Being a leftist today is a lot like playing pinball.

Every machine has two flippers with a gulf between them. They’re used to knock balls toward bright and shiny bumpers. When a collision inevitably occurs, the bumper can propel the balls all across the board. For a little while, it looks and sounds promising — a lot of noise and flashing lights. Sometimes, the ball stays up for a while, racking up point after point. It feels like it’s never going to come down.