Both parties keep trying to win elections by smearing opponents through who they associate with, and it flopped before — this is a knock on Republican strategy and on media double standards.

• Republicans are attacking Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed for any link to streamer Hasan Piker, treating association as the main line of attack.
• This mirrors what Democrats did to Trump, which backfired and helped him win twice.
• Media is called out for hypocrisy: fussing over what a streamer said while waving off real ties to Dick Cheney and Netanyahu.
• The point: guilt-by-association campaigns don't move voters and just raise the target's profile.
• The suggested fix is blunt — offer voters things that actually help them and follow through, which donors reportedly block.

Outlook: Expect more association-based attacks heading into the elections, with little sign either party shifts to policy that helps ordinary voters.