A Republic, If You Can Keep It

On Our Political Radar This Week… VIDEO – Full U.S. Senate Candidate Debate (WXYZ TV – Detroit) We are now less than a Scaramucci away from the last day of voting in the mid-term. While Democrats focus their final campaign messaging on the many failures and corruption of Trump Republicans, Trump and some of his desperate candidates are resorting to gutter politics of Islamophobia, threatening federal spending contingent on a GOP victory, calling the victim of childhood rape a liar and claiming that we are living in a golden age of prosperity. Some of it played out on Wednesday as Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed tangled in their 2nd and last televised debate. The Republican message here is that Michigan born-and-bred Abdul El-Sayed is a foreign terrorist who poses an imminent threat to America, with Mike Rogers devoting much of their Tuesday debate continuing his efforts to brand Dr. El-Sayed as a one-person Hamas sleeper cell. El-Sayed provided the most memorable phrase of the night – labeling Rogers’ responses as coming out of the MAGA Bingo card, demonstrating his total adherence to Donald Trump’s demands. During the debate, Rogers made claims about his support among Democrats, citing as his main example former one-term Michigan Democratic Party chair Lon Johnson. Turns out it’s what we call an Astroturf organization – a bought-and-paid-for conservative funded political operation masquerading as a grassroots movement. Michigan isn’t the only target of the GOPs sewer politics. In Texas, a newly incorporated group is spreading mailers and text messages designed to turn transgender Texans into pariahs, and hint that Democrat James Talarico is a gay vegan who needed treatment this month for mental health issues … when Talarico was actually sidelined by the flu. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy is spending $4-million on an ad from Democrat Dr. Amy Acton’s mother – who hasn’t talked with her daughter in 50 years. Mommy dearest calls her estranged daughter, a victim of childhood sexual abuse by her step-father, a liar. It is such a disgusting assault of decency that even Republicans (including former presidential candidates Chris Christie and Nikki Haley, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and former Ohio Governor John Kasich) are calling out Ramaswamy for the ad. Not on the list: another Ohioan – J.D. Vance, whose criticism was aimed instead at Republican critics of the ad. Acton’s campaign countered quickly, and effectively, with a message from her brother who was also a victim of abuse by the step-father. We have dual presidential rallies in southeast Michigan this weekend. On Saturday, it’s Barack Obama headlining a get-out-the-vote event in Detroit. A day later, Donald Trump brings his MAGA nostalgia tour to St. Clair County. Don’t be surprised if he compliments nepo candidate Mike Bouchard Jr. with his ultimate praise: having a great ass. The weekend amounts to a political version of Luke Skywalker on Saturday and Darth Vader on Sunday.  Trump has created a new headache for Republican candidates, shifting American power away from defending Ukraine and instead helping Putin pay for the continued bombardment. The move has outraged even congressional Republicans, especially praise of the Russian dictator by Trump golf buddy Steve Witkoff who labeled Putin “a humanitarian.” A totally fictitious political poll may have tanked the U.S. Senate campaign of state Senator Mallory McMorrow and, in the process, completely changed the face of the most watched U.S. Senate race in the nation. An outfit calling itself “Wedgewood Polls” admitted that its results were mostly fabricatedMcMorrow says  the June release from Wedgewood placing her at 9% damaged fundraising, devastated volunteers and intensified pressure to leave the race.  The revelation raises a pair of questions: Was the poll a deliberate effort to upend a candidate many, including me, believed to be the strongest challenger for Mike Rogers; and Should this blatant election manipulation be illegal? There’s a new email in your inbox from the Social Security Administration promoting the $1,000 payments to around 70,000 children to kickstart retirement savings. Surprise of surprises, the payments are called Trump Accounts. The five-paragraph email mentions the name Trump NINE times to make sure we all get the message. There isn’t, however, any mention of the $5,000 payment we’ll all get if Republicans maintain control of Congress. Joining the pre-election chat fest is Tom Bonier, a veteran Democratic political strategist, data guru, and Chief Executive Officer of the Tara Group and a senior advisor to the powerhouse political data firm TargetSmart. Tom previously co-founded Clarity Campaign Labs in 2012 and helped build it into one of the nation’s leading Democratic analytics and research firms. He has spent more than 20 years working in Democratic and progressive politics. Throughout his career, Bonier has received numerous awards for his contributions to political campaigning, redistricting, and strategic planning. He has been an adjunct lecturer at Howard University and also appeared as a commentator for multiple publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Politico, as well as on-air on “News Hour” on PBS and “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio. © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by

