So, let’s see. Just an average week. Trump destroys the East Wing of the White House to make way for the Billionaires’ Ballroom that will dwarf the rest of the White House in size. Trump sends military carrier to the waters off of Venezuela in preparation for a war he’s, let’s be honest, already started. Trump says that one of his billionaire buddies has donated $130 mill to keep paying the troops during the shutdown, won’t mention any names, thank you.
Where the fuck are the Democrats? As a political party, they are equivalent to the feckless cops in ‘Car 54, Where Are You?’:
Yes, that’s Herman Munster behind the wheel.
But, I digress.
Speaking of feckless Democrats, thanks for nothing, Hakeem. Nothing like endorsing Mamdani when it’s now inevitable that he will win:
“Stay tuned,” he told reporters in Washington, giving his stock reply on a Mamdani endorsement. “I have not refused to endorse. I have refused to articulate my position, and I will momentarily, at some point, in advance of early voting.”
Today’s endorsement of the front-runner is coming after a process that included two in-person meetings in Brooklyn and pressure from congressional progressives. Jeffries faced relentless questioning from reporters and has offered the coy guidance to “stay tuned” on multiple occasions. The minority leader has said he remains focused on steering Democrats back to a House majority in 2026, and some of his moderate battleground members see the progressive Mamdani as a liability.
I guess Mamdani running against two of the most ethically-challenged New Yorkers wasn’t enough to get Jeffries to act. If only Mamdani had the same desire for political retribution that drives Trump…
2026 Test Run–DOJ To ‘Monitor’ Elections In California and New Jersey:
In response to requests from state Republican parties, the Department of Justice announced plans on Friday to send federal election monitors to California and New Jersey ahead of November’s election.
And although election monitors are not necessarily unusual under appropriate circumstances, election experts are raising questions about this specific announcement, including which federal law the DOJ is enforcing and about the qualifications of the observers.
According to the Justice Department, the goal of this election monitoring is to “protect the votes of eligible American citizens.”
It will monitor six jurisdictions, it said, including a key swing county in northern New Jersey and five counties in southern and central California.
“The Trump Department of Justice’s announcement that it is sending federal ‘election monitors’ to Passaic County is highly inappropriate, and DOJ has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin in a statement Friday.
Among election experts, there were several things that raised eyebrows about the DOJ announcement. One, legal scholar and UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, said on social media it was a “test run for 2026.”
“They are very vague about this, but the federal laws that the Justice Department uses to monitor elections generally are the laws that protect minority and minority-language voters from any kind of discrimination in voting,” said David Becker, a former DOJ lawyer and the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research.
“I haven’t seen any allegations that any of these jurisdictions may potentially have problems with those,” Becker told TPM.
Becker pointed out several other unusual things about the announcement. Most glaringly, it does not say which federal law it specifically is seeking to ensure compliance with.
Hey, man, laws are for suckers.
In Case You Missed It–Spotlight Delaware’s Article OnThe Jeff Balk/Democratic Party Controversy:
Sussex County Democrats and their state party leadership are in a standoff over whether the chair of the county party, Jeff Balk, should resign because of his criminal past involving sex crimes against minors.
But Balk isn’t stepping down. And Sussex Democrats are standing by his side, according to a letter sent by the county party’s executive committee to Evelyn Brady, chair of the Delaware Democratic Party.
“The leadership of the Sussex Party have no intention of abandoning our chair,” the letter reads.
The factions have remained in a standoff for the last two weeks, neither willing to blink, and both claiming their side is doing what is best for the party’s future.
Brady, who was elected to lead the Delaware Democrats this summer, said in an email to Spotlight Delaware that she was not aware of Balk’s past crimes until “very recently.” She then “quickly took steps” to gather more information and subsequently asked for Balk’s resignation.
That request, Balk said, came on Oct. 10. He has served as the Sussex County Democratic Party Chair since March.
I think there’s an unspoken issue of tension between the Suxco Dems and the State Party, and tension within the Suxco Dems, that’s part of this story. Some of those tensions will likely continue once the issue of whether Balk resigns is ultimately decided.
What do you want to talk about?