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The Triad

Dear Democrats: Here Are the Facts of Life

Fair’s got nothing to do with it.

Jonathan V. Last's avatar
Jonathan V. Last
November 29, 2023∙ Paid
Upgrade to listen11 minutes
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(Composite / Photos: GettyImages / Shutterstock)

1. Dear Democrats

I regret to inform you that America is relying on you to win a presidential election less than 12 months from now. In order for you to accomplish this objective, you will have to do many things. Some of these things may seem unfair. Many of them will be hard. A few of them are probably impossible.

But the country is counting on you, so please get to work.

First, you’ll have to give up on a bunch of your policy preferences. You may want to expand voting access, or make D.C. a state, or forgive student loans. Don’t do any of that.

Rights for certain groups—gays, trans people, Muslims—may be important to you. Please do not talk about them. And whatever you do, don’t try to pass any federal legislation to address your concerns.

Don’t let local school boards or district attorneys make policy choices that Republican voters in other municipalities might find objectionable. We understand that voters in Fairfax County or San Francisco might have different preferences for their communities than voters in rural Ohio. But these blue localities must not act on those preferences. Because otherwise voters in rural Ohio will have to vote for Trump.

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