Larry Hogan and "Both Sides"

Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland, is running for senator. 

He was recruited by Mitch McConnell since he has a moderate record and is seen as the best shot at winning the blue state. Hogan is running as an independent who can rise above both sides in a deeply partisan country. 

Hogan's mission statement is bullshit on a basic level. He is not running as an independent like a few senators who caucus with Democrats. He will caucus with Republicans with the hope that his party -- led by conservative forces -- win control. He might want to separate himself from Trump like the plague, but Trump did endorse him. Trump knows the deal.

Angela Alsobrooks is the Democratic nominee and the path to sanity is her winning in November. The Democrats have a hard map and losing Maryland is lethal. Hogan tries to pretend he is above it all. 

However, his latest op-ed against the poisoning Project 2025, the de facto platform of his party, should not fool anyone. 

Let's say upfront that it's appreciated on some level when Republicans have the voice of sanity. His criticism of the platform is sound on its merits. OTOH, he is running for a seat to represent the party backing it. If you don't like it, support Harris and Democrats overall. 

His bullshit arises when he cites the "toxic politics" on both sides:

On the left, the refusal by some to clearly stand up to radicals such as antisemitic and pro-Hamas protesters, advocates of defunding the police, and the open-borders movement has done substantial damage. However, on the right, there is no clearer example of the threat to American values than Project 2025.

Whatever "the left" thinks, the Democrats as a whole do not support such policies. The Biden border plan is not about "open borders" and there is a strong rejection of "defunding the police" (even if the general concept is far from insane). Likewise, Democrats as a whole "stand up" to antisemitism. 

OTOH, Republicans as a whole are problematic. A Christian nationalist runs the House. A racist fascist is running for president. An enabler leads the Republicans in the Senate. The bad policy is mainstream on that side.

An op-ed that correctly attacks Project 2025 leads with this. The quoted paragraph is the second paragraph of the piece. The first paragraph:

I am a firm believer in what might be called traditional American values: rule of law, separation of church and state, and respect for civil service professionals. Never before have I seen those core principles more under threat.

How are the core principles under threat? By "both sides"? No. Republicans are threatening them, led by Trump, and in key ways the Supreme Court in place largely thanks to him. 

Hogan's talk of a "bipartisan" path and escape from "crazy" is charming but if he wants to support doing "things differently," honesty would help. Nonetheless, he's a Republican. Honesty would cause difficulties.