"As a lifelong economist, I am distraught at what is happening to my profession. What I observe is economists losing status."

"Economists used to be highly respected figures, and nowadays, even when they are not pilloried, they are often simply ignored. There is an ongoing bipartisan flight from economic reasoning. And as voters go to the polls this week, neither Republicans nor Democrats are offering anything like a rigorous plan for economic growth...."

Writes Tyler Cowen, in "No Matter Who Wins the Midterms, Economics Will Lose/Both parties used to craft their policies with the help of the best economic minds. Now they are driven almost entirely by politics and vibes" (Free Press).

"The Democratic representative who lost a primary fight against Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, endorsed his Republican opponent on Sunday...."

"The Republican nominee, Mike Rogers, received the endorsement from Representative Haley Stevens, a Democrat who represents suburban areas around Detroit, after she appeared alongside him at a church service.... 'I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,' Ms. Stevens said in a video she posted on social media, not long after she arrived with Mr. Rogers at Perfecting Church, a Black church in Detroit. 'I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.'... Dr. El-Sayed was attending a church service in Detroit that was intended to be a unity gathering with Ms. Stevens... in an effort to move past her recent criticisms of him. But that plan fell apart this weekend, with Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed publicly feuding over U.S. policy on Israel. On Saturday, Dr. El-Sayed urged Ms. Stevens to stay away from the event...."

From "Midterm Elections Live Updates: Democratic Senate Primary Loser Endorses Republican in Michigan/The rift between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate, and Representative Haley Stevens widened to a gulf two days before the midterms. The president was set to campaign in Iowa and Kansas" (NYT).

ADDED: "Congrats, Fetterwoman":

@HaleyforMI Congrats, Fetterwoman, on nuking your political career and being the saddest sore loser in Michigan political history. I hope whatever you’re getting in return for doing this is worth it.

— 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢 (@ChidiNwatu) November 1, 2026

"The Senate race in Michigan... will test moderate and independent voters’ appetite for a combative brand of unalloyed progressivism."

"The party’s activist class believes Dr. El-Sayed’s success next week would establish a proof point that left-wing populism is a winning message, even in swing states. He has embraced an economic agenda that sharply attacks the billionaire class and taken a clear stance against Israel. Centrist Democrats fear that a potential El-Sayed triumph in an otherwise favorable climate for Democrats could be badly misinterpreted as a mandate."

That's how the NYT puts it in "The Most Important Race Shaping 2028 for Democrats Is Happening Now in Michigan/The fate of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate in the race, will serve as a litmus test for the left’s potency heading into the next presidential contest."

I suspect the Times wants El-Sayed to lose. 

There's this quote from Matt Bennett, an executive vice president of the centrist Third Way think tank: "The danger is that the triumphal stuff coming from the left will take hold as a narrative that 2028ers believe. I think he will win despite — not because of — the fact that he has campaigned mostly to the left."

Which "narrative" is more true — because of or despite? Good luck with the "despite" side of that narrative flogging.

From the comments over there:

Darkness on the eve of election.

The view from Memeorandum — where I've gone for many years to see an overview of the day's talked about headlines — is a non-view: 

 Jamison Foser / Finding Gravity:

The New York Times invents a Democratic scandal while ignoring a new Trump rape allegation  —  America is four days out from the end of an election in which America's deeply unpopular fascist ruling party is trying to retain control of Congress.  The week began with yet another new rape allegation … 

Discussion: The Nation, Fox News, The Wrap and New York Times

RELATED:

 Greg Sargent / New Republic:

Inside Trump's Dark Plot to Keep Senate in GOP Hands Even If Dems Win  —  On Thursday night, the Republican governor of Alaska refused to commit to certifying the outcome in the Senate race if Democrat Mary Peltola wins.  Which means that if she does triumph, refusing to seat Peltola … 

Discussion: Political.org, Anchorage Daily News, The Federalist, Politico, Axios and Washington Examiner

 New York Times:
Justice Dept. Confirms Alaska Inquiry Even as Its Focus Remains Unclear

Discussion: Associated Press, Newsweek, Political.org, Eurasia Review, WJBK-TV, Alaska Public Media, The Hill, Mediaite, Fox News, The Daily Wire and The Guardian

It's a story of woeful blindness: the focus is unclear, the plot is dark, things that do not exist are seen, and things that exist are unseen.

