Being kind to Republicans, no matter how misguided they are

If politicians and pundits are really so desperate to understand the values of conservative America without leaving their living rooms, then they should start setting the TiVo to record another animated sitcom, ...which, despite its general policy of eschewing politics, somehow continues to offer the most subtle and complex portrayal of small-town voters on television: ''King of the Hill,'' on Fox. North Carolina's two-term Democratic governor, Mike Easley, is so obsessed with the show that he instructs his pollster to separate the state's voters into those who watch ''King of the Hill'' and those who don't so he can find out whether his arguments on social and economic issues are making sense to the sitcom's fans.

Perhaps first the Dems should stop calling them names, and saying they are evil. I remember FDR being quoted by someone as saying, (and I paraphrase) "Dn't say mean things about Republicans. Some people are Republicans because their family has always voted Republican, or because of where they live. But they are fine people, and if you make your case, they will vote for you."

Hat tip to Tinkerty Tonk.