Sometimes, the only winning move is not to play. Sometimes the game becomes so vile – so stripped of civility, compassion, and mercy – the only way to survive is to run, not walk, away.

Take, for example, two recent failures.

This month, leaked text messages from Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones ignited a political firestorm. In the 2022 messages, Jones joked about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, writing: “Three people, two bullets — Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot… Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” and even suggesting Gilbert’s children should die to spur policy change.

Jones confirmed the texts and apologized, calling them “shameful” and written in anger. But the fallout was swift: Republicans labeled him unfit for office, Democrats distanced themselves, and t

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