I spend hours each day looking for the right column to link. Even after I find one I like, I keep looking to see if there’s a better one, which there often is. I mention this because you’re going to see the author of today’s column and recognize him… from yesterday’s column. I tried to find a different piece, but no matter how strong the other options were — and they were very strong — none of them measured up to this one. That’s because this one runs contrary to what everyone has been saying for a year, yet it makes perfect sense. It also has the stats to back it up.

And that’s what makes this columnist so great — he’s not interested in conventional wisdom or echo chambers. He’s a pragmatist, interested in seeing things the way they are. Framed that way, it’s really no surprise he’s showing up here two days in a row. And it won’t be a surprise when it happens again.