After all, everyone in America hates Trump, McConnell and Kavanaugh, right? Maybe. Or maybe they don’t know them all that well (aside from Trump) and after all the terrible 30-second attack ads, voters will be in the same place they started: These guys may (or may not) be bad actors, but what are you offering instead? More bull about how the “process” matters? Yes, process and institutions matter, but for folks whose Job 1 is getting through the day or worrying about their kids’ welfare, better government is a byproduct of vision and leadership.

This, at its core, is what’s so mystifying. An overwhelming number of Americans express displeasure with our political system. On any given day, well over 50% of the country says it’s unhappy with President Trump’s words or deeds, and yet Democrats mainly offer grievance and anger to their urban, hyper-liberal base who think Twitter trolls are representative of America.

This is not a recipe for success. What propelled Ronald Reagan to the White House? It wasn’t anger and resentment. It was a vision of the United States, for all its problems, as a City on a Hill. Reagan believed in America and after four years of Jimmy Carter’s malaise, voters latched on.