasionally passing a measure that’s inadequate to solve a problem.

So the wealth gap steadily increases; the rich continue to evade fair taxation; the prospects of the poor continue to worsen; the judicial system incarcerates disproportionate numbers of minorities; military-style weapons continue to proliferate, resulting in an absurd rate of mass shootings; debt handicaps the young and the poor; and the list goes on.

With the agendas of yesteryear’s Republicans in place, contemporary Republicans appeal to the frightened, aggrieved, white supremacist, male chauvinist, undereducated people who are impervious to evidence and unaware that their actual economic interests are not being served.

The only group that addresses the real needs of our ailing nation are progressives, but the mainstream media pays them scant attention.

Meanwhile climate extremes become increasingly destructive — and China grows stronger.

Joel Simpson
Union, N.J.