Election seasons always leave me feeling cynical, as someone who cares more about social and racial justice than which party is in control.
No matter how much progress our public discourse seems to make, political advertisements and mailers reveal just how crude this conversation remains. Each year we are bombarded with appeals to white nationalism, fear-mongering, and bold, unspecific promises to advance racial and social justice.
This year we had Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel participate in shameless, xenophobic red-baiting against Democratic opponent Jay Chen, trying to paint him as a communist in their contest for California's 48th Congressional District. Never mind that Chen is a Taiwanese American.
