Short, quick and important .

Last night, I spoke for over an hour with someone who looks at things differently than I do. He has, I am pretty sure, voted Democratic most of his life, but he lives in a blood red state, and he voted for Trump twice. He is now very disillusioned with Trump, would like to see the Republicans nominate someone else, but if they renominate Trump and if the choice is Trump versus Biden, he will vote again for Trump even though he thinks that Trump’s egotism has fueled this country’s divisions.

I can’t pretend to express his opinions exactly as he did, but will do my best. His identity I know, but I will not disclose it even under torture.

I should add that he is not an election denier. But he does think that it is not a coincidence that all of these indictments have been brought so that a Trump campaign will be affected, but that the Democrats in choosing this timing have outsmarted themselves and this litigation will continue to bolster Trump and make the Dems, not Trump, look small.

I should also add that he favors gun controls. He is not a Second Amendment over all type.

He believes that Trump left the country on good shape – the stock market was high, jobs were coming back, NATO countries had upped their contributions. He believes that 2 1/2 years into the Biden administration, the country is worse off.

He was speaking for himself, but thinks that most Republicans believe that under Biden:

1. Inflation is out of control.
2. The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates too much.
3. Gas prices are way too high
4. The country is no longer “energy independent.
5. Democrats control cities, and cities are falling apart and riddled with crime and further Democratic rule will (I know this is hyperbole) turn the entire country into his image of San Francisco.
6. He believes that Biden’s age impacts his abilities.
7. With regard to Hunter Biden and his relationship with his father, he believes (my words) that where there is smoke, there is fire often enough that further investigation is important.

I gave him responses to each of these points. His particular reactions to my responses are not important.

What is important is that he is probably right that this is the way much of this country feels. And because he is neither a dyed in the wool Republican, nor a right wing crazy, he should be taken seriously by the Democrats.

I think all of his positions can be refuted (perhaps all not 100%, but close to it) and the Democrats have no idea how to accomplish this.

We talked about the importance of influencing Independents, and increasing turnout. We assume that most minds have been made up. And we recognize that today, polls show a very tight race.

(By the way, there are things we did not talk about, like the southern border and Ukraine.)

Important food for necessary thought.