The populist surge that tore the GOP asunder in 2016 did so over the dead bodies, so to speak, of talented and energetic presidential contenders including Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, and Ted Cruz (“Two political parties, two difficult dilemmas’’). Who will stand in the way of a similar surge on the Democratic side in 2020 — Nancy Pelosi and the Clintons?

“Ripe for the taking’’ seems too mild a description for an old guard that struggled to repel the cartoonish Bernie Sanders and then lost to the cartoonish Donald Trump. The Democratic establishment is in fact overripe and ready to fall.

Everything one needs to know about the party’s future identity and direction was revealed in the dreary sense of duty surrounding Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which contrasted so vividly with the enthusiasm generated by Sanders’ every-day-is-Christmas message. Now Democrats have two years to find a younger messenger with a broader rhetorical repertoire.

It probably can’t be Elizabeth Warren — 2020 is too soon for another preachy, hectoring woman.

Michael Smith

Cynthiana, Ky.