“Now that Democrats have swept the House, a key question is: Who should lead it? Hakeem Jeffries is in line to become the first Black Speaker of the House, which would be a historic milestone. But members of Congress must examine Jeffries’ record, his priorities, and the kind of leadership he would bring to this moment. Here are ten reasons why Jeffries should not be Speaker: 1.) He has abandoned Medicare for All – At a time when millions of Americans struggle with unaffordable health insurance, medical debt, and the threat of financial ruin from illness, Jeffries has distanced himself from one of the most important progressive reforms … 2.) He refuses to break with Israel – Perhaps nowhere is Jeffries more out of step with the progressive base than on Israel. … 3.) He has failed to champion major cuts to the obscene Pentagon budget …” (11/09/26)
Source: The Erick Erickson Show
by Erick-Woods Erickson
“After the Bourbons were restored to the French throne, Talleyrand is credited with saying they had learned nothing and forgotten nothing. The family had been driven from power, watched a king lose his head, and spent a quarter century in exile, yet it came back to Paris determined to govern exactly as it had before the deluge. Within fifteen years, the senior Bourbon line was gone again, this time for good. Much the same could be said of the Trump Administration one week after the midterms. … President Trump’s response has been to push out the person rumored to want a change and promote the person most responsible for what voters rejected.” (11/09/26)
“Outgoing GOP Representative Thomas Massie is planning to introduce an impeachment resolution against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Soon-to-be Democratic Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries says he’s a ‘hard yes’ on the idea. That makes it very likely it will happen. If not now, then when Democrats take control of Congress in January, after their big win in the midterm election. Hegseth richly deserves it, and should be convicted on at least two major charges: his role in starting an unconstitutional war and over 200 cases of outright murder.” (11/08/26)
“Watch out: Democrats’ big ideas for ‘saving’ Social Security — now set to go bust in 2032 — range from lunacy like boosting payouts to madness like job-killing tax hikes. The program’s trust fund empties out in just six years, forcing automatic 22% cuts in payments, yet the Democrats who just won control of Congress look to worsen the outlook, throwing the system’s finances even further out of whack. … The shortfall is now covered by the funds’ reserves; when they dry up, payouts automatically shrink about a fifth. Cue Democratic plans to jack up taxes (and not just on the rich!) to pull in more cash.” [editor’s note: And once again they ignore the idea of putting a “floor” on FICA, instead of just raising the ceiling – SAT] (11/08/26)
“In the classic Fawlty Towers episode, Basil Fawlty, hotel proprietor and concussed anglophile, spends an evening ordering his staff not to mention the war in front of his German guests, and then mentions it in every other sentence. Watching the Republican Party’s 2026 campaign, I kept thinking of Basil. For eight months, the White House, the party’s campaign committees and their friends in the conservative media worked hard at not mentioning the war with Iran. The voters, it turns out, mentioned it for them.” (11/09/26)
Source: Washington Sun
by Paige Winfield Cunningham
“Earlier this year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seemed destined for a short tenure in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. Now, the Make America Healthy Again movement’s footing looks surer in the administration and those around Kennedy say they believe the health secretary is here to stay. Incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller is friendlier to Kennedy’s priorities than ousted chief Susie Wiles, who former Kennedy advisor and MAHA activist Calley Means excoriated over the last few days for shutting down MAHA initiatives. Trump is enthusiastically backing top Kennedy efforts into researching autism and vaccines.” (11/08/26)
“The First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses seem clear. They guarantee the free exercise of religion while prohibiting the state from endorsing a particular religion. In the words of the Late Antonin Scalia, ‘The state may not discriminate among religions, and a favor available to one must be made available to all.’ Yet some of the Christian Nationalist crowd is shifting away from this widely accepted interpretation. … As new excuses beyond plain bigotry must be found to disparage and marginalize Muslims, Hindus, and other non-Christians, Christian Nationalists have attached themselves to a reactionary view of our founding. They’ve convinced themselves that if a view sounds archaic enough, they can spin it and say the Founders must have believed it.” (11/08/26)
