Every political campaign needs a catchy slogan, and it helps when that slogan accurately captures the substance of the decision facing the voters. In my view, the GOP’s unofficial midterm one-liner, Common Sense vs. Crazy, nails it.
Vice President JD Vance gets credit for that one, using the phrase in several recent speeches, including his address at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas. It stuck. But Vance’s message is more than just clever wordsmithing. He is pointing out that the coming election is not just a matter of choosing Left vs. Right, or Republican vs.Democrat, or even moderate vs. extreme. It’s about using sensible, widely accepted measures rather than truly nutty ones to deal with matters important to every American.
And for those who might consider the common sense vs. crazy comparison to be exaggerated or offensive, let me elaborate with specific examples.
Two weeks ago, Senator Bernie Sanders, avowed socialist and supposed political independent (although effectively he serves as a member of the Democrat Party) proposed — demanded, actually — legislation prohibiting the development of “superintelligence.” Remember Doc Brown, the goofy professor guiding Marty McFly in the movie “Back to the Future”? Bernie Sanders is that guy — eyes bulging, white hair flying, waving his arms and yelling nutty things.
Yes, we understand that the word superintelligence has a specific meaning in Artificial Intelligence (AI) lingo — namely computer “intelligence” that vastly exceeds human intelligence. But that is essentially the logical next step on the road to fully developing and using the truly remarkable tool called AI. But Sanders wants to ban it. Would he rather that we stay fat, dumb, and happy? That we learn less? That’s crazy.
For millennia, mankind floundered along, knowing virtually nothing about the world we live in. But ever so slowly, we began figuring it out. For example, from having no concept of what constitutes matter (i.e., all physical things), we discovered that all matter is made from tiny building blocks called atoms; and from there to figuring out that those atoms in turn comprise even tinier particles, such as protons and neutrons; and then — the jackpot finding — we unraveled the mystery of the forces that hold those particles together, and we learned how to separate those particles (i.e., via nuclear fission) and to harness that vast power thus unleashed.
As we now know only too well, that extraordinary cascade of intellectual advancement brought with it nearly unlimited opportunity (nuclear power) and at the same time, frightening challenges (nuclear weapons). The latter could be the world’s downfall yet.
But the notion that we’d be better off not learning those scientific truths because they may prove dangerous — or that somehow we could have prohibited or even slowed the human learning process? Now that’s crazy. And crazier yet is the idea that Congress is remotely capable of leading a deeply complex scientific process. Last week, Senator Rand Paul put that absurdity in context with his quip that “we couldn’t trust the Congress to run a McDonald’s.”
Ah, but the Democrats tell us that the exponential growth of AI understanding and technology poses an existential crisis for the U.S. and for mankind at large. Moreover, it must be a brand new crisis because until just a few weeks ago, they never mentioned it.
Sound fishy? Charles Schultz’s Lucy and the football scenario jumps to mind. By now, we should be wary of Democrats’ frantic out-of-the-blue warnings of imminent crises, such as climate change, nuclear energy, and the imminent Trump-induced loss of democracy. We’ve heard it all before, along with demands for “immediate” (i.e., as soon as you elect our team and we take over running things) actions to save the world.
For such AI matters, here’s the alternative commonsense approach: (1) Don’t panic — expansion of knowledge and dealing with its implications is the natural course of events. (2) Keep in mind that even if we (USA) step on the brakes, our global competitors won’t. (3) Don’t expect Congress to “fix” it. And (4) do what we’ve always done to champion technological advancement, while simultaneously dealing with its benefits and challenges.
For another example of craziness, pay attention to what DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) political candidates bring to the table. So far, along with supportive Leftmedia, they downplay their inherent extremism. They tell us not to worry; they’re just thinking outside the box and staying open to new ideas, etc. (BTW, there’s nothing fresh or new about socialism). But the DSA agenda is quite clear, captured in its formal platform: dismantle the Constitution, eliminate the Senate, pack the Supreme Court, etc.
Translation: it’s crazy. And it’s clear that the DSA candidates vying for key positions in state and federal government this November care far more about securing power than about beating back crazy positions from inside their new big tent.
Commonsense alternatives: Democrats, keep snakes out of your big tent. Don’t redefine “moderate” as almost but not quite as far left as DSA. GOP’s alternative? The GOP candidate in every race with a DSA member chosen by the Democrats.
As another common sense vs. crazy example, there’s the so-called — and quite real — Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), a political dynamic that conflicts directly with commonsense actions by the president in dealing with tough challenges.
In my view, the well-orchestrated, deep-seated hatred of Donald Trump is a wholly unnecessary and very severe self-inflicted wound on our nation. As a political strategy, it seems to work pretty well for the Democrats, but it is both illogical and inherently harmful, repeatedly disrupting commonsense actions to fix our problems.
It’s no surprise that Trump does some unpopular things. But the emphasis here is the verb “does.” Trump is a doer; his level of activity, the breadth of issues he takes on, and his personal engagement at all levels are off the charts — and exceed any other president in modern history.
Senator Jon Ossoff (Georgia’s accidental senator, beneficiary of the 2024 Georgia runoff election that happened to follow the chaotic Trump January 6 flap) recently asserted that Trump is “too lazy to do the work.” That’s crazy, particularly coming from a low-visibility senator. You may not like Trump’s actions, priorities, or demeanor, but he’s a firebrand like no other, and he gets things done.
To my Democrat friends: here’s a commonsense approach. Stop cheering for Trump’s failure. If you don’t like him, pick a candidate whom you think can take back the White House in 2028. But please don’t use your 2026 midterm vote to turn the last two years of Trump’s presidency into impeachment Fest, part II. That achieves nothing and puts the nation at risk.
How many other examples of common sense vs. crazy do we need? They’re everywhere. How about biological men competing against girls? Eliminating ICE to keep our streets safe (because once we re-open our borders, immigration “enforcement” won’t be needed)? Cashless bail (so as not to unfairly treat arrested criminals, including recidivists)? The list goes on.
Keep in mind the essence of common sense vs. crazy. It transcends our traditional inclination to support our red or blue team, or the likes or dislikes we harbor related to Donald Trump. It’s fundamental. Common sense works every time.
