Doug Jones’ campaign for Alabama governor is selling a simple message: stop fighting your neighbors, ignore the divisive political battles and elect the reasonable guy who will bring everyone together.

There’s just one problem.

Many of the issues Jones wants voters to move beyond are issues voters actually care about.

Immigration, schools, taxes, cultural issues and government spending don’t disappear simply because a politician declares them distractions.

The same pattern appears nationally. Abdul El-Sayed talks about dramatically expanding government benefits while blaming billionaires and military spending for America’s fiscal problems. Other Democrats dismiss concerns about illegal immigration or portray political disagreements as manufactured distractions.

Jones’ version is packaged differently. He’s the nice guy. Everyone else is angry. Everyone else is dividing Alabama. Vote for Doug and he’ll fix it.

But underneath the packaging, voters still deserve actual answers about what he would do as governor.

Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN.