Call me cynical, but I refuse to get excited about a “huge blue wave” on November 3. The conditions certainly seem ripe for a political backlash: a troubled economy, a disastrously executed war strategy, bizarre presidential behavior, and new revelations of corruption seemingly every day. Yet American voters have developed a remarkable capacity to ignore the obvious and exercise spectacularly poor political and civic judgment.
Let’s assume the Democrats win both the House and the Senate. Then what?
Will gasoline and food prices come down? Can we extricate ourselves from a stupid, unnecessary war? Beyond investigating incompetent Trump administration officials, what can Congress actually do to hold them accountable or remove them? Can a Democratic-controlled Congress stop the weaponization of government against Trump’s critics? And can it restore the trust of allies alienated by our erratic foreign and tariff policies?
A congressional victory might provide a welcome check on the administration. But will it produce meaningful reforms, reverse the damage, or improve anyone’s daily life? Forgive me if I’m not ready to break out the champagne.
I’m still waiting for a strong leader to emerge from the Democratic Party. I admire Barack Obama, but admiration and eloquence aren’t enough. What we need is someone with a considerably sharper edge—someone willing to confront Republican political gamesmanship with the same determination and toughness it demands.
Hope is a fine thing. But after watching American politics for the past several years, I prefer my optimism tempered by experience—and a healthy dose of reasoned cynicism.
Zacharia was clearly overmatched by the job. As far as I can tell, there was nothing in her background or experience indicating that she could handle such a demanding role. She should have recognized that she lacked the qualifications to be a credible White House spokesperson.
She is hardly alone. The second Trump administration is filled with people whose competence, judgment, and experience seem ill-suited to their positions. I’ll leave it to future historians to explain how so many questionable appointments were made. As unqualified as Zacharia appeared to be, I can’t say she was any worse than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth, or much of Trump’s Cabinet and inner circle. Marco Rubio may be the closest thing to a credible Cabinet member—but only by comparison
Whoever vetted Zacharia or made the hiring decision should also be held accountable. Clearly, someone else failed at their job.
I can’t imagine many jobs more difficult—or more impossible—than being a credible spokesperson for Donald Trump.
When a sports team falls into a prolonged slump, its most embarrassed fans sometimes resort to wearing paper bags over their heads. Better to hide your identity than be associated with the futility and incompetence on display.
Perhaps it’s time for Team USA to break out the bags.
Consider our current losing streak.
First, the White House. Yesterday, the president’s press secretary made an initial impression that was painful to watch. Teetering on her heels, she projected the stage presence of a third-grader nervously stumbling through a school play. Mercifully, the ordeal was brief—though considerably longer for those of us watching. But is she really worse than many others occupying senior government posts? Or is she simply representative of the talent now being recruited to run the country?
Then there’s Saudi Arabia. A country looking to the United States for help protecting civilian sites finds its expectations unmet. What does it say about American leadership when even those who depend on our military support cannot count on us?
Ukraine is another casualty. Fighting for its very survival, it faces the prospect of American accommodation with Putin’s Russia. A deal involving Russian diesel fuel only deepens the impression that our commitments are negotiable. What American ally can confidently trust our word when our actions so often contradict it?
Poor Kimberly Guilfoyle. Has she done anything that other male Republicans and high level government officials have also been accused of in terms of corruption and trying to make deals to enrich themselves? One has to question the judgment of appointing her as our ambassador to Greece. She might’ve been a better fit as our ambassador to Aruba, if we have an embassy there.
Meanwhile, at home, the president celebrates a strong economy while families struggle with the cost of food, medical care, and borrowing. Inflation remains a burden, interest rates are painful, and a clear strategy for ending the war in Iran remains elusive. Somehow, the president, his defense secretary, and perhaps our military leadership have managed to let themselves be outmaneuvered by a regime whose leaders are supposedly hiding in caves.
And finally, there are the politicians who want to keep their jobs without accepting responsibility for the mess. Republican candidates across the country are ducking, weaving, and distancing themselves from the consequences of the policies they have supported—or the crises they have refused to confront. The candidacies of Ken Paxton in Texas, Darlene Graham in South Carolina, Susan Collins in Maine, and Mike Rogers in Michigan are particularly galling.
For a country accustomed to thinking of itself as the world’s leader, this is one dismal losing streak. Our credibility abroad is eroding, our leadership at home is increasingly difficult to defend, and those who should be held accountable are busy protecting their political futures.