This gets my favorite tag: "seen and unseen."

And, yes, I know: What the hell is "Finding Gravity"? I'll just say the NYT did a big investigation before publishing its story on the dirty-trick name-game in Alaska. If there's a "new rape allegation," maybe the Times is at the stage of doing an investigation. You can't seriously believe that every allegation of rape should be published immediately... and on the eve of elections. 

"Democrats were far more enthusiastic about taking the poll than Republicans were. Registered Democrats were more than twice as likely as registered Republicans...."

"After 2020, many polls, including The Post’s, adopted additional methods to guard against the threat of nonresponse bias, leveraging voter files with extensive information on past turnout and demographics to help ensure more representative samples. Polls also began weighting samples based on which candidate voters supported in the previous presidential election. Studies found this was effective in reducing errors in 2024, although polls still underestimated Trump’s support.... 'The partisan enthusiasm gap likely explains the disconnect between Democratic and Republican willingness to respond,' said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, which co-sponsored the poll. 'With an unpopular president, inflation, a war that Trump voters never asked for, the lack of GOP enthusiasm is not surprising. Are Republican voters this late in the election cycle feeling so down about their party’s chances that they just don’t want to talk about it?'"

I'm reading "We polled Kansas. Democrats wanted to talk. Republicans, not so much. The Post is publishing results of its Kansas Senate poll in the interest of transparency and to highlight the challenges the poll faced" (WaPo)(gift link).

Sounds like Rozell wants to put the gloomiest face on Republicans. I can think of other reasons why Republicans might not want to talk to pollsters. Anyway, I'm skeptical about pollsters. Is "poll" even the right word, once it becomes a game of "leveraging" and "weighting"?

"Democrats don’t have an easy road ahead. But, paradoxically, the better they do in 2026, the more likely they are to ignore their party’s weaknesses with working-class and rural voters."

"Those weaknesses led to Trump winning the 2024 election, but they are likely to fade from the party’s memory as Democrats, buoyed by the fool’s gold of midterms success, attempt to placate an energized left. Celebration is easy; confronting underlying problems is hard. Thus, when Republicans get shellacked on Nov. 3, expect Democrats to see the result as an enthusiastic endorsement of the party rather than a repudiation of the GOP — a far more plausible explanation...."

Writes Ruy Teixeira, in "How a ‘blue wave’ ultimately could cripple the Democratic Party/Midterms success could blind Democrats to problems for 2028 and beyond" (WaPo)(gift link).

"What the f–k does it look like I’m up to? I’m being an oyster farmer," said Graham Platner.

Quoted in "Accused rapist Graham Platner is pissed as ever after crashing out of Maine Senate race: 'Who the f–k are you weirdos'" (NY Post).

The Post pressured Platner to say how he felt about his life now and collected remarks like "It just seems to be, like, life, man" and "It goes the way it always goes, friend" and "People from away have no idea what it is we do for a living."

They won't let him melt back into obscurity. The word "rapist" in the headline feels lowly and mean. I'd have to look it up. I'll just publish this and click the "Graham Platner" link to to remember what that was all about... back when it mattered. Now, there's this other guy being the Graham Platner to Maine's Susan Collins. Don't know a thing about him. The details of midterm elections in states other than my own are not something I like to get tangled up in. I'll be glad when the 2026 election day is over and we can get back to endlessly mulling over presidential candidates. 

"Congress must demand a full accounting of the damage Mr. Musk and DOGE caused, and we will not let anyone obstruct our oversight."

Said House Foreign Affairs ranking member Rep. Greg Meeks, quoted in "Capitol agenda: Dem gavels are coming for Elon Musk/Democrats have long eyed investigating the world’s richest man and the GOP’s top donor. They may get their chance if they win back congressional power in November."