On Our Political Radar This Week… Brand spanking new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia didn’t even last the week before Trump kicked her to the curb. Just more incompetence and chaos from the Trump Administration, proving yet again that they can occasionally take a break from the astounding financial corruption and their unrelenting assault on the American and global economies and security in order to fuck up the simplest of unconsequential things, which then turn into a big deal. Our old pal, Anthony Scaramucci, has been gracious on social media this afternoon as Zacharia shattered his previous record for a short, disastrous tenure – a record many thought could never be broken. Who says women do not succeed in Trump world? With two weeks left until the last day of voting, Election Day, we are hoping Trump spends each and every one of those days on the road campaigning for Republicans in close races. Because wherever he goes, the enthusiasm and poll numbers for the Not Republican candidates goes up. Adding to the woes of Republicans across the board: inflation is still going up and wages aren’t keeping pace. The combination could well result in the Fed raising interest rates again at its next meeting just prior to election day. Making it even worse: in a campaign speech Wednesday, Trump told the crowd that soaring oil prices is actually GOOD news! He also again branded affordability as a Democratic scam – even though Trump raged against affordability repeatedly during the 2024 campaign. Trump’s fascist-forward second term is also upping his weaponization of the Department of Justice, FBI, and other federal enforcement agencies as he continues to target political enemies. This week Trump has launched a raid of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s DC home. The man who fumed over an FBI search of his garish seaside bordello led to the recovery of mountains of classified documents illegally in his possession after his humiliating loss to Joe Biden in 2020, had nothing but praise for the raid on Omar. Trump is also creating a kangaroo court designed to pressure the first black woman to serve as a Federal Reserve Governor, MSU economist Lisa Cook, to resign early … or better yet, be sent to jail. His Justice Department is reported to be conducting an anti-trust investigation into the major TV networks and also investigating former White House aide and whistleblower Cassidy Hutchinson for perjury. The Trump corruption machine saw one longtime member in the news over the past week. Onetime Don Jr. fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle has been dumped as Ambassador to Greece – not because she solicited bribes and accepted massive gifts … but because she got caught by the media. Ironically, the story was uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, owned by onetime Trump fan-boy Rupert Murdoch. However, Murdoch’s TV propaganda channel, Fox News, reported nothing on the scandal until two days ago, six days after the initial Wall Street Journal story. In another dangerous threat to our representative democracy, Trump violated two court orders in the space of 24 hours. He continued to run taxpayer funded campaign commercials after being told to stop by one judge, and had the National Park Service cut down more than 500 trees on a DC public golf course that he says he will turn into a high-cost, elites-only resort course … again, after being told by a judge “don’t do it.” Trees might not sound like a big deal, but if they’re willing to defy federal judges on seemingly inconsequential matters, they’re certainly not gonna obey court orders on big matters. So much for rule of law. It was nice while it lasted. Vice President Vance was in the southeast (suburban Ohio) corner of Michigan campaigning for … uh … 2028? Or is it Mike Rogers? Congressman John James was noticeably AWOL. Democrats will be rolling out their heaviest hitter this week when Barack Obama headlines a Get Out the Vote rally in Detroit, just days after Obama recorded a full-throated endorsement ad supporting Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign. Obama followed that up a day later with an endorsement ad for Jocelyn Benson. Senate candidate Mike