Andrew Smith (OH): ‘Biden Just Needs to Smile, Keep Quiet, and Not Die if He Wants to Win’

Andrew Smith (57), a Republican from Columbus, OH, grew up in Maine where he was raised Conservative, “because that’s pretty much all we had up there.” He is a long-time Republican who can’t stand Trump, and he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. When he married Lavea Brachman, a Democrat, who is also being interviewed for this project, he went to work in his in-laws’ paint and resin business in Columbus. He is now CEO. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. Has Donald Trump’s presidency turned out the way you thought it would back in 2016 when he was first elected president? Is it better or...

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Andrew Smith (OH): ‘I Do Not Feel the Criminal Behavior of Even a Few Bad Cops is Characteristic of Policing Generally’

Andrew Smith (57), a Republican from Columbus, OH, grew up in Maine where he was raised Conservative, “because that’s pretty much all we had up there.” He is a long-time Republican who can’t stand Trump, and he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. When he married Lavea Brachman, a Democrat, who is also being interviewed for this project, he went to work in his in-laws’ paint and resin business in Columbus. He is now CEO. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What are your reactions to the protests occurring across the country? It's a legitimate point to make about police using excessive force. Protesting is an...

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Andrew Smith (OH): ‘The Federal Response Has Been Pretty Good Under the Circumstances’

Andrew Smith (57), a Republican from Columbus, OH, grew up in Maine where he was raised Conservative, “because that’s pretty much all we had up there.” He is a long-time Republican who can’t stand Trump, and he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. When he married Lavea Brachman, a Democrat, who is also being interviewed for this project, he went to work in his in-laws’ paint and resin business in Columbus. He is now CEO. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? The federal response has been pretty good under the circumstances and getting better as...

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Andrew Smith (OH): ‘Anti-Semitism Has Always Been a Unique and Pernicious Disease’

“In general, when politicians talk about anti-Semitism, they mix it up with this greater concept of overall hatred and bigotry. Anti-Semitism has always been a unique and pernicious disease. It is not the same thing as discriminating against Muslims or African Americans. It’s its own unique thing. And too often politicians conflate all of these unacceptable attitudes without singling out a hatred (toward Jews), which is and always has been a special pathology of the human condition.”

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