Maybe the most patriotic thing an American sports fan can do right now is pull a paper bag over his head.
At least then, he won’t have to explain the score.
In just about any time in American history, this type of story would end a presidency and anyone involved in this disgusting treatment of American sailors would be investigated, indicted, and removed from office. We have become so inured to incredible imcompetence that not even a story of this magnitude makes a dent in the American psyche.
For the last two weeks, I was on a cruise ship, traveling the rather calm waters of the North Atlantic and the St. Lawrence River. However, back home, I continued to see the deleterious effects of the tsunami that is Trump.
I spoke to a few Canadians on the cruise who asked me: “How is Donald Trump still president? And how did you Americans allow—and keep allowing—Trump to be president?”
As one travels through Canada, one senses a certain civility and calmness among the population, seemingly satisfied with its leadership, culture and government.
Normalcy!
I’d be hard-pressed to think of many Republicans who deserve to be reelected—or elected in the first place—particularly in the House of Representatives. As far as I am concerned, most of them are cowards.
I don’t believe in the polls. I have been sorely disappointed by what I expected in 2016 and 2024. The only way I will be happy with the results of the 2026 elections is if the Democrats control both the House and the Senate. I am not sure that this will necessarily save the state of our union, but maybe it will at least limit the clown show currently performing.
I’m pretty sure that the last chance to save the country occurred in November 2024. So much damage has been done, and much of it may be unrecoverable—especially when it comes to the trust we once had with our allies and neighbors.
That’s gone for decades!
I’m stunned that Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister and, in my opinion, one of the least capable candidates for elective office, is leading in the polls for the South Carolina Senate race. Yeah, I know. It’s South Carolina!
It’s also concerning that James Talarico does not have a 20-point lead in the Texas Senate race over Ken Paxton.
Yeah, I know. It’s Texas!
I’m still waiting for the press to make a demonstrable stand against the White House—and, in particular, against the administration’s exclusion of CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House. Trump announced on September 18 that he was banning the three organizations from the White House, and the following day reporters from all three were denied access, with press credentials being deactivated or confiscated.
Just to be spiteful, why don’t these news outlets document the many lies and false claims of the Trump administration? It’s probably a more useful exercise than actually covering stories from Trump or any of his Cabinet.
I’m not sure what they can do to limit appearances or interviews with Republican candidates or officials, but I would sure as hell make it very uncomfortable for any of them to come on those venues without having to answer questions about their views on freedom of the press.
I confess that I get most of my news from so-called liberal or mainstream media. Every now and then, I take a quick peek at Fox News. I don’t do it for long, as my brain cells begin to decline within minutes of listening to any of their news or programming.
One would think that a network that incurred millions of dollars in legal liabilities over its coverage of the 2020 election would have a little more humility.
A researcher from Anthropic recently warned that AI could destroy humanity by the end of the decade. Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment-science lead, said he personally believes there is a greater-than-10% chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.
I wish that the huge concern and apprehension about this possible event four years from now could somehow be translated into more immediate concern about how our inept president could create a lot of economic and financial damage within the next year.
Many Americans, specifically most (?) Republican voters sit contently like frogs in boiling water. Trade war with our best ally, Canada? No problem! U.S. military running out of missiles and weapons? No problem! Americans unable to afford groceries, medication and buying gas? No problem! Measles outbreaks? No problem! American allies making new deals with China for trade and investments? No problem! Investors demanding increase in U.S. Treasury rates?No problem! American military bases in Middle East destroyed? No problem!
Ability of the Trump Administration and Congress to responsibly handle and resolve these issues: Huge problem!
A zibaldone (plural zibaldoni) is an Italian word that translates to a “heap of things,” “hodgepodge,” or “miscellany.”
Couldn’t care less about Natalie Harp and what she does or doesn’t do for a doddering and feeble 80-year-old man. Just another distraction. I’m much more interested in knowing about the stories of possibly unwilling young women in Trump’s past. The failure to release the entire Epstein files and to conduct a full and transparent investigation will be viewed in history as one of the great moral and ethical failures of this time.
