I couldn’t help but feel discouraged by the letters from Robert Emmons and Lee Gire criticizing Peter DeFazio (Letters, Dec. 6).

Congressman DeFazio is about as honest and dedicated a public servant as humanly possible. He is incredibly hardworking and a creative pragmatist. He represents a diverse district that covers a large swath of southern Oregon.

Is he perfect? Am I perfect? Are you perfect? We are engaged in a life-and-death struggle (think climate change to start) and we cannot possibly be successful if we quibble among ourselves over the definition of progressive change. It is imperative that we work together or we all are going to lose out to the corporate interests largely supporting the Republican Party.

Let’s remember that perfect is the enemy of good and be grateful that we have one of the best representatives in this country.

Paul Kaplan

Pleasant Hill