Imagine if they had a response that generated the “it’s true but they shouldn’t say it” feeling Trump generated in 2016 to rousing support, and dared their base to not default to performatively reciting the spiel about decorum and decency toward even Trump that most of them genuinely don’t believe deep down, maybe even say something like “glad he handled that better than he did the pandemic,” and force Trump supporters to run on the in-group concern and outrage toward his shooting while Dems exclusively talked about policy that could make lives better.

Imagine if Dems had a vision they would uncompromisingly fight for first, and a concern for whether they’ll be adhering to precedent or seeming decent second, rather than still campaign for anti-abortion Democrats at this stage, and legislate based on what public sentiment polls say now versus betting on messaging and success turning the tides, shifting public opinion. Alas, dream as we may the party is locked into the through-line of “When they go low, we go high,” hoping the people who hate them and want them imprisoned/dead can be governed and opposed like co-collaborators on their email job work project.

Perhaps the fear of saying something galvanizing, enlightening, and unspoken because it could be polarizing, un-nuanced, and transformative to the very way their supporters think of their party and themselves, is actually a symptom of what gets liberals called “too PC,” too fearful of any turn toward tension even though the absence of tension is the absence of momentum.

Imagine if liberals didn’t resign themselves to losing the election after today, and realized that if they defeated Trump electorally after this it would mean the end of the MAGA movement once and for all, and moved forward under these premises. But that would require them to embrace the icky feeling of being ruthless in pursuit of an ideal, and I guess they cannot stand to think of themselves that way no matter what the enemy might do to them.