I hope that my columns reflect evidence and argument—maybe even proof—rather than partisanship, but if you read a dozen of them, you could be forgiven if you get the impression that my political perspective reflects the left more than the right. Fair enough.

In fact, I’ve been accused of having a bad case of TDS—Trump Derangement Syndrome—more times than I can count. Driven by hatred of President Donald Trump, TDS renders its victims susceptible to delusions so beguiling that they can’t think straight. In other words, hatred blinds Trump’s critics to his virtues.

Trump certainly doesn’t go out of his way to make himself likeable. Nevertheless, hatred is irrelevant to an evaluation of his policies. And the idea that hatred of Trump implies a failure by Democrats to come up with policies of their own that are anything other than anti-Trump is just wrong.

Here are four big differences between Democrats and Republicans that have nothing to do with hating Trump:

Abortion

Two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, a Pew Research Center poll found that 63 percent of Americans believe that women should have the right to choose what happens to their bodies. And yet in my home state, Texas, it’s virtually impossible for a woman to obtain a legal abortion, even if she’s the victim of rape or incest.

If you think women should have reproductive freedom without interference from the government, then—for this issue, at least—your choice is the Democratic Party, whether Trump continues to control the Republicans or not.

Guns

I don’t presume to speak for the Democratic Party, but if you’re among the 61% of Americans (again, Pew Research Center) who believe that it’s too easy to obtain a gun legally in the U.S., then gun control may be an issue where Democrats have more to offer you than Republicans.

But even if you fear that Democrats are determined to strip all Americans of their guns—they’re not—it should still be clear that this distinct policy difference between Democrats and Republicans has nothing to do with hating Trump.

Health care

Regardless of what you think of Obamacare or “Medicare for all” or any other approach to health care, it’s arguable that Democrats have shown considerably more interest in solving America’s health care problems than Republicans. Fact is, according to an Economist/YouGov poll last summer, 59% of Americans support “Medicare for all.” Republicans’ efforts on this issue have never amounted to much beyond “concepts of a plan.”

Climate change

Nearly every evening, the news leads with a climate story: floods, snowstorms, droughts, melting ice caps. You may agree with Trump that this is all a hoax, but that position requires you to ignore or refute what most climate scientists say, as well as the official policies of many countries and the 61% of Americans—according to Gallup polling—who say that they worry about climate change.

Of course, the fact that neither party has done much to combat climate change doesn’t hide the huge difference between Republicans and Democrats on this issue.

Democrats accept the Paris Accords, as meager as they are, and are willing to try to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Trump has rejected the Paris Accords and canceled nearly all efforts to produce energy in ways less harmful to the environment. How committed is Trump to expanding the use of fossil fuel? Just last week he took over and plans to “run” Venezuela, and he hardly bothered to mask his primary interest, which is access to the country’s oil reserves.

But that’s not just my Trump “hatred” showing itself: It’s what is actually happening. And regardless of how you feel about these four issues, it should be very clear that there are distinct differences between our nation’s two parties that have little to do with Trump: Democrats stand for much more than hatred of Trump.

Besides, it’s worth noting that love is as powerful a motivator as hate, and Trump Derangement Syndrome is a two-edged sword.

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