We joke about this, but whenever there is any sort of confrontation between Republicans and Democrats, the beltway CW is the Republicans will win the day/week/month/eternity. Along with that is the notion that the Republicans are always being benevolent and holding back, because they can always pull out whatever the "today" version of Democrats are terrorist lovers is (it's all just versions of Demorats are a-word-I-will-not-use-lovers). It's only because of the restraint and high class manners of Republicans that Democrats ever win anywhere except a few urban hellholes populated by those people.
The audience for this stuff ain't the people at the Ohio diners, it's people who work for Politico, Punchbowl, and Axios.
