Miller described it by various turns as transforming “America into Venezuela,” “tearing down the structure of our country,” “want[ing] to destroy America with open borders,” “attack[ing] border agents the way that [Rep. Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez has,” and holding “a view that says America should never come first.” In other words, he described it as disagreeing with his own views on immigration and economic policy.

But someone on the left might argue that conservative calls to overturn Roe v. Wade or privatize Social Security are plans for equally dramatic transformations of the country — after all, Roe has stood for nearly 50 years, and Social Security is approaching the century mark and affects nearly every citizen.

In our more honest and generous moments, we can all admit that the degree of political change someone advocates is no reflection of their patriotism or lack thereof. And the corollary to that is an admission that “love it or leave it” is inherently dysfunctional, a flippant and subjective way to dismiss ideas we don’t like instead of debating them on their merits.