A poll pitting California Gov. Gavin Newsom against President Trump might look like good news for Democrats, but it also underscores how deeply Americans remain trapped in Trump’s shadow.

According to a recent Yahoo/YouGov poll , Newsom would defeat Trump in a head-to-head matchup, with 49% of registered voters choosing Newsom and just 41% backing Trump.

Cause to uncork the Champagne? Only until you realize this poll is simultaneously reassuring and unsettling. It shows that Trump is beatable, sure, but also tacitly entertains the idea that Trump might run for a third term — a move that is unconstitutional, illegal and, in a saner era, unthinkable.

What’s the possible harm in assessing Trump’s odds like it’s some sort of fantasy draft? The more we normalize this scenario, the more i

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