William Pate: I think your point about the excising of parts of the demos from democracy in liberal and Left (and the neoliberal thought collective’s) thought is trenchant and on-point. As one long involved in Texas politics, I’ve always assumed there would be an active (and possibly successful) rightwing component/element in any political space. My most recent investigation has included trying to locate a commonality not based on metaphysical, transcendental universals one could appeal to (my history in rhetoric comes out here) in discussions/arguments with a rightwing opponent as justifying attention to collective responsibility and wellbeing. Vulnerability, dependence at birth (most especially), of all beings is the best I’ve come up with yet. Ideas? (And I may be falling into a trap in my thinking here by searching for such a commonality -- there may be another, better line of attack I’m not yet familiar with. Interested in hearing those, too. ‘Tis why I’m here.) -- Along another line, I wonder if demographics play a role: do left theorists assume that because only 30% of the American (in this case) population are devoted Trump voters/Alex Jones fans, they’ll just fade away or not prove substantial enough to sway “real” democratic deliberations? Had majority ruled post-9/11 in the U.S., most of the Middle East would be glass right now. So, political education + better, more diverse, (possibly smaller?) deliberative spaces? . . .