Has the GOP Turned the Corner in the Battle for the House?

 RedState   

Without a recession or depression, a “blue wave” for the Democrats is almost impossible. The recent economic situation likely takes a “credible recession or stagflation scenario off the table,” which “weakens the economic grievances that typically power midterm punishment.” 

politicallyincorrecthumor.com

"In an interview with Politico, President Trump commented about the upcoming 2026 mid-term elections:

I think it’s going to be about the success of our country.  It’ll be about pricing.  Because, you know, they (the Biden administration) gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down.  Energy’s way down.  Gasoline is way down.

"He also said he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message - that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from Biden. 

"Addressing inflation and blaming former President Biden is a smart strategy for getting out the GOP base and other Trump voters, which have trouble turning out when the president isn’t on the ballot.  

"But you already know that; it is what I suggested the Trump team do.

"However, it does seem that the economy and inflation are turning a corner in favor of the GOP.  Politico had to report (in a disappointed tone) that the “economy is hotter than expected,” growing at an annualized rate of 4.3 percent in the third quarter.  They also wrote that inflation “cooled to an annual rate of 2.7 percent in November, the smallest year-over-year increase since July.”  

"Energy prices, especially, have seen marked reductions.

"Without a recession or depression, a “blue wave” for the Democrats is almost impossible. The recent economic situation likely takes a “credible recession or stagflation scenario off the table,” which “weakens the economic grievances that typically power midterm punishment.”  And as I said before, if the inflation rate in 2026 “continues to stay at around 3.0 percent, it would be unprecedented for the “in-party” Republicans to be punished by the electorate based on high inflation from four years ago.”  

"In an interview with Politico, President Trump commented about the upcoming 2026 mid-term elections:

I think it’s going to be about the success of our country.  It’ll be about pricing.  Because, you know, they (the Biden administration) gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down.  Energy’s way down.  Gasoline is way down.

"He also said he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message - that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from Biden. 

"Addressing inflation and blaming former President Biden is a smart strategy for getting out the GOP base and other Trump voters, which have trouble turning out when the president isn’t on the ballot.  

"But you already know that; it is what I suggested the Trump team do.

"However, it does seem that the economy and inflation are turning a corner in favor of the GOP.  Politico had to report (in a disappointed tone) that the “economy is hotter than expected,” growing at an annualized rate of 4.3 percent in the third quarter.  They also wrote that inflation “cooled to an annual rate of 2.7 percent in November, the smallest year-over-year increase since July.”  " . . .More...

Running reporters ragged

 Don Surber; Substack   "Trump's White House South gives him time to golf, talk to heads of state, and blow up ISIS encampments"

"In Trump’s second presidency, the nation marches on and the twits in the media have to work over the holidays. The poor silly saps have had to come up with their own lines because the DNC doesn’t have enough money to staff peddle their talking points, narratives and lies.

"You haven’t heard?

"The New York Post reported:

The Democrat Party’s principal fundraising committee saw donations slump in the second-to-last month of the year, recording just a $12 million campaign war chest and almost $16 million still in debt due to a loan taken out the previous month, Federal Election Commission filings show.

The fundraising doldrums come amid party infighting over whether to release a 2024 autopsy report on the failed Biden-Harris campaign and pressure ahead of the critical 2026 midterms, in which Democrats want to retake Congress.

The Democratic National Committee listed a little more than $12.6 million cash on hand, $10.7 million raised, and $15.9 million in debts in its FEC filing for November, with national Republicans accusing their opponents of “drowning” in their obligations to pay off bills.

"Boo hoo hoo. Maybe Nancy the Inside Trader can bail them out.

"You have heard of Around the World in 80 Days, haven’t you? Kamala the Cackler blew through more than a billion bucks in 107 days—which is one-1,000th (0.1%) of the trillion dollars Biden added to the national debt in less time. Joe the Pedo did it twice.

"But enough about losers. Let’s talk about our favorite president. He used Christmas Night to cross the Delaware River to attack the Hessians the next day in Trenton.

"Just kidding. He sent Tomahawk missiles to Muslim terrorist camps in Nigeria for Christmas and by gave I mean bombed them because they were on the naughty list." . . .More...

More California

California coasties kept Newsom in office and brought them all this. Gen Z people, trash those Keffiyehs, burn those "River to the Sea" signs, and find some wisdom! 

California kills gasoline  

"Not only are gas stations closing, but refineries are shutting down, too. One up north and one down south, two of the biggest in the state, are simply ending operations rather than trying to comply with new, onerous regulations that dictate how they can do business, how much fuel they must store, and more." . . .

