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Hey everyone,
Welcome to State of the Day,
A red jersey isn't a governing philosophy,
Why Republicans Deserve To Lose Tonight
The time has come, folks … if Republicans have earned anything, it's a defeat.
Allow me to explain.
The American political system has devolved into a glorified college football rivalry. You pick a team, throw on their jersey, defend every bad call, and, most importantly, stick by them no matter what. And when your team loses? Blame everything but the players: the ref, weather, field, schedule, anything.
I'm all for die-hard fans, just not in politics. The people who lead the free world face far higher stakes than a football game, and when a political party is put above common sense, politicians stop caring about results because they know the crowd will cheer regardless.
That's a blank check for reckless behavior in Washington and a horrible deal for the American people.
Republicans ran a compelling campaign in 2024. They wanted lower prices, an end to endless wars, and a healthier food supply, to name a few. Two years later, how's that working out?
Trump promised to "rapidly drive prices down" and make America affordable again. Annual inflation hit 3.7 percent through September, up from 2.4 percent at the same time two years earlier under President Biden. Not to mention gasoline jumped 9.1 percent this September alone.
The Russia-Ukraine tussle Trump said he could end in 24 hours? Still raging. And we can't ignore that we've also been in a war with Iran since February either.
A Brown University tracker estimates the Iran war has added more than $1,100 to the average household's gasoline and diesel costs since it began in February.
Farmers haven't escaped unscathed: one University of Arkansas estimate projects disrupted fuel and fertilizer shipments could add $343 million to farm costs in Arkansas alone this year.
Remember MAHA? They were supposed to clean up the food supply and take on the chemical industry. In quite a change of tune, the president invoked the Defense Production Act to boost domestic glyphosate production, and his DOJ backed Monsanto, Roundup's maker, in its Supreme Court fight over product liability. The court ruled in Monsanto's favor, another win for the world's special interests.
Let's not forget about the swamp either.
A Trump family crypto firm sold 49 percent to UAE-linked investors in the reported $500 million deal right before the inauguration.
Trump raised $333 million for his White House ballroom/military complex from private donors. Which donors took some of the top spots? The Adelson family, Apple, and Nvidia.
The daughter of banker Julio Herrera Velutini, who had faced bribery charges, donated $3.5 million to Trump's MAGA Inc. PAC and pledged $2.5 million to the ballroom. Trump pardoned her father months later.
And voters are noticing. A September Gallup poll found that 89 percent of adults believe government corruption is widespread.
A second October Harris poll found corruption was the second-biggest issue for midterm voters, just behind the cost of living. Forty percent said Republicans have the bigger corruption problem, compared with 21 percent who said Democrats do.
Are we sure these are the guys who promised to lower prices and root out corruption?
I can already hear the angry responses, so allow me to address them.
This isn't about ideology; it's about accountability. An R or D next to someone's name on a ballot shouldn't guarantee any votes. After two disastrous years, giving Republicans another two cannot be justified through common sense.
And the Beltway is smart: once Americans write a blank check for unfulfilled promises and still reward politicians with votes, that's all we'll get.
You can't keep a losing team on the field just because you like the color of their jerseys; accountability is in order, and that's exactly what elections are for.
— From The Editors' Desk The Meaning of the Midterms – Ross Douthat, The Free Press
Although much of the attention this cycle has been on the Democrat civil war between moderates and progressives, former New York Times columnist and '60 Minutes' host Ross Douthat argues that Democrats are competing in red states and districts by putting up candidates who can appeal to the middle. This is a more limited version of a similar strategy from 2006 when Democrats ran culturally conservative candidates to oppose the Bush administration, he points out.
Midterm Election Watch Guide: When GOP Will Know If It's Time To Hit Panic Button Or Reach For Champagne — Nicole Silverio, Daily Caller News Foundation
What are the big races to watch? Which scandals and controversies are putting candidates at risk? From Alaska to Michigan and Texas, Daily Caller News Foundation's Nicole Silverio provides the in-depth breakdown you're all looking for.
Are Freezers Being Hacked? Europe and the U.S. Military Are Investigating — Ali Watkins, The New York Times
We've all seen the reports of some kind of impending apocalypse, and now the refrigerators are being hacked? There's been a slew of incidents involving refrigeration units, first mysterious malfunctions at U.S. military bases, then suspected cyberattacks in France, and yesterday across at least seven other countries in Europe. Investigators are examining whether the latest incidents are connected. Read more on the speculation surrounding everyone's melting ice cream from The New York Times' Ali Watkins.
Who Thought This Ad Was a Good Idea? — David A. Graham, The Atlantic
Sen. Roger Marshall reportedly bucked his campaign team in the final days of the campaign to fight back against claims he sued patients to recover medical debts. His advisors told him the ad was a bad idea and would draw more attention to his biggest weakness; so Marshall cut the ad and sent it to television himself. Read the full story from The Atlantic.
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