That's in Politico this morning, along with this: "Democrats have a message for Elon Musk: Watch out/From DOGE to Ukraine, the uberwealthy GOP donor could be an irresistible target if House gavels change hands."

"People are hungry for real conversation about what’s happening in our democracy and what it will mean for their families.... There will be some discussion, some debate, and hopefully a lot of laughter."

Said Hillary Clinton, quoted in "Hillary Clinton and Kara Swisher to release weekly midterms podcast/The weekly podcast, 'High Stakes,' will aim to dissect the election and its aftermath, Vox Media said" (WaPo).

Weekly... on the topic of the midterms. Starting Wednesday. There are 2 Wednesdays left before election day. But they're covering the "aftermath" too. 

I can't imagine looking to Hillary Clinton to satisfy a hunger for real conversation. I will give this post my "Hillary goes away" tag. Somewhat perversely, but you know what I mean. I am so tired of these midterms! I've never seen midterms get so much attention. But I know they are all that saves me from being plunged into the 2028 presidential race, and I don't know how I will take what will be the 7th presidential race in the history of this blog. 

Surprise me.

 It's October.

"Democratic congressional candidate from Long Island acknowledged on Monday that he had posed years ago in an explicit ad campaign modeling leather bondage gear..."

"... saying that it had no bearing on his campaign or ability to serve. The array of photos, which surfaced in The New York Post and a local news site, Messenger Papers, shows the candidate, Christopher Gallant, shirtless and variously wearing a leather collar attached to a chain and a leather face mask. In some of the photos, he is in intimate situations with another man. They appeared on the site of a bondage apparel company called Mr. S Leather; Mr. Gallant’s lawyer said they were taken around 2010...."

I'm reading "N.Y. Democratic House Candidate Admits to Bondage Photo Shoot" (NYT).

I clicked those internal links to see the photos. I laughed. A nice looking man modeled when he was young. Who cares!? I mean, who cares if he modeled? I think we do care that a person is good looking. It's part of nature. You might not vote for a man just because he's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?

"I don’t know about anyone else, but a table full of very distinguished people just told me that they HATE, immediately after a mandatory time change, going home at night – and it’s DARK."

"It’s depressing! One of the gentleman stated that, 'I just hate going home in darkness.'"

Writes Trump, who seems to believe Daylight Saving Time is a valuable political issue.

Who cares about the delicate feelings of the distinguished gentlemen arrayed around Trump's dining table?

Who were these guys? AI billionaires? I'm more concerned about children forced to get to school in the morning while it's still dark. Guys in their cars feeling melancholic... that's not a hot political concern.

And as long as I'm reacting to Trump's Truth Social account, there's this: "If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 Midterm Elections, I’m going to give all Adult Citizens in the United States of America, $5,000. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to signing those checks!"

Just awful.

"To understand the religious dynamics of the Texas race, it’s important to absorb the true depths of the 'God gap' in American politics."

Writes David French, in "The ‘God Gap’ Is Narrowing in Texas" (NYT).

That gap isn’t just about white evangelicals (although it certainly is partly about them), and it’s one of the Democrats’ chief obstacles to obtaining a durable political majority. Any discussion of the God gap does have to begin with white evangelicals. Their numbers are vast (far more than twice as large as Black Protestants, the most loyal religious Democratic voters), and they vote in lock step. In 2024, white evangelicals voted for Trump by a 65-point margin, 82 percent to 17 percent. Trump lost all other voters by 18 points, 58 percent to 40 percent....

Who is he talking about?!

Pod Save America says if the stakes are high enough, you can use the word 'F*ggot'

"Do I think it's great if a boss calls an employee a 'f*ggot? The stakes are too high.
There's not a gay guy from Austin to underneath the docks in Provincetown who wouldn't be happily called a… pic.twitter.com/gw5289GEoi

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) September 27, 2026

I had to look it up.

The NYT had this: "‘She’s One of Us’: Mary Peltola’s Bumpy Rise to Political Power/Ms. Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, has complicated politics: She is pro-gun, pro-oil and pro-gas — but also pro-environment and especially pro-fish" (gift link).

