Depending on a person’s preferred news source, one might conclude that the other person is one of the well-informed and “right minded” persons. But if he favors the opposite party, he might easily think that he’s dealing with a deranged mental defective, totally devoid of any observable signs of intelligence.

Political discussions with such a “deranged person” might easily turn into something of a “hard hat activity.” These circumstances tend to produce an American republic that is both an argumentative and a messy way to run a government – which often tends to generate more heat than light. A...