State Senator Elena Parent - someone who's been on this show on two occasions; someone I'm awful fond of, politically - didn't have her best moment on a live Instagram Q&A with a trans parent and constituent recently.

With me to discuss, another trans parent and activist, Clare Schexnyder., founder/CEO of Oh Baby! Fitness.

It's not that I don't get what Sen. Parent is saying - that the party's defending of trans rights' issues at every turn is unpopular and thus, they ought not defend every area under right wing attack (notably sports participation and medical care while in prison) - it's that this posture has more to do with the party's inability to speak plainly to voters that personal and civil rights aren't supposed to BE up for debate (“mind your damned business,” anyone?) and that the Constitution clearly protects the rights of the imprisoned needing medical care, too.

She's a lawyer; she knows this. I'm hoping this moment will sharpen her for bigger opportunities that may lay ahead for her, but her interview gaffes were a hard listen.

I don't see an Elena Parent pivoting towards a moderate/centrist future route, but Third Way Democrats sure seem intent to push the party itself (againnnnn) back to the center, after a recent (err) "retreat."

They want to get “out of elite circles and into real communities” like ... gun shows" ... "while simultaneously urging the party to “move away from the dominance of small-dollar donors." They contradict themselves.

Even worse, it seems they're more than eager to draw in the "big tent" and willingly leave "fringe" folks outside of it, because that'll somehow secure more votes?

This air of exclusionism from the supposed "left" is a dangerous trend to see evidence of. All so unnecessary if they party would just get better - Elena Parent included - at messaging their platform and values.

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There's nothing DOGE-y about spending untold millions changing military base names just to undo the erasure of Confederate troop/leader names, especially when all that's being done is scoring cheap MAGA points at the expense of those who'd been honored by the name changes in the first place, but it's PEAK MAGA!

That's the case as this time, Fort Moore (name for Hal & Julie Moore) was renamed Fort Benning - only a different "Benning" since it's currently against the law to name anything federal after Confederate militarymen or leaders. For now, anyway.

"Those who advocate for changing the name to honor a person solely because they happen to be named 'Benning' ignore the values and character of Hal and Julie Moore as well as their courage, competency, and dedication to the nation and Army families." - Steve Moore, son of Hal & Julie Moore, whose name for two years were affixed to that of the west Georgia Army base now (as before) named Fort Benning.