"Life is getting more inconvenient here in the “golden” state. In the last few weeks, three of our neighborhood gas stations have closed down permanently. Another closed a few months before. It’s no longer easy to fill one’s tank—some travel time must be built in, rather than in the old days of a quick jaunt of a mile or less. And no, we don’t have declining gas prices like the rest of the US; quite the opposite. I paid $4.59 for regular this week. Predictions are that’s just the beginning of the climb." . . .

Susan Shelley: Who pays for California’s war on drivers? You do.

. . . "Something similar is currently happening with local trash pick-up fees. A law aimed at keeping organic waste out of landfills was enacted ten years ago and has just taken effect. Now every city has additional costs for separate curbside containers and more expensive trash processing, costs passed on in higher sanitation fees to city residents and businesses. Take it up with the former governor.

"The current governor, however, is fully to blame for oil refineries closing in California. Phillips 66 is closing its Los Angeles refinery by the end of the year, and a Valero refinery in Benicia is set to shut down in April. These closures are expected to push gas prices up to even more painful levels.

"One reason this is happening is that Gov. Gavin Newsom called two special sessions of the legislature to pass laws with the stated purpose of cracking down on oil companies for the crime of, well, there actually was no crime. Just the crackdown." . . .

California 'wealth tax' proposal has its billionaires preparing to flee     Wait a minute! Aren't these the coasties I referred to above? TD

"Norway passed a 1% wealth tax in 2022, and every successful tech entrepreneur bailed to Switzerland (and net tax revenue actually went down). Nobody tries to drown the golden goose of California tech more than its politicians."

"[White House Advisor David Sacks] on California’s Billionaire Tax Act “ 'A wealth tax has been tried in many places at many times. It always backfires because whatever the tax benefit is that you get for the state, it's greatly outweighed by the economic depression that you get by the wealthy people, the job creators, the companies, leaving.' ”

California fleein'--still

A state with virtually every advantage is being driven into the ground by Marxists
like Gavin Newsom. California’s only hope appears to be a Newsom presidency where California would bankrupt America to keep its socialist nightmare afloat.

CNN and MS NOW totally ignore the growing Minnesota fraud scandal involving Somali immigrants

Peter Barry Chowka   

"American Thinker, of course, has been following this story since it first broke nationally this past fall, with yesterday’s blog by Andrea Widburg, “Third World cultures have a corruption problem, and Democrats capitalize on it,” being of particular note." 

"The cost of the “industrial level” fraud in Minnesota, reportedly perpetrated mostly by Somali immigrants, has now grown to $9 billion, according to federal prosecutors. But you would never know this – or anything else about the growing scandal – if you rely on CNN or MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) for your news.

"Mediaite, a left-of-center news site focusing on politics and the media, reported on this blackout in an insightful opinion piece by Sean James published yesterday afternoon (Dec. 28).

A review of MS NOW and CNN’s broadcasts since December 18 — when prosecutors claimed the fraud operation was much larger than previously reported — shows it has not been mentioned a single time by either outlet [CNN and MS NOW]. Both outlets do not have stories on the fraud scheme on their respective websites, either. . . This is the biggest domestic story of the past month — and MS NOW and CNN have failed their viewers by ignoring it.

"Conservatives who eschew FOX News do so at their own peril. As the Mediaite article continues: “For comparison, Fox News has covered the topic dozens of times since then.”

"As a frequent watcher of the country’s number one cable news channel, I can attest to the fact that in recent weeks FOX News has covered the story frequently without fear or favor. In addition, numerous FOX News programs have welcomed many guests, including Republican members of Congress, who are talking about the fraud and proposing investigations into Minnesota Democrats for their possible complicity and looking the other way in the scandal.

"According to the New York Post, the fraud scheme in Minnesota was the work of “dozens of people — the vast majority from Minnesota’s Somali community.” . . .  More...

From Refugee to Scandal Magnet

Omar's tenure is a laundry list of red flags: alleged fraud that could void her citizenship, finances laced with self-interest, rhetoric that poisons dialogue, and a worldview that scorns her adopted home. Her pattern of behavior demands expulsion, not elevation. Her scandals eclipse her service.

"It seems like not a day goes by without another Democrat crime, scandal, or faux pas. Leading the charge in the Left's race to the bottom is Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). This character's name is repeatedly in the news for allegations of immigration fraud, financial misconduct, inflammatory rhetoric, and a seeming disdain for the nation that granted her refuge. These issues have lately escalated from whispers to potential grounds for deportation. Her conduct raises profound questions about her integrity, loyalty, and judgment, rendering her profoundly unfit for public office." . . .