Rogers is not slowing his 24/7 bigoted and rascist attacks on El-Sayed’s religion and heritage. No longer employing dog whistles, Rogers is flat-out linking El-Sayed to Islamic terrorist groups, even reposting a Tweet calling El-Sayed a terrorist. Rogers was called out in a devastating column from Detroit Free Press editorial editor Nancy Kaffer, who wrote “In prosecuting a campaign based on racism and outright lies, Rogers has shown that he is determined to advance himself at any cost ‒ that nothing, not the truth, not integrity, not the literal danger his increasingly heated rhetoric aims at El-Sayed ‒ is more important to him than winning.” In the nearly over race for Governor, Jocelyn Benson and John James tangled in another televised debate that really didn’t break any new ground or do anything to change the dynamics of a race that looks like a comfortable victory for Benson. One sign of James’ dilemma: the Republican Governors Association has stopped buying ads for John James, effectively putting the . Now, state Democrats are eying a possible 4th congressional flip with an aggressive challenge to Jack Bergman. That’s on top of efforts to flip districts now represented by Republicans John James, Tom Barrett and Bill Huizenga.   © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by

On Our Political Radar This Week… (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, Pool) This is our 300th episode, dating back to March of 2021. We thank you for making the last 5+ years possible! When we launched, the two state parties had just wrapped up their winter conventions one month after that January 6 Trump-led riot at the U.S. Capitol. State Democrats held what was pretty much a controversy-free event. The Republicans’ convention marked the begin of the MAGA takeover of the state party with election of co-chairs to placate the newest activists from the Trump wing. Flash forward 5-and-a-half years, and it’s an amplified version of 2021 … and now, we’re also on YouTube! The first week of October 2026 has been a week of debates that haven’t changed the math of the election. Candidates on both sides kept pretty much to their campaign talking points, and there were no major gaffes from any of them. The exception: Thursday’s one-hour shouting match between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and former Congressman Mike Rogers. For Rogers, the key talking point was his repeated efforts to brand El-Sayed as a Muslim terrorist/anti-semitic extremists. El-Sayed, for his part, branded Rogers as the bought-and-paid-for tool of corporate big interests, and a rubber stamp for Donald Trump. The week ended as it started, with Jocelyn Benson holding an outside-the-margin-of-error lead for Governor, and other Democrats clinging to tight but consistent leads in all the polls. The best candidate line of the week came from Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who tossed out a playground challenge to the Inflator in Chief: I dare you to campaign in Michigan! And Trump took the bait, telling reporters he’d be in Michigan in a week or so. But, of course, when Trump says something will happen soon, that’s actually a firm “maybe” and “probably not.” Remember his Healthcare Plan that was 2 weeks away – for 9 years and counting?(Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel says Michigan Dems will be happy to cover the room rental for a Trump event. And Mike Rogers reportedly will have a conflicting appointment for something more pleasant, maybe a root canal.) There’s another contestant in the Trump crime family’s Grift and Greed club: one-time Don Jr. fiancée, and former FOX News host, Kimberly Guilfoyle, now exiled to Greece as U.S. Ambassador. Remember her? New Signal messages show Guilfoyle pleading with Trump donor Eric Deters to wire her $100,000 to settle a debt with American Express. In exchange, Guilfoyle said she’d use her connections in the administration  to get their attention on some of Deters’ personal tax and legal issues. He ultimately didn’t make the payment. Meanwhile, Daddy Donald Trump is laser-focused on the issues that really matter. No, not ending the war or taming inflation or restoring trust in government. His top priorities this last week included: Making daylight saving time year-round Turning a part of his Florida golf club into a presidential retreat … which, of course, would jack up profits for him Attending college football games and a PGA golf tournament Playing golf himself for the 56th time this year, with each round costing taxpayers as much as $1-million … or even more Banning mean reporters from his presence for the sin of asking tough questions Spending $20-million, so far, of taxpayer money for TV ads reminding us of how awesome he is Suggesting that he’s OK if LA and/or San Diego are wiped out by nuclear attacks Attorney