As a conservative, I wish for Democrats to find happiness, and I hope they are able to find a strong presidential candidate. Currently, they have no bench, to use a baseball term, and the likely field of contenders is a fractured group largely defined by reactive grievance. The title of this essay is derived from Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers: “For in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution.” It was meant as an admonition to any political faction tempted to view its opponents as enemies rather than fellow citizens.

Hamilton understood a truth that remains relevant today: political persuasion is rarely achieved through condemnation. A republic depends upon the willingness of its citizens to debate, persuade, compromise, and ultimately accept the legitimacy of those with whom they disagree. The moment political opponents become heretics, dissent becomes blasphemy and politics becomes a form of tribal warfare. The result is not persuasion but estrangement.