Maybe, maybe not. Looking at the answers from her “AOC and Trump” voter cross-section, it seems like you just need to run someone who’s “genuine.” Both of them are seen as genuine or real (whether that’s true or not, it doesn’t matter).

Populism can cut both ways and AOC might be just the ticket we need.

I queued with two guys in a video game Wednesday morning who spouted that line. I was taken aback. How do you effectively respond to someone who says that? I didn’t handle it well, but I have thought about it a lot since it happened. I remember playing with shock humor when I was in high school, but that is beyond the pale.

This the the answer. The two major tenets of his platform are “raise tarrifs” (inflationary!) and “deport immigrants” (raising costs on production). Shit is going to get more expensive, but it won’t matter if facts continue not to matter and you have a boogieman to shake your stick at.