General Dana Nessel has dropped a political and policy bombshell, suing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as an illegal healthcare insurance monopoly. The lawsuit, which will continue into the term of her successor – or not- could have a monumental impact on the state’s economy. The Blues control 65% of the state’s health insurance and 79% of the PPO’s. Out-of-control healthcare costs, constricted access, and denied claims are a BFD to voters of all stripes. Early voting in Michigan started on Monday, and absentee ballots are being returned at a 30% rate higher than in the 2022 mid-term election. The week has been a week of candidate debates which, in most cases, were tame affairs. Candidates focused on their talking points and avoided the types of gaffes that can swing an election. The exception: Thursday’s one-hour shouting match between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and former Congressman Mike Rogers. For Rogers, the key talking point was his repeated efforts to brand El-Sayed as a Muslim terrorist/anti-semitic extremists. El-Sayed, for his part, branded Rogers as the bought-and-paid-for tool of corporate big interests, and a rubber stamp for Donald Trump. It appears national Republicans are on the verge of abandoning John James. The Republican Governors Association, which has paid for more than half of James’ campaign ads to date, has pretty much parachuted out of the former helicopter pilot’s media campaign after spending millions over the summer. Jocelyn Benson continues to blast James as a rubber stamp for Trump.  The James campaign, meanwhile, has followed the lead of multiple GOP campaigns nationwide by scrubbing references to Donald Trump from campaign websites. Among them – Mike Rogers. Before the primary, every Rogers press release included the phrase “Trump endorsed” in the first sentence. Now, the name “Trump” appears nowhere in any of the campaign’s materials.  Michigan Democrats have added the vast 1st congressional district – which spans northern lower Michigan and the entire U.P. – to their list of possible flips. Dems are already licking their chops over the potential to flip 3 other Michigan districts – John James’ 10th district, along with Will Lawrence toppling Tom Barrett in the mid-Michigan 7th District and Sean McCann ousting Bill Huizenga in the west-Michigan 4th. For Lawrence … it has been an unrelenting campaign linking a very nervous Barrett to the very unpopular President. The Scoreboard The average price of gasoline: $4.40/gallon, about $1.50 higher than when Trump took office. The average price of diesel fuel: $6.70/gallon. Ground beef at Meijer: $7/pound A Big Mac will set you back $6. Another $2.50 for a large soft drink. In the immortal words of wisdom from James Carville… This week’s special guest is “The Bulwark” writer Jonathan Cohn, former executive editor of The American Prospect, a senior editor at The New Republic, and a senior national correspondent at The Huffington Post. An accomplished journalist, author, and political commentator, Jonathan has spent decades covering American politics, public policy, and the intersection of government and everyday life. He has held senior editorial and reporting positions at The New Republic, The American Prospect, and The Huffington Post. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and numerous other publications. Today, he writes The Breakdown, a newsletter published by The Bulwark. Jonathan is particularly well known for his expertise in health care policy and the American social safety net. He’s the author of two acclaimed books: Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis—and the People Who Pay the Price, and The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage. His reporting has earned numerous journalism awards and recognition as one of the country’s leading voices on health care policy. A Harvard graduate and former president of The Harvard Crimson, Jonathan has also been a frequent guest on MSNBC, NPR, and other national programs. And perhaps most importantly for our purposes, he’s a fellow Michigander, living in Ann Arbor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by

