I want to take a second to say something about today’s and yesterday’s links because together they offer two sides of the same argument. That argument is the Republican and Democratic Parties’ leaders/messengers/policies are too extreme. Of course, this is something each side says about the other every day. What makes the past two day’s links unique is that the authors (or websites featuring the authors) are saying it about their own side. Hopefully this also makes the columns effective. After all, I won’t look if my worst enemy says my fly is down, but I’ll least throw things a glance when my friend tells me.
I work with a few wonderful — and I mean that — people who can’t fathom how someone could vote for Donald Trump. (Republican readers shouldn’t get too excited — I know some wonderful Republicans who can’t fathom how a person could vote for Kamala Harris.) My opinions don’t move the needle. While my co-workers might concede a point or two in the moment, we’ve had the conversation enough times that it’s clear nothing I say is fully persuasive. And that’s fine. They could write the same thing about me. Nonetheless, I think it’s important to make the point that although Trump certainly has his devotees (and again, that’s fine), many of the people who voted for him were, more accurately, voting against the national Democratic Party. Maybe that’s splitting hairs, but I think it’s an important distinction.
Democrats shouldn’t listen to me, though. I’m an independent telling them their problems. Better the news comes from a friend. Someone who can tell them when they’re right and, more importantly, when their fly is down.