Iran declares ‘total war’ against US, Israel and Europe as Islamic Republic seeks to expand nuclear capabilities

 NY Post  

Israeli sources claim that the Islamic Republic is repairing its air defense systems and rebuilding its ballistic missile program, both of which were destroyed by airstrikes during the war, according to an NBC report. 

"Iran’s president declared they were in a “total war” with the US, Israel and Europe, just as Tehran looks to rebuild its nuclear capabilities and strengthen ties with Hamas.

"Masoud Pezeshkian made the bold statement in an interview published in state media Saturday, Barron’s reported.

" 'In my opinion, we are at total war with the United States, Israel and Europe. They want to bring our country to its knees,” Pezeshkian said.

"The claims come amid UN sanctions on Iran — orchestrated by France, Britain and Germany — due to the regime’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons." . . .

Mel Gibson & Tyrus CALL Gavin Newsom Out LIVE!

Pinoy Vibes Official  "Gavin Newsom appeared stunned after Mel Gibson and Tyrus called him out live on TV in a tense, unscripted moment that quickly sparked widespread reaction online. During the live exchange, Gibson and Tyrus challenge Newsom on key political issues, media narratives, and public accountability, putting the California governor under immediate pressure. The confrontation ignites a heated debate as viewers weigh in on whether Newsom was genuinely caught off guard or simply unprepared for the tough questions. This viral clip highlights growing frustration with establishment messaging and showcases a rare moment of unfiltered confrontation on live television. In this video, we break down exactly what was said, why it matters, and how the moment fits into the broader conversation surrounding politics, media accountability, and public leadership. Watch the full breakdown, see the reactions, and decide for yourself who controlled this explosive on-air moment."

Comment to this video: "I'm 75 now, born and raised in CA. Over my lifetime CA has devolved from a land of opportunity to an anti-business h#*l hole. Homelessness has dramatically increased, despite spending $$billions. Major employers have and are actively relocating taking their tax base and high paying jobs with them. The state how has a systemic annual deficit in the range of $18 billion, despite a 50% increase in tax and fee revenue over the last 10 years. My wife and I left several years ago. I continue to encourage our 4 children to relocate as well. As gas prices skyrocket along with income taxes, they are seeing the logic in living in a low tax, pro-business state. They and their spouses are engineers, programmers and teachers. Their exodus would be just another ripple in the wave that is draining CA of their best talent."

Mamdani ERUPTS After Major Companies LEAVE New York!!!

American Zone   "New York politics are back in the spotlight after reports that several major companies are scaling back or leaving the state, prompting a strong public response from Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. In this video, we break down what companies are doing, the reasons being cited for their decisions, and why Mamdani’s reaction is drawing attention across political and business media.

"We examine the economic context behind corporate relocations, the policy debates fueling the backlash, and how supporters and critics are framing the issue very differently. As the story spreads online, it highlights broader discussions about taxation, regulation, affordability, and New York’s business climate."

The Best Classic Movies And T.V. To Watch With Your Family This Post-Christmas Week

 The Federalist

"Here is your ultimate guide to the best old-school films and T.V. series to enjoy in the days between Christmas and New Year’s."

"Binge-watching is a habit that’s usually good to avoid, especially when watching on your own. However, during the week after Christmas and before New Year’s — in which so many families find themselves sandwiched between big gatherings or parties and maybe even forgetting what day it is — spending a little extra time together in front of the silver screen with popcorn and in pajamas is to be expected, and can even prove restful.

"The key to curating the perfect post-Christmas movie marathon experience, however, is knowing how to avoid all the streaming service slop so many platforms push on kids and parents this time of year. Whether you’re just watching one episode, hosting a double feature, or looking for new marathon material that isn’t watching The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars again, here is your ultimate guide to the best old-school films and T.V. series to watch with your family this holiday week.

Old Movies

"Christmas movies like Home Alone or Elf — while delightful and sure to remain classics for generations to come — are often selected by families during the holiday season to the neglect of equally as delightful and arguably more timeless movies from the golden age (or thereabouts) of film. And yes, this era has far more to offer than Irving Berlin’s White

Christmas or the ever-endearing It’s A Wonderful Life. This week is the perfect time to explore these holiday-adjacent movies you may have never heard of and develop a deeper appreciation for eras gone by — in which conservative values and familial sacrifice so often won the day.

