00:00The two major political parties have distinct cultural identities, distinct places in the
00:04public imagination. Republicans are socially conservative, and so traditionally we think of
00:09them as almost like the party of parents, people who make you obey the rules, people who insist
00:14on personal responsibility. We think of Democrats as teenage rebels, people who throw out all the
00:19conventions who just want to have a good time and want you to be able to live however you want
00:23to
00:23live, love whoever you want to love. Still, the two parties have been trading places somewhat,
00:28at least when it comes to things like last weekend's Freedom 250 car race on the streets of
00:33Washington, D.C. It was a beautiful event with an incredible race course going around the
00:38Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Capitol, Pennsylvania Avenue, the National Mall, and it was won in the end
00:44by American Kyle Kirkwood with a thrilling finish under the checkered flag. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
00:49came along. She's a Democrat and she had a great time. However, some Democrats, particularly in
00:53California, decided that too many people having too much fun was a bad thing. Senator Adam
00:58Schiff, for example, poured cold water over the entire event, saying on social media that
01:02it was all about Trump's vanity and he was indifferent to rising gas prices and that it
01:08was costing taxpayers a fortune. Now, many people pointed out in comments on social media that
01:13taxpayers weren't actually paying for the event. It was covered by private sponsors. Still,
01:17Governor Gavin Newsom got in on the act and he also tried to poo-poo the whole thing, talking
01:22about how it was, again, indifferent to rising gas prices and he even mocked the flyover that
01:27happened over the racecourse. Democrats do take some political risk here. There was a movement
01:32in recent years among younger voters toward the Republican Party. That's one of the reasons
01:35Trump was elected in 2024 and came back to the White House. And as we head into the midterm
01:41elections, Democrats might want to think about how that image is going to help them or hurt
01:46them as they reach out to young voters and try to win back control of Congress.
