DOES the public dislike both parties? (Shutterstock).

If you are upset about living in a “blue” state …

If you are upset about living with a Congress, Supreme Court and White House that are “red” …

You – that is, “we” – have only to look in the mirror to find the cause.

California used to be a swing state that – more often than not – voted Republican in presidential elections. Governors – unless their last name was Brown – were of the Grand Old Party.

What happened was that the traditionally moderate Republican Party of California began to embrace dicey cultural issues such as a ballot measure to ban gay teachers from public school classrooms and raise alarms about the growing Hispanic populations, legal or not.

What’s happened to the traditionally moderately liberal Democratic Party of California is that it be began to embrace dicey cultural issues such as transgender bathroom access and “sanctuary cities” that appeared to defy federal immigration policy.

The balance of power, in this state and this nation, has long been in the middle. Politically lukewarm voters are are most interested in “what have you done for me lately?”

Polling shows that Republicans are still backing Mr. Trump by wide margins and Democrats feel the opposite. But independents are feeling grumpier and grumpier with each passing unprecedented policy and “emergency” order from 1600 Pennsylvania.

Any party – or person – wishing to return to power – or keep it – needs to heed James Carville’s famous “It’s the economy, stupid” as “It’s in the middle, silly.”