With all due respect, that’s the classic dodge that has become de rigueur among conservatives: disregard any reporting that doesn’t fit the preferred narrative. The fact is, people do support the Democratic agenda, such as shifting the tax burden off the middle class and making the wealthy pay their fair share. Framing it as “do you want free stuff?” and talking about fiscal responsibility is similarly biased. I notice that Republicans, who are suddenly so concerned about deficits, were happy to add $1.7 trillion to the deficit in order to give the richest 1% a tax cut in 2017, and the rest of the country got zip. At least the Democratic plan benefits tens of millions of ordinary Americans.

Lastly, I hope you are right about Trump. But ultimately he is the symptom, not the disease. The GOP subversion of democracy will continue no matter who the standard bearer is, until we collectively stand up and stop it.

In any event, as a former Republican myself, I appreciate us being able to discuss this civilly, with mutual respect as fellow Americans. I wish you all the best, sir, and happy holidays.