TWO Es = D: The early vote in states like Georgia and Ohio, sharply up from four years ago is good news for Democrats. In Iowa Democrats’ requests for mail ballots are outdistancing Republican 2-to1.
In the past early voting hasn’t always been a good leading indicator.
This time, given Democrats enthusiasm, it probably is. This squares with multiple surveys showing Democrats are considerably more into, committed, to the midterms than Republicans.
Two major developments are immediately ahead. Early voting in Texas starts Monday, with critical contests for the Senate, Governor and multiple competitive House races. The Latino vote is key.
This may be when Trump instigates real voter suppression efforts there. The stakes are huge, Republicans control the state government machinery and the courts are more friendly.
KANGAROO KEVIN: White House economist Kevin Hassett is leading a three person Trump-appointed committee to decide whether Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook should be fired.
This is a sham, a Kangaroo court, with three Trump loyalists conducting a closed door review to affirm Trump’s demand that Cook be fired. His motive: she hasn’t supported his demand that interest rates be cut. Earlier the Supreme Court ruled the President can’t fire someone from this independent board without establishing cause
This star chamber panel is investigating a charge by Trump hatchet man Bill Pulte that Cook made a misrepresentation on a mortgage years ago. Reporting by reputable news organization indicate even that specious case is erroneous.
She has a first class lawyer in Abbe Lowell who I suspect won’t let her go along with a stacked hearing and a pre-determined verdict. This is more like the infamous Moscow show trials. Can you imagine this committee concluding Trump is wrong ?
It’s another saga in the decline of Hassett, a once respected economist. He was John McCain’s top economic adviser, and consulted with earlier Republican presidents and presidential candidates. I hired him at Bloomberg to write a column and television commentary.
But like so many others he sold his soul to please Trump.
The new Fed chair Kevin Warsh should speak out. If Trump/Hassett get away with this travesty, the independence of the Federal Reserve is over.
KAITLIN was missed. Kaitlin Collins the CNN Super star, is a tough questioner who doesn’t let politicians get away with lying or ducking her inquiries She was away one evening this week when New York Republican Mike Lawler, in a tough reelection, was on “The Source” and was asked about affordability especially soaring gas prices during the Trump Presidency.
The usually reliable Trump lawmaker blamed the high gas prices on New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s energy policies. Does Lawler believe if one of his Westchester County constituents went to Connecticut or New Jersey they excitedly could fill up on $3.03 a gallon gas prices like when Biden was President ?
That would have been a problem for Lawler as he also basically blamed affordability on Biden who left office 21 months ago. The question he should have been asked: As Republicans for almost two years have controlled everything in the federal government -- the Executive, both houses of Congress and a friendly Supreme Court -- do they bear responsibility ?
When politicians misrepresent, evade or lie it’s the role of journalists to hold them accountable, even interrupting to cut off filibustering.
MLB OWNERS TAKE A HIT. As a baseball fan I had to throw this in.
A World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers vs. either Clevland or Tampa Bay will be exciting, a couple well assembled teams with exciting new stars like Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio.
But that’s not the view of MLB. It likely will draw smaller television and streaming audiences than a series with a New York or Los Angeles team.
More importantly, it undercuts MLB’s proposal for a salary cap, like other professional sports leagues. The central contention is that’s necessary for competition, impossible, they argue, with a handful of big market, huge spending franchises. But Cleveland and Tampa Bay have among the lowest payrolls in baseball. The Brewers, just swept the Los Angles Dodgers whose payroll is three times larger. This will make the players union even more steadfast in opposition to any payroll caps even if it means a shutdown.
I usually side with the players in these disputes. But one attractive feature of the MLB proposal is a minimum payroll requirement which would require most teams to increase their numbers. This would really hit my hometown team, the Washington Nationals, who though their owners are among the half dozen wealthiest, have one of the lowest payrolls.
2026 MVP: Sticking with sports jargon the leading candidate for the political MVP --most valuable player to the unwashed -- is Georgia Sen. Jon Osoff. He has turned what was expected to be a close contest into a blowout. No one has made the case better against Trump, effectively tying corruption to affordability.
If James Talarico becomes the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas in 38 years he’s a contender. There are so many good House challengers it would be hard to chose.