"Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?"

Said Angus King, the independent Senator from Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, quoted in "Van Hollen Says He Will Challenge Schumer for Senate Majority Leader/Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has emerged as a favorite of Democrats seeking an alternative to Senator Chuck Schumer, who says he has the votes to win" (NYT).

“Chuck has outlined an aggressive plan for the new Democratic majority, which is directly responsive to the message we heard from the voters, and he has the experience and unique mastery of the Senate process to make it happen,” Mr. King said.

Aggressive, but maybe not aggressive enough. I'm sure many Republicans are standing back, watching, hoping Democrats will overplay their hand. I know I've mixed up the metaphor now, but give me credit for not trying to stretch this out into a euchre/Uecker joke.

Why is Talarico saying this and what does it mean — especially the comparison to LBJ?

James Talarico: "The American people cannot wait two years for change so we must work with President Trump. If President Trump wants the same plaques, and portraits, and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality. We should make the final two years of his presidency the most… pic.twitter.com/PRHYau8oeD

— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) November 12, 2026

"The American people cannot wait two years for change so we must work with President Trump. If President Trump wants the same plaques, and portraits, and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality. We should make the final two years of his presidency the most productive of any presidency in American history."

I hear that as: We should humor Trump where we can.... and that is where it has to do with his screwy ego. We did it with Lyndon Baines Johnson, and we can do it here.

"Victories by moderates in competitive or Republican-leaning states and districts paved the way for large new Democratic majorities likely to be shaped by their priorities."

That's the subheadline for a NYT article titled "Moderate Democrats Increase Their Numbers, and Their Clout."

[T]he path to Democrats’ sweeping victory this week... was paved overwhelmingly by moderates who had spent months persuading voters in Republican-leaning states and competitive congressional districts that they could be trusted to govern and would deliver dissatisfied voters a practical alternative to President Trump.

Their success has fundamentally altered the balance of power among Democrats in Congress, handing Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the presumptive next speaker, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the would-be majority leader — both New York moderates viewed with disdain by the left — majorities built around lawmakers who campaigned not as left-wing heroes but as pragmatic populists.