Democrats

There used to be a political designation in the South of “Yellow Dog Democrats,” meaning voters who’d vote for a yellow dog if the Democrats put them up for election. But in Texas, the yellow dogs have been Republican for a generation. Texas last had a Democratic senator in 1993, and last occupied the Governor’s Mansion in 1995, when Ann Richards gave way to George W. Bush.   Nevertheless, the dogs are barking this year. Senator John Cornyn is up for re-election, and the primary contest has been chippier than usual. On the Democratic side, former football player Colin Allred dropped out of the race in December, hoping for a return to Congress, leaving the nomination

Mayor Zohran Mamdani made a hospital visit to comfort the victim of a knife attack on a police officer, who was forced to fire his weapon to defend himself. Of course, the bed Mamdani visited was that of the schizophrenic man, Jabez Chakraborty, who charged at police and was shot as a result. It almost goes without saying that New York’s new mayor did not check in on the officer. Face and voice full of strained emotion, Mamdani said after the visit: “No family should have to endure this kind of pain,” referring to the family of the knife-wielder. He made no remarks about the strains on families of police

It’s been a less than stellar year for trans activists. Shortly after taking office last January, President Trump signed an executive order withholding federal funds from any school that permits biological men and boys from playing on women’s sports teams. Then in June the US Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones for the treatment of young patients suffering from so-called gender dysphoria and seeking to change their gender identity. And on Tuesday the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases brought by transgender athletes seeking to overturn laws in Idaho and West Virginia barring biological boys and men from playing on female

It was a performance worthy of an Oscar or maybe a Tony. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s address at his swearing in ceremony on New Year’s Day electrified the freezing crowd every bit as much as it shocked the Democratic establishment, and perhaps even the 50 percent of New Yorkers who didn’t vote for him. The newly-minted Mayor had the stage, but graciously acknowledged that the real star was socialism. “I was elected as a Democratic Socialist and I will govern as a Democratic Socialist.” He hailed an “era of big government,” vowed to govern “expansively and audaciously” and said he would “set an example for the world.” The grimace-cum-smile on Chuck

I hate to be the bearer of good news, but the US economy is doing quite well. A delayed government report shows that third-quarter GDP grew at 4.3 percent, hardly a record, but still healthy, the highest growth rate in two years. Last week’s inflation report showed a lower-than-expected number, and wage growth is exceeding inflation. Consumer spending is up, and, yes, the stock market is booming. Happy days are here again. The sky above is clear again. Many accounts on my X feed, which are either run by Democratic partisans or Iranian trolls or both, say that food-pantry lines are reaching record numbers this holiday season, and that poverty

Katie Wilson, 43, was finally declared winner nine days after polls closed

Redistricting efforts to shore up Republican prospects in 2026 could inadvertently undermine them

The Senate Minority Leader finds himself in troubled waters as Democrats move to reopen the government

Voters decided to stick with the lesser of two liberal evils

His presence in Gracie Mansion will send unmistakable messages to police and criminals alike

Maud Maron – who is standing for Manhattan DA – says the city would vote for a moderate Republican mayor

She is the Democratic establishment’s only bulwark against a rampant left

The court is contemplating big changes to the Voting Rights Act

The decoupling of the working class from the Democrats is one of Clinton’s enduring legacies

Virginia’s nominee for attorney general sent violent texts about shooting an opponent

The old guard of the left, the neoliberal and corporate-friendly media, has lost control

‘The President’s joking, and we’re having a good time’