Way too early, but the best Democratic candidates in 2028 appear to be Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, and Mark Kelly of Arizona. While I am impressed with Jon Ossoff, I would lean toward Mark Kelly of Arizona as the best Democratic presidential candidate today. Best VP candidate could be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Way too early, but I don’t think there are any particularly attractive Republican candidates for president. I think J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio are going to sink to the bottom of the Trump Titanic fiasco. I can’t think of a Republican who has shown backbone, integrity, and good judgment during the Trump presidential administrations. Both Vance and Rubio were highly critical of Trump in the past, and now both bow to him on their knees.
Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline, was endorsed by Trump for the South Carolina Republican Senate nomination. She is a deer in the headlights. She confessed during a recent debate that she was not familiar with national security issues, and then I realized that neither was her brother when he was in the Senate.
Is anyone remotely competent in the Trump administration and cabinet? Every day, and in every way, you see a variety of issues and problems being mismanaged. Hard to believe that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. still has his job. Astounding things that he says and believes…
So there could be a perfect storm brewing…
Rising Treasury rates as investors seek higher returns because U.S. credit is not as reliable as it once was. This could further spike inflation and make it harder to buy homes, cars, etc. In addition, I’m concerned about the prospects for AI. So much money is being invested. Could there be a correction just like there was with Internet stocks 25 or more years ago? A huge correction in the stock market would also have cataclysmic effects on retirement portfolios, personal finances, etc. Just as our military assets are being depleted, so may our financial assets in the very near future!
Every year I look forward to summer, and just about every year summer disappoints me. Too damn hot to enjoy being outside. Summer hibernation with air-conditioning.
According to various press reports, the United States military is running out of missiles and bombs. Just a suggestion, but why don’t we carpet bomb Iran with copies of Trump’s Art of the Deal book. I’m sure that we have a substantial inventory of those and if Iranian leaders read and follow the book, their unconditional surrender is guaranteed.
Judging by some politicians—and one aging quarterback—you’d think Anthony Fauci invented the coronavirus.
Yes, his journals reveal a measure of ego and an appreciation for the spotlight. So what? In 2020 there were no easy answers. Scientists, physicians, and government leaders were navigating a once-in-a-century crisis with imperfect information.
What I remember is not a villain, but a calm and reassuring public figure trying to make sense of chaos.
The attacks on Caitlin Clark… I don’t get it.
She may not be the WNBA’s best player, but she is unquestionably its biggest attraction.
Clark has elevated television ratings, attendance, and public interest, yet she often seems to receive less respect than she has earned—from opposing players, league officials, and at times even her own organization.
From everything I’ve seen, she has handled herself with remarkable composure while avoiding needless controversy. Whatever one thinks of her game, the label “coward” is as absurd as it is undeserved.
How is Trump still president?
People lose their jobs every day for poor performance, erratic behavior, or simply failing to meet expectations. Yet somehow the presidency appears exempt from the standards applied to almost every other occupation.
Political arguments
I’ve largely stopped discussing politics, especially with committed Trump supporters.
The experience reminds me of trying to shoo flies out of the house. You wave them away, they circle back, and after a while you realize you’re wasting more energy than they are.
A preening president, smiling from an air-conditioned luxury box at the World Cup final, enjoys the spectacle while American soldiers in the Middle East sit exposed to incoming missiles and artillery. The contrast is jarring: comfort and applause for those at the top, danger and sacrifice for those at the bottom.
The incongruities multiply.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, whose public profile has long overshadowed his scientific credentials, dispenses medical advice while Dr. Andrew Fauci—an 85-year-old physician and career public servant who helped lead the nation’s response to COVID-19 and other infectious disease threats—is hauled before congressional critics more interested in campaign clips than sober inquiry. Washington has become a theater where expertise is booed from the stage while confidence, however unearned, receives a standing ovation.
If you are Donald Trump, a member of his family, a political insider, or the CEO of a corporation eager to flatter the administration, the economy may look quite favorable. Outside that circle, the picture is less rosy. Families contend with expensive gasoline, rising food and health-care costs, and for some, the growing anxiety that an expanding conflict could one day place their sons and daughters in uniform.
According to recent polling, only about one-third of Americans support military action against Iran. Yet the machinery grinds on while Congress performs its favorite civic duty: watching. It occasionally stirs itself—not to confront the nation’s most pressing problems, but to stage another hearing destined to produce more fundraising emails than useful legislation.
The nation may eventually run short of fuel, but there is no danger of running short of hot air. Washington produces it in inexhaustible quantities. I remember the gasoline rationing of the 1970s. At the current pace, one wonders whether history is preparing an encore.
