Regarding the Vance piece, I think one of the most clarifying (and to a certain extent surprising) thing about the rise of MAGA (both the politicians and the voters), is just how much they loathe me (and my wife, and our friends, and our neighbors, etc.). I mean, really loathe us. I am reminded of Tim Miller relating the story of his GOP consultant friend, an otherwise reasonable person, getting just incensed about Prius', paper straws, and "coexist" stickers. And I continue to be kind of baffled. I mean, I grew up in SE WI in Paul Ryan country, and have lived in a progressive city for a long time. I get how insufferable some folks can be sometimes. A lot of times. My progressive friends drive me bananas too sometimes. But isn't an eye-roll enough? Why does it drive the Vance's of the world to such rage filled distraction? I like a wellmade, locally-sourced, grass-fed ribeye as much as the next guy, AND a tailgate brat and beer. How do either of those things negatively or positively impact Vance and the contituency he's championing (supposedly)? I have never been able to identify the answer to that. Why does Vance or generic MAGA guy/gal care what I like or dislike? Or that someone else (also) has a kind of insipid, tenuously supported social position? Why do they see it as such a personal affront? Sometimes I think it's at least partially because a lot of MAGA America has seen their kids and neices and nephews and cousins and grandkids go off to college, then come back to tell them how wrong they were (at least according to the college family member). And they're just done with it. Which I actually kind of understand. What I don't understand is, again, why it became untenable to just roll their eyes and ignore their progressive family members, and it had to become "burn the whole goddamned place down."