Late last night, while I was savoring that Axios story about Republican panic in Mississippi — “The wall has broken. The enemy is inside the fort,” one GOP strategist is quoted as saying — my cousin sent me a link to some 𝕏early-vote data from Texas showing big swings toward Democrats. I barely had time to look at it before someone else sent me a story about conservative parents’ 𝕏anger at Republicans over all the anti-trans ads. My Twitter algorithm was overrun with clips of Abdul El-Sayed, Adam Hamilton, and David Crowley crushing their debates while Trump, rallying in South Carolina, rambled about 𝕏renaming more bodies of water and surrendered yet another news cycle to his 𝕏admiration of other men. I went to bed around midnight, checked for Times/Siena Senate polls at 3 a.m. (no dice), and woke up to yet more good news to luxuriate in: Iowa farmers threatening to switch parties. Young voters swinging away from Trump. Peter Thiel criticizing Trump over the war. Ohio’s Republican governor denouncing Vivek Ramaswamy’s decision to run that awful ad.
For people like us in the liberal content business, this is a tricky time. The forecasts have solidified, and there are only so many ways you can say that Trump is wasting his last, best chance to reset the narrative. People are already voting. The 12 days remaining until we get results is starting to feel like a very long time — a vacuum that tends to get filled with “could the polls be wrong” stories, worries about Democrats failing to meet sky-high expectations, and musings about the problems the party faces even if things go great on November 3. Those are all important questions, and every progressive I know is, at heart, a skeptic. Try to hold off on indulging.
For a Democrat, this is as good as it gets. Not Election Night. Right now.
We are poised, we think, to take back power. It’s reasonable to imagine commanding wins in unheard-of places. The infighting is at a minimum. We have no responsibilities other than to keep the pressure on and get people to vote.
So what should you do with yourself? Sign up for some volunteer shifts, give some last donations, and make sure your friends in key districts have solid plans for casting a ballot. But beyond that, I think it’s totally defensible — probably even advisable — to tune out just a tiny bit. Take some action on your Halloween plan. Get some exercise. Do a trial run of your Thanksgiving pies. In twelve days, we’ll have reality to contend with. For now, all we have is possibility. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Dan will be in the studio with Jon today, and we’ll run Lovett’s conversation with Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia, which was a lot of fun. Here’s what we’re looking at for news blocks.
**“Nobody can do it like me, baby.”**Trump heads to Iowa for a rally after our taping, but that’s okay: we could fill a whole show with tape from his unhinged appearance in South Carolina last night. He said he called the CEO of Google to inquire about renaming the Atlantic Ocean. He𝕏braggedthat that interest rates and oil and gas prices are going to be falling “very soon,” made weird𝕏sound effects, and, of course, said he’s “in love with” Tim Scott and raved about Darline Graham’s “very handsome” husband. His appraisal of his own performance? “Nobody can do it like me, baby.” We’ll play our favorite sound bites and then move on to the highlights from the Michigan and Kansas debates.**The Ohio ad.**It’s possible that Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mom is more effective than we think, but it’s encouraging to see how concerned Republicans are. As I mentioned above, Gov. Mike DeWine joined the pile-on this morning. Jon Husted𝕏distanced himselffrom it yesterday. And a former GOP congressman from the state is𝕏warning that“the floor may have just fallen out.” Standing all by themselves on the other side: Ramaswamy himself, and JD Vance, who said he’s “𝕏disgusted” by Republicans who criticize the ad.**Alina Habba, main character.**Alina Habba finds herself at the center of yet another corruption scandal this week,per the Times. She appears to have taken a $50 million payday from a Venezuelan billionaire to secure a presidential pardon for him. And this is separate (I think?) from Habba’s husband’s favor-trading with Ric Grenell. Want to guess who’s not buying the corruption storyline, even as voters say it’s a top issue?▶JD Vance!
This week’s open tabs: two fascinating takes on Zohran Mamdani’s success — and his challenges — and a true palate cleanser on why chocolate doesn’t seem to be as good anymore.
