Dear Reader,

As the saying goes, opposites attract. Typically, that aphorism applies to a theory of romantic attraction, if not ultimate compatibility. These days, there is a fervent faith in that principle of attraction, not on the part of nascent lovers, but aspiring politicians who hope that voters will fall in love with the opposite of the man now in the White House.

Everyone seems to be seeking the mantle of the Opposite. Several Democratic candidates have articulated their theories of the Opposite on the Stay Tuned podcast and elsewhere.

Here’s Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has said: “I’m definitely the only left-handed Maltese-American-Episcopalian-gay-millennial-war veteran in the race.” That’s funny and true.