I used to be a Republican. Right out of college, I worked for the legislature, then governor, of a conservative state. Governor Robert Orr, R-Ind., was disciplined and kind and his ethics were beyond reproach. Fast forward three decades and time spent among different cultures. After seeing trickle-down up close, and how it benefits wealthy donors but few others, my perspective changed. When I ran for Congress in 2020, it was as a Democrat.

There’s a wide chasm between policy disagreements and hate, and although my viewpoint evolved over the years, I never hated conservatives. Indiana Republicans, back then, saw political disagreements as healthy conduits to better outcomes. I never heard Orr, or other Republican officials, express hatred for their opponents. They sometimes disparaged them, especially over plans that would leach money from their own pockets, but I never once heard the word "hate," even behind closed doors.

Enter Donald Trump and JD Vance, who package and sell hatred as a national commodity.

Trump’s belief that he can foment hatred and infect half the country with it— without falling victim himself—reflects a lack of emotional intelligence.

Political hatred is an addiction headed for rock bottom.

From the beginning, Trump’s hate-filled rhetoric has been spiked with violence. Reciting a list is like shoveling the walk........

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