Black-and-White

"My siblings and I used to protest when our mom put on black-and-white movies, but I’m so glad she helped us appreciate the classics in spite of ourselves. My first recommendation is one of my all-time favorites, Holiday Inn (1942), starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Virginia Dale. This movie about a hotel that’s only open on holidays has it all: humor, a love triangle, and iconic song and dance numbers — including Astaire’s famous Independence Day firecracker tap routine. (Parent disclaimer: this movie has come under fire for featuring a blackface scene. However, the song performed is in celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and, while you may decide to skip this part, resist the leftist urge to fully cancel classics just because certain scenes run against modern-day “political correctness.”)" . . .

"Starring a young Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan, The Shop Around the Corner (1940) tells the story of two rival shop workers who don’t know they are each other’s anonymous pen pal significant other."  If this is familiar to you, it was remade in recent years with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and titled "You've Got Mail".

How can Newsom handle a state's affairs?? He can't handle his own.

CEO Of Chevron Finally RESPONDS After California Governor BEGS Them To Stay!

"What Newsom is doing is a government shakedown. He is hostile to oil. I don't blame the oil companies. They should get out of the oil business and maybe go into the nuclear energy business and supply California with clean nuclear energy. Less chance of violations. supply electricity to vehicles and conserve Propane which generates most of California's electricity. Use propane to power farming and industrial. Convert diesel engines to propane. Get some lower income Californians to buy propane vehicles." Comment to this post.

From comments to this post:

"California Governor Gavin Newsom went from attacking Chevron as a "price gouging polluter" to desperately begging them to stay. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth finally responded: "I'm not surprised refineries are shutting down. California made it nearly impossible to invest." Complete 180-degree reversal in 12 months. ' . . .

. . . "October 14, 2024: Newsom signs AB X2-1 targeting refinery operations, declares victory against "corporate greed." October 16, 2024: Phillips 66 announces LA refinery closure exactly 48 HOURS later—138,700 b/d closing December 2025. April 2025: Valero announces Benicia closure (145,000 b/d) closing mid-2026. Combined: 284,000 b/d (20% California capacity) exiting after AB X2-1. Newsom dismisses as "business decisions." . . .

Video: Gavin Newsom HUMILIATED After SUFFERING BRUTAL DEFEAT To Trump DEFUNDING High Speed Rail Disaster!

"They’ve been working on the high-speed railroad and I’ve got zero done and don’t even have permit yet. It’s been over a decade and billions and billions of dollars. Trump added a whole new West wing onto the White House with golden marble in about four months. And it didn’t cost a taxpayer a dime. There’s the difference in a business man/builder being president and a career politician, like Gavin surrounded by waste fraud and abuse. They can get nothing done. Trump has proved he can get s**t done and he can make it happen quickly."

Inside the emerging push to knock Newsom off his perch as the Dems' 2028 frontrunner   . . . "Affordability, housing and homelessness remain big problems in California, despite Newsom initiatives as mayor and governor to address them.

"The wealthy Getty family has been a key backer and funder of Newsom's political and business career, leading some of his opponents in California to call him a slick "Davos Democrat."

"Affordability, housing and homelessness remain big problems in California, despite Newsom initiatives as mayor and governor to address them.

"The wealthy Getty family has been a key backer and funder of Newsom's political and business career, leading some of his opponents in California to call him a slick "Davos Democrat."

The scandals

"When he was San Francisco's mayor in early 2007, Newsom apologized for having an affair with his campaign manager's wife, who was also a subordinate in his mayoral office.  

"Affordability, housing and homelessness remain big problems in California, despite Newsom initiatives as mayor and governor to address them.

"The wealthy Getty family has been a key backer and funder of Newsom's political and business career, leading some of his opponents in California to call him a slick "Davos Democrat."   

"Newsom subsequently went to alcohol counseling and said: "I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life." (He later said he began drinking occasionally.)

Everyone wants to go back in time to kill Hitler

 Babylon Bee

Liberal woman time travels back 90 years to kill Hitler.

@robinbeech7703  

"I would like to see them do a montage of all the things the Democrats said was going to happen this year because of Trump's policies. And of course did not. For example people who are going to lose their social security nobody's going to get their welfare people are going to be starving on the streets. I mean the stuff that they claim is designed to put fear in the minds of the people but they quickly forget. All of these claims that they make constantly and never come to submission. I would love to see a montage of all of those."

7 Christmas Traditions to Bring Back This Year

 Intellectual Takeout   

. . . "Caroling: Fortunately, this tradition hasn’t been completely lost. Still, it’s not common for people to march about from door to door singing Christmas songs. Most neighborhoods don’t operate that way anymore. But why not?" . . . 

