Prominent commentators in each political party insist on portraying the entirety of their opposition as some dastardly combination of Bond villains and lemmings. The opposing party’s leaders want to destroy the country, they tell us, while its voters are too uninformed/unthinking to realize it. It’s an argument made by both sides for so long it’s taken for granted.

With the presidential election matchup likely to solidify in the coming days, it’s also an argument we’re likely to hear daily, nightly, and in our sleep the next ten months. That’s why today’s column is so important. It’s an honest discussion with several voters who are weighing their options. They are thoughtful, informed, three-dimensional individuals who want to make the country better for themselves and others. They reflect the near totality of voters I know from each party. My guess is they reflect the near totality of voters you know from each party. So, as the year unfolds and our punditry retreats to its caricatures, I will think of the people I know (rather than the ones I’m selectively told about) to remember the actual truth of the American voter: they are kind, they are thinking, they are invested in a better future for the country.