And Jonathan Chait wrote this about the NYT piece in: "Another Female Democrat Is Mean, Apparently/A New York Times report on Representative Mary Peltola’s management is revealing—about her younger employees’ self-regard" (The Atlantic)(gift link).

The story does contain one bona fide example of improper behavior—an allegation that she sometimes used the slur faggot. Four former staff members report directly hearing her use the word. If true, it certainly reflects poorly on her. The Peltola campaign denied that she’d used the slur....

So that's the foundation for the crude joking in the podcast. He's talking about Mary Peltola.

A Texas conversation.

Paxton:

James Talarico is a conman who believes in sex change surgeries for kids.

His favorite drag queen even grooms children. pic.twitter.com/D7fNvdvDD1

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 17, 2026

A response from the Texas drag queen Tarico named as his favorite:

"How Many People Support Trump but Don’t Want to Admit It?"

Asks Thomas B. Edsall, in the NYT (gift link).

Oh! Ha ha. I thought this was a new article.

Seemed to go along with today's episode of The Daily, "48 Days Until the Midterms: Is a Blue Wave Coming?" (gift link)[based on "A ‘Blue Wave’ May Be Building, but How High? A Times/Siena national poll suggests Republicans are reeling. Can they come back by depicting Democrats as too far to the left?].

But now I see that Edsall piece was published on May 11, 2016.

Ha ha ha. I guess we found out.

Edsall ends with: "[T]he simple fact that Trump has beaten the odds so far means that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that he could beat them again. If he does take the White House, much, if not all, of his margin of victory will come from voters too ashamed to acknowledge publicly how they intend to cast their vote."

"We'll work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life, right here in the Steel Valley."

Said Democratic Senator John Fetterman, by video, at the GOP convention, introducing a man he called "my friend," Pennsylvania's Republican senator, Dave McCormick.

"Trump pledges $5,000 ‘dividend’ to all US adults if the GOP wins the midterms/It was not immediately clear how the plan would be financed."

Politico reports.

Is that, like, a satire of what Democrats do?

Here's how he put it: "I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000, very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders or like last year when I gave our great members of the military $1,776."

I remember getting thousands of dollars during the pandemic....

"Even as Trump’s Standing Slips, He Slingshots a Political Novice to Victory."

Headline at the NYT for the story about Darline Graham's victory in yesterday's primary runoff.

You can see the story the Times wants to tell, even as the facts on the ground don't line up exactly right:

Some of the luster had seemed to come off Mr. Trump’s political brand in recent weeks. His approval ratings have drooped, his party’s midterm outlook has darkened and his chosen picks in several races for governor and the House have fallen short.

ADDED: He slingshots her. It's like something Wile E. Coyote would do to himself to cross a canyon. Or what the Lost Boys did to Robin Williams:

The Mythbusters tried it:

"In the most eye-popping moment of the exchange, Mr. Watters asked if Dr. El-Sayed believed it was OK 'for a parent to slash his kid’s ding-a-ling off'..."

"... referring to transition surgeries for minors. Dr. El-Sayed responded by asking if Mr. Watters was circumcised. 'Uh, yeah, but that’s a personal question, doctor,' Mr. Watters responded, laughing, before contending that 'circumcision’s different than castration.' Dr. El-Sayed said that he believed the government should not tell Americans what health care procedures they could undergo, but he did not directly say whether he approved of transition surgeries. The interview showed the strategy Dr. El-Sayed is adopting as Mr. Rogers seeks to paint him as a radical leftist who is out of touch with Michigan voters. The Democratic nominee’s approach is to cast 'culture-war' issues as a distraction from the everyday problems Americans face, like rising costs and worries about health care...."

From "El-Sayed Joins Fox News for Some Light Verbal Combat and a Pitch to Republicans/In a smiling yet tense interview, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, argued that his Republican critics were using culture-war issues to distract from Americans’ economic concerns" (NYT gift link).

"Mr. Rogers" = Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate.