This. Two sides are at war. One side cares about its citizens, and their suffering. The other side’s strategy has long capitalized on that. They hold the American people hostage, and inflict pain on them, knowing that the Dems will cave to their cruelty because they care about the people (don’t make me put a bright white hat on the Dems, but compared to the GQP…this is hard truth). Good nation states lose wars to awful nation states for that very reason. But the good nation states start to have a chance when they swallow the pill and realize that they can choose suffering now, or more suffering later. The GQP has the American people held hostage, and is torturing them, thinking it will make the Dems cave to protect them. Don’t. In fact…let the GQP turn all those people they are hurting into their enemies. We need their commitment to the fight. Also, Gatorubet, your last point is spot-on. Reaching this conclusion is about as awful as I’ve ever felt. It’s the opposite of what I want, or have ever wanted.