"In his beautiful essay “A Remaining Christmas,” author Hilaire Belloc reminds us of the importance of intergenerational traditions that surround and adorn holy days like a wreath. Christmas traditions keep us grounded in our bodily human nature, Belloc explains. “Man has a body as well as a soul, and the whole of man, soul and body, is nourished sanely by a multiplicity of observed traditional things,” he writes.

"Christmas traditions that repeat year after year offer us a glimpse of eternity, helping us transcend the changes, sufferings, and losses that occur with each passing year. “[T]here is this great quality in the unchanging practice of Holy Seasons, that it makes explicable, tolerable, and normal what is otherwise a shocking and intolerable and even in the fullest sense, abnormal thing,” Belloc writes. “I mean, the mortality of immortal men.”

"He goes on to note that all the vicissitudes and trials of every year can become part of a larger redemptive narrative when linked by traditional holy days and their celebration in the same way every year:

[A]ll the bitterness of living—become[s] … connected in the memory with holy day after holy day, year by year, binding the generations together; carrying on even in this world, as it were, the life of the dead and giving corporate substance, permanence and stability….

"Christmas traditions are about a lot more than mere sentimentality, Belloc teaches. They’re precious things, not to be thoughtlessly discarded.

" 'Unfortunately, many Christmas traditions have been lost and one must search them out, brush them off, and rebuild them. Here are seven Christmas traditions to consider bringing back this year." . . .  More...

Walker Larson holds a BA in writing and an MA in English literature. Prior to becoming a writer, he taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin. He is the author of two novels, Hologram and Song of Spheres. When not working on his acreage or spending time with family and friends, he blogs about literature and education on his Substack, The Hazelnut.

Miranda Devine: Lawlessness Is a Choice

Imprimus  

"The intense blowback against Trump’s efforts to restore law and order rams home the point that it is a deliberate choice by progressives to preserve lawlessness in their cities."

"While being interviewed on a recent podcast, Texas Democrat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett decided to opine on crime, a topic on which she apparently considers herself to be an expert. Her nutty conclusion was this: “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal.”

"I can see how this logic would have a wide range of uses for politicians: “Just because someone told a lie, it doesn’t make them a liar”; “Just because someone took a bribe, it doesn’t make them corrupt.” It’s a bit like the thought experiment: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” If a crime is committed and no one is responsible, was there actually a crime at all?

"Of course, it’s nonsense. A criminal is defined precisely as a person who has committed a crime. But when Crockett chooses her own definitions, she is simply echoing a progressive shibboleth that has turned blue cities across the country into lawless hellholes. It holds that people who commit crimes have no agency—that they are helpless victims of circumstance. Therefore, any attempt to hold them accountable by arresting them or putting them in jail is unjust—it further victimizes them.

"The obvious result of this logic is that criminals are emboldened and their real victims become helpless hostages to lawlessness.

"It is a short step from Crockett’s logic to the justification of defunding the police as a way to “make communities safer.” That communities become safer by having fewer police is, of course, a lie, but defunding police is what progressives have been doing since the anti-cop, BLM-Antifa riots of the “Summer of Love” in 2020.

"As a former police reporter, I’ve seen how soft-on-crime policies hurt the very people progressives pretend to care about. It’s precisely the most vulnerable in our big cities who need the most policing and have the least resources to protect themselves from mayhem.

"Living in New York City off and on over the past three decades, including in the pre-Mayor Rudy Giuliani era when it was a dystopian hellscape of crime and no-go zones, it’s striking how quickly soft-on-crime policies at the state and local level destroy your day-to-day sense of safety. Progressive criminal justice “reforms,” such as defunding the police, ending cash bail, refusing to prosecute misdemeanors, letting thousands of convicted felons out of prison early, and slashing the prison population, are the most obvious contributors to the escalating violent crime problem in blue cities.

"In 2014, Bill de Blasio was elected Mayor of what he boasted was “the safest big city in America.” He championed all sorts of progressive policies, from bail reform to decriminalizing offenses such as public urination and marijuana possession—and eventually the New York City Council defunded the NYPD to the tune of $1 billion.

"As predicted by everybody with any understanding of human nature, it did not take long for the city to become scary. There was a surge of mentally ill homeless people accorded the so-called freedom to sleep on the streets, and open-air drug bazaars popped up all over the place. This was followed by a surge of violent crime, including a spate of people being pushed in front of subway trains. Shoplifting became so normalized that convenience and drug stores had to lock up toothpaste." . . .  More...