Yes! What the Dems have been is history. What voters make it is the future. That’s what primaries are for. So imagine what you want them to stand for and vote for the candidates that fit that vision.

Everyone should vote in their primaries, even if they can’t make the general. Your vote is higher impact there than in the general election for a few reasons:

1. The folks who usually vote in the primaries, bless ‘em, are not good at picking winners
2. Participation tends to be so low that it doesn’t take many additional votes to elect progressives
3. Progressives are MAGA kryptonite; people will actually show up for them in the general.

Also voting in primaries is easier, since early voting can often be completed digitally or by mail. You don’t have to take off work. And if you vote in person, you don’t have to be registered beforehand. Just show up to your polling center and they’ll have you fill out a special affidavit ballot that’s submitted in an envelope with your registration info.

Vote in your primaries people.

First off, it’s OK. We all make mistakes and misrepresent our feelings sometimes, which can affect others in ways we don’t intend. The particular social accident you describe is also quite common. I promise she will quickly recover from the inadvertent rejection.

My answer is: practice. 8-9 years is a long time to be out of practice at anything of this sort.

There are a variety of ways to actively pursue that practice, some more creative than others, but the most natural way is simply to invite interaction with others in general such as, apparently, drawing on a bench at the park :)

Is “trolly” pronounced like troll-ee or like trolley? Because I do have some trolley opinions.

But also, thank you for the candid (if defensive) admission and insider’s perspective. That took guts, given what social capital you must know it will cost.