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Trump’s Iran War brings affordability to the fore

Written on April 29, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents

Gas prices causing election havoc

For Donald Trump and the Republicans, the political problem right now is sticky. It’s “affordability”, the new buzzword that takes the place of the less personal-sounding “inflation”.

The same issue that powered Trump’s 2024 campaign is now moving in the wrong direction—and voters are noticing. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 77% of Americans blame Trump for rising gas prices, driven in large part by Trump’s Iran War and disruptions to global oil supply.

Gasoline prices well over $4 per gallon are only part of it. Energy shocks don’t stay contained—they ripple outward into food, transportation, and everyday goods. That broader anxiety is already showing up in more polling, where respondents say the economy is getting worse, and they blame Trump’s policies for these results. Moreover, all this is on top of inflation caused by Trump’s tariffs over the past year or more.

This affordability problem is cutting directly into Trump’s political standing. Multiple surveys now show his approval rating sinking into the 30s, with economic approval even weaker—just 31% approving of his handling of the economy and 27% on inflation. Moreover, this erosion in Trump’s standing is tied to a specific chain of events: a war of choice against Iran that has disrupted oil markets, pushed prices higher, and left Trump without a clear exit.

That connection is what harms Trump and the Republicans politically, because voters can tie Trump’s tariffs and his Iran War to their gas and grocery bills. When oil spikes above $100 a barrel amid instability in the Strait of Hormuz, they experience it as higher prices at home. And when that happens, accountability can be immediate and unforgiving.

There’s even a deeper problem here for Trump heading into the midterms. In 2024, he specifically ran against the alleged high prices of the Biden administration (ignoring that, first, the temporary high inflation was due to fixing the COVID mess that Trump left in his first term, and second, that Biden steadily brought inflation down, leaving office with a lower inflation rate than what Trump brings us today. Now, with rising gas and food costs and a war driving economic uncertainty, that argument is coming back to bite him.

This is the risk that lingers. Not just a war overseas, or even declining approval numbers—but a steady, daily reminder at the gas pump and the grocery checkout line that Donald Trump’s central promise of the last election isn’t being met.

Photo by A Siegel, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/5gvmGq

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Kash Patel drunk on power — and more?

Written on April 25, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging

Growing impression of U.S. Attorney General Kash Patel

The controversy surrounding FBI Director Kash Patel‘s alleged drinking problem is causing significant political damage. According to reporting from The Atlantic, current and former officials have described concerns about Patel’s alleged drinking and absences, including missed meetings and periods where he was unreachable in a national security role.

Those details are specific, visual, and easy to grasp. Recall that video and photos of Patel swigging beer in the locker room of the U.S. Olympic hockey team, on a vacation trip he took it Italy while Savannah Guthrie‘s mother remained missing and other important matters were pending. According to news reports, even Donald Trump disapproved of the awful optics in Patel’s public behavior.

And the Patel drinking story isn’t standing alone. In recent weeks, Trump has cycled through multiple high-profile officials. He fired U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi amid internal frustration tied to her handling of the Epstein files, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was pushed out after news reports of her lavish cosplay videos and luxury jet. Most recently, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer was fired following allegations of sexual and other misconduct, becoming the third cabinet-level departure in a short span. Additionally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has his own problematic past with alcohol abuse. And Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. faces new reports of yet more weird behavior with dead animals.

At best, these stories paint a picture of instability at the top of the Trump administration, and a pattern of personnel decisions that don’t hold up under scrutiny. At worst, Trump’s Cabinet is seen as a total clown car, indeed with the new nickname “Liquor Cabinet”.

That’s what gives the Patel story its staying power: it reinforces an emerging impression about how this administration operates — who gets put in positions of authority, and what happens after they’re there.

The issue regarding FBI Director Patel has now escalated even further. Lawmakers, including Democratic House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, have opened an inquiry into the drinking allegations. And now there are two new reports: first, “The Atlantic investigative journalist behind last week’s bombshell story about Patel has said she has since been ‘inundated’ with messages from new sources corroborating her reporting.” Second, as if to validate the journalist’