Thursday, November 09, 2023

Bad Night, Good Night

Wednesday night’s GOP debate was like a comedy skit, except the jokes were all bad. Maybe that was because Tuesday night was a very bad night for the MAGA extremists who control the Republican Party. It was a very good night for Democrats.

Voters delivered a message in Ohio, Kentucky and Ohio, and it was that a clear majority of them do not want their rights taken away from them by politicians.

Abortion should be a bedrock right, according to majorities in states red and blue. Overturning Roe v. Wade, which is what the Trump-packed Supreme Court did last year, was a serious over-reach by conservatives and it is having long-lasting impacts at the ballot box.

All of which should spell good news for Democrats in the 2024 elections. But the Democratic Party has a problem in that regard and it has to do with who will be at the head of the ticket.

There is a season for everything (so says the Bible) and this may be the season for Democratic leaders to listen to the public opinion polls. Those polls indicate that voters do not want Joe Biden to run for re-election.

There is a widespread perception that Biden is too old for the job. And many people blame him, probably unfairly, for inflation that has driven up the cost of basics — food, gas, housing.

The complicated causes of inflation can be debated (economists love to do that) but Biden’s age is not debatable. Should he step aside, perhaps younger candidates like Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer would emerge and stand a better chance at winning the seven or so swing states that will determine who wins the Presidency next November.

HEADLINES:

  • Actors’ union reaches tentative deal with Hollywood film and TV studios, ending historic strike (CNN)

  • Even Trump realized his testimony in New York was a mistake (MSNBC)

  • Outcome of Trump’s fraud trial could have ‘seismic’ impact on his business (CNN)

  • House votes to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her Israel-Hamas rhetoric in a stunning rebuke (AP)

  • Top takeaways from 2023 election results — and what they mean for 2024 (WP)

  • Election 2023 results: Democrats pick up wins on Ohio abortion ballot measure, Kentucky governor's race and Virginia Legislature (CBS)

  • How Abortion Lifted Democrats, and More Takeaways From Tuesday’s Elections (NYT)

  • MAGA Panics Over Election Disaster: 'We're Getting Crushed' (Newsweek)

  • Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who worked in former President Barack Obama's administration, walked back remarks suggesting Biden should reconsider his bid for reelection after a set of troubling polls. “It’s overreacting to say I told him to drop out,” Axelrod said. [HuffPost]

  • Israel's ground forces in the Gaza Strip aimed to locate and disable Hamas militants' vast tunnel network beneath the enclave, the next phase in an Israeli offensive that has killed thousands of Palestinians. (Reuters)

  • Families flee past tanks as Israel begins to storm Gaza City (Guardian)

  • Reoccupying Gaza ‘Not the Right Thing to Do,’ White House Tells Israel (NYT)

  • US warns Israel against reoccupying Gaza after war (BBC)

  • Americans divided over Israel response to Hamas attacks, AP-NORC poll shows (AP)

  • This year is "virtually certain" to be the warmest in 125,000 years, European Union scientists said, after data showed last month was the world's hottest October in that period. (Reuters)

  • Cancel Culture Cuts Both Ways (Atlantic)

  • AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li: ‘I’m more concerned about the risks that are here and now’ (Guardian)

  • Humans vs. robots: Study compares 27 humanoid robots with humans to see who is superior (TechXplore)

  • White House Staff Panicking After Unstoppable Commander Biden Bursts Through Oval Office Window (The Onion)

 

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