Suddenly, everyone wants to talk about Nancy Pelosi's hair. Most of all, Donald Trump has a sudden interest in focusing on the person who he will not talk to or look at under any circumstances. Some have chastised Pelosi for handing Trump "a campaign gift." However, even if this was going to be a major difference in the campaign, Trump seems to have lost a step in his slash-and-burn politics and would not know what to do with it. In the meantime, Trump is misjudging the electorate if he thinks that smoke-and-mirrors will work for him in 2020.

To recap, Pelosi was caught on a hidden camera in a San Francisco salon without a mask while she was getting her hair done. Pelosi claims that she was set up by the shop owner and has refused to apologize. Predictably, the issue made its way to Trump's Twitter feed in a matter of hours. Trump's base was up in arms about Pelosi representing the "Libs" in prescribing rules that she herself did not follow. Chris Clizza at CNN was chastising Pelosi for handing Trump another means to divert from his own record and called it an unforced error. Immediately, scared Democrats were sent into a panic about Trump having a campaign issue that he could exploit.

A Day Later, the Issue Is Almost Forgotten

However, the shelf life of issues like this these days is hours. Although nobody really thinks that it was a great idea for Pelosi to do what she did, the chances that it will hurt the Democrats' electoral chances in 2020 are extremely slim. Predictably, this issue has already faded from the headlines to await the next Trump scandal or tweet.

Republicans are sorely misjudging the 2020 electorate by falling back on tactics that did not even work for them in 2018. Of course, these min diversions and distractions are why Trump is in power in the first place. However, the critical part of the electorate has moved beyond the point where they can be cynically manipulated by manufactured GOP hysteria.

Many American voters are much more educated than they were four years ago. Largely stuck at home due to COVID-19, voters have had more time to educate themselves on the issues. While 40% of the electorate will support Trump no matter what, the American public as a whole has gotten much better at spotting a smokescreen or a red herring.

More Than Ever Before, Americans Care Mostly About the Issues

These days, more Americans than ever before want to hear about the issues. The pandemic and the economic disruption that it has caused has them worrying about their own present and future. In that regard, the voters who matter do not care about Nancy Pelosi's hair. The 2020 election will be more of a kitchen table issue election than ever. If Trump thinks that he can win this election by focusing on Pelosi's hair appointment, then by all means, he should go right ahead. Every day that Trump and his toadies waste talking about Pelosi's hair is one less day that they can sway the electorate with talking about policies that actually matter to real people.

The number of people who may decide that they would rather put up with four more years of Trump because they are unhappy with Pelosi's hair is infinitesimal. The only thing that this may be useful for is riling up the Republican base to come out and vote. However, if they have not previously made up their minds to vote, this would not be what puts them over the top.

Right now, the two parties are talking past each other. Democrats are talking about science and common sense solutions to beating the coronavirus. They are putting forward detailed plans to help real people make it through this devastating time. On the other hand, Republicans are trolling and distracting, making this election about manufactured scandals that really aren't. If you assume that each party commands about 40% of the electorate no matter what and the election is really about the middle, the Democrats are winning because the middle cares about their health and economic security right now.

For everyone who is tearing their hair out about what Pelosi did, the answer would be to relax. If this is how the Republicans want to make their case for four more years, we can even given them a Twitter account.