Young Kim ain't stupid

We might hate it, but the congresswoman is wise to not hold a town hall.

The Republican Party of Orange County is overflowing with amazing villains.

Will O'Neill, the chairman, is the diabolical overlord, plotting his sinister attacks on democracy.

The Huntington Beach City Council members are a gaggle of neck-biting vampires, here to drain the bloods of freedom.

Mike Munzing of Aliso Viejo is the Joker. Lisa Davis of the Capo Unified School Board is Norman Bates. Wendy Bucknum is the Green Goblin. Tony Strickland is Bane. Scott Baugh is, eh, well, just sort of a douche.

The point is, there are plenty of world-class evil doers to go around.

Then—there’s Young Kim.

The Republican representative from our state’s 40th District is, like, the worst villain of all time. She’s affable. She’s friendly. People in both parties legitimately like her. She doesn’t strut or bark or talk shit. She won’t be placing a Trump bust atop her desk, or appearing before a MAGA library plaque. She doesn’t favor banning books or damning librarians.

She’s (gasp) nice.

And if you think I’m writing this to endorse her in next year’s election—hell no. Despite promises to the contrary, Young Kim pretty much goes along with all things Donald Trump. She’s weak and feeble and terrified of standing up to anyone. Hell, here’s a pretty good breakdown from the Republican Accountability Project …

So while I believe, truly, Young Kim fails as a member of congress, I also think we, the Democrats, are wasting our time and energies trying to make an issue of her eternal refusal to hold a town hall. First, because no one (literally no one) outside of our little passionate circle really cares. This is not something that wins or loses an election—it’s something that’s been used endless times in endless campaigns, to no real benefit. I know that’s hard to hear and frustrating AF. But as much as it sucks, I’m not incorrect.

Second, because it’s not gonna work. There’s no possible scenario where Young Kim holds a town hall before next November, and—in all honestly—she’d be a fool to do so. I mean, how does being booed and heckled help her? The optics are brutal, the YouTube and TikTok and Instagram humiliation is unsightly. Should she, morally, do it? Sure. But it’s just not realistic.

Third, because oftentimes town halls actually hurt the folks desperate for the town hall. Translation: When you watch one of these events, the cameras inevitably shift toward the angry, the furious, the foaming from the mouth. Yes, to us it might look like a bunch of patriots battling for America. But to many others, it comes off as a bunch of unhinged lefty agitators bullying an official taking time from her day. The optics, inevitably, stink.

Fourth, and most important, because there are far better ways to go after her.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from doing this site, it’s the power of a single arrow, as opposed to a full quiver. What we need to determine are the two or three issues that can inflict maximum damage on Kim’s reputation. Maybe it’s tying her to Trump. Maybe it’s some wildly unpopular bill. Maybe it’s the way she treats her staff. Maybe it’s an old video of her cutting the line to see “Ishtar.”

Who knows?

But it’s out there, and we have to dig deep and uncover it.

Seriously, that’s how you win elections in the modern age. You expose the vulnerability that speaks to the masses. You pick up a screwdriver. You open up the weakness with a screwdriver and dig and and stab and stab and dig until the weakness is no longer a paper cut, but a bloody wound.

All political figures have bloody wounds waiting to be opened. Even Young Kim.

But dodging a town hall—that ain’t hers.