Rick, great article; it is a fresh breeze ventilating the sometimes smelly things that happen in an election. You remind us that while the outcome of an election is important; the election process itself is even more important.
To be sure, it is disappointing to see that there is such a willing audience for this type of slander. Christopher Hitchens suggested that “People who think with their epidermis or their genitalia or their clan are the problem to begin with.”
The Democratic Party has enjoyed success, in large measure, by using identity politics and it is ironic that they must now consider the serious unintended consequences of that strategy. I am not implying that the Democrats are responsible for these rumors, they’re probably not (Hilary?); but I do think people on both sides of the fence should come to a consensus that we need to return to an issues – ideas debate.
