A Note to Republicans (and a small one for Democrats) in the Wake of Roy Moore

A note to Republicans who have felt emboldened by Trump's win. Congratulations to you. It seems like most of you very much want to be told how wonderful it is that your candidate won. He did. Yay. Now, moving on to more than just winning a single election, it's time to talk about the big picture.

Yes, Trump won an election. One election. And yes, he won that election by tapping into disatisfaction of a large section of the population while the Democratic candidate struggled to make connections with the electorate. But winning one election is nothing, my friends. Where do you go from here? Well, if Alabama is any indication, many in the deepest of red states have decided to double down on the 'Trump Factor' in their Republican primaries, assuming that a whacky character with strong views - not all entirely sane - that spoke to the heart of disatisfied America was the winning strategy. Well, folks, it's not. It can win an election or two, outside of a dictatorship, it's not a recipe for lasting success.

Being angry, hateful, riled up, etc...they aren't lasting emotions. They are hard to sustain. And having such low standards for candidates comes with risks. Like, for instance, when your candidate has a pretty well documented history of staking out malls for young girls while working as a DA, thinks life was better when slavery was still legal, thinks that homosexuality should be illegal, and was suspended from the Alabama Supreme Court for failing to follow the law, it doesn't take much for any other candidate to hold the moral high ground over you. Party loyalty is a powerful drug, but even that can't get everyone to ignore massive character flaws and potential felonious behavior. In reality, Republicans are better off for Moore losing, and Trump Republicans should take this loss very seriously. If Moore-like candidates cannot win in Alabama, they cannot win anywhere. Perhaps it is time to leave the lost culture wars behind, accept life in 2017, live your life as traditionally, religiously, and modestly as you wish but leave every one else alone and try to find candidates that understand how to make good, thoughtful, and coherent policy. Just a thought. Democrats: People of color and women (especially women of color) carry your party. They carry your party in every state in the Union. Now it's time to stop taking those votes for granted and prioritizing their needs. Get to work.