On Our Political Radar This Week… “Stupid on Stilts”. That’s how Republican Senator Thom Tillis characterized Donald Trump Jr.’s decision to let a Putin Pal pay for his Gatsby-style wedding reception … but it could serve as the theme for the entire Trump 2nd term. Even ultra-conservative billionaire and Trump acolyte Peter Thiel is conceding that Trump has surrounded himself with a band of incompetent suck-ups instead of “the best and the brightest.” How else can you describe a group that includes Pete Hegseth, Bobby Kennedy Jr., Doctor Oz, Jeanine Pirro, Kash Patel and billionaire buddies galore? It’s the Bad News Bears of government, and the voters have figured it out. Still another example of blatant law-breaking by America’s only criminally convicted President: Donald Trump is recycling a 2024 campaign commercial, saturating football game telecasts and Saturday Night Live over the weekend. But this time it was paid for by taxpayers to the tune of more than two-million dollars … and adding even more to the cost every day. There’s irony in the fact that his promise in the ad to stop the Commies hit the airwaves while Trump was lavishing his praise on White House guest Xi Jinping, one of the world’s most powerful Communists. Trump treats the Constitution and laws as suggestions. That especially applies to the concept of fair and free elections. The only fair and free election, in his mind, is an election won by Republicans. This week, Mark and Jeff analyze Trump’s multiple-front campaign to manipulate the mid-term election with the help of former Department of Justice voting rights expert, professor Sam Bagenstos. Sam and Mark are two of the state’s leading experts on election law. Full disclosure, I’m not an attorney, though in the Trump administration, I am eminently qualified to be attorney general, head the FBI, or sit on the Supreme Court. There are a dozen or more Democrats angling to be the 2028 presidential nominee. The most prominent “I ain’t running” candidate is Gretchen Whitmer – which may be why she was picked as keynote speaker for the annual Human Rights Campaign’s annual fundraiser. She used that speech to torch Republicans who are building their campaigns around attacks on transgender girls and women. Polling trends show Jocelyn Benson widening her lead in the race for governor, and her vote share is hovering right at – or slightly above – 50 percent, which is the magic number. Her campaign continues to focus on the cost of living … and how John James has been an enthusiastic participant in Trump’s economic disaster.   In the race for the U.S. Senate, Democrats are blasting Mike Rogers for a healthcare proposal which they say would actually raise costs for many families, while Republican apologist Nolan Finley at the Detroit News says Abdul El-Sayed isn’t really a doctor because he chose to be a public health executive and advocate instead of getting licensed to treat patients. It’s a sign of the GOP’s desperation in the high-profile race. The polling trends and averages also show DOCTOR Abdul El Sayed maintaining a steady, consistent lead among all registered voters, but one smack-ass at the margin of error line. But when drilled down to those likely to vote this year, or who are highly enthusiastic about voting, Abdul’s lead approaches double digits. Somehow basketball star Caitlin Clark became a part of Republican attempts to discredit one-time Trump prosecutor Jack Smith. Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt, in an effort to prove a conspiracy between Smith and Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis, managed to confuse the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks with the University of Iowa’s Hawkeyes … the lowlight of a Senate hearing at which Schmitt made the Judiciary Committee’s Republicans look like buffoons (even without the input of Tommy Tuberville who isn’t a member of the committee!) The race for dumbest senator has taken a surprise turn late in the game. For his part, Jack Smith was calm, collected, and confident as he quietly asserted his absolute belief that Donald Trump was a criminal. © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com In Michigan down-ballot races, Garlin Gilchrist and Eli Savit enjoy funding and political climate advantages over their GOP opponents. While the House and Senate Dems in Lansing are also encountering the same cash and climate advantages. GOP Speaker, and world-class reprobate, Matt Hall might well be having to move his office across the hallway from the ornate Speaker’s chambers. Savit’s opponent in the race for AG, Doug Lloyd, is also facing a new revelation from a Metro Times review of court records, charging documents, police reports, and other case files. The Metro Times found several instances during his tenure as Eaton County prosecutor in which cases involving sexual assault, child exploitation, and domestic violence ended with reduced charges, probation instead of jail, or no prosecution at all. Lest we forget: The Reflecting Pool is no longer a fetid, slimy green swamp. It’s empty. Apparently, master builder Trump can get an oversized swimming pool fixed. The Epstein files are still locked up at the Department of Justice, safe from the prying eyes of Epstein’s victims, Congress, and the Courts. Ghislaine Maxwell continues to be the only person criminally charged for the sexual abuse of hundreds of girls … and she’s angling for a presidential pardon. Meanwhile, gasoline prices across the state average $4.57, up about 30% from when Trump took office. Diesel bounces around an all-time high $7 mark. Aside from making it hard for families to fill their gas tanks, this also happens to make everything else we buy more expensive. The two-to-four week Trump war in Iran is now entering its 8th month. Tired of winning yet? And Democrats got still more good news this week. Donald Trump has announced that he’s going on the campaign trail to add his luster to a bunch of GOP candidates who privately wish he would instead play more golf. Our expert witness this week is University of Michigan law professor Sam Bagenstos. Sam is a long-time civil rights lawyer, who began his career in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in 1994. His work has focused particularly on voting rights, disability rights, and workers’ rights. With the midterm elections just weeks away, Sam is part of a team of lawyers working to ensure that November’s vote is both fair and free. It’s the kind of work that keeps a republic running. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by

On our radar this week… “Degenerates and Losers” – That’s Trump’s description of MS NOW after the network reported the administration is considering adding Trump’s name to Ford’s Theatre, the theatre where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The latest overnight online rant comes hours after a federal court overturned Trump’s ban on MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House … along with the release of polling showing Trump’s approval rating has dropped to less than one-third of Americans, with only 27 percent backing him on economic policy. After months of supporting Trump’s disastrous war against Iran and the resulting inflation, both John James and Mike Rogers have pirouetted 180 degrees in calling for an immediate end to the Iran War. For James, that means abandoning his record of multiple votes against congressional War Powers resolutions which would have reigned in Trump and Pentagon Pete Hegseth. Republicans are increasingly breaking away from Trump because of his failures in Iran, the economy … and his blatant corruption. At least two Republicans in the Senate are joining Democrats in calling for an investigation into Donald Trump Junior’s Russian-funded wedding reception. © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com Kamala Harris’s re-entry onto the public stage began in Detroit this week with an open appeal to black voters to support Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed has made mending relations with black and Jewish voters a priority as voting begins across Michigan. The corruption trial of former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield has been delayed … with Attorney General Nessel saying he’ll probably go to trial until after she leaves office. The implication is that the election of Republican Doug Lloyd as Attorney General could be his get-out-of-jail-free card. But Lloyd has his own problems with the Detroit Free Press revealing he sent an investigator for his office about 230 miles to Charlevoix to investigate possible fraud by a contractor he hired to build him an Up North retirement home. Republicans’ top campaign issue took a big hit this week in a report from the non-partisan Peterson Institute for International Economics. That think tank found that the United States took a big step toward greater state ownership or control of the economy—a form of socialism—in 2025. This change is occurring under unified Republican domination of the US government, not under a Democratic administration and certainly not due to the political influence of Democratic Socialists, who currently occupy only a tiny handful of seats in Congress. Joining the podcast is Miles Coleman, editor of the highly regarded Sabato Crystal Ball politics newsletter. That report’s latest: moving multiple races in favor of Democrats. It’s no longer just battleground states – Democrats are looking at flipping U.S. Senate seats in a half dozen states including Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Kansas and Idaho. In Michigan polling is trending towards a Blue Tsunami. Jocelyn Benson’s numbers have moved into landslide range in her campaign against John James, and Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow-but-consistent leads in the polls are growing beyond margin-of-error range. The battle for control of the U.S. Senate gets a new complication with reports of massive corruption on the part of Maine’s always concerned senior Senator Susan Collins. The only saving grace for Collins: Trump squashed an FBI investigation into what appears to be a multi-year pay-to-play bribery scheme. Of course, in Donald Trump’s mind official bribery is simply one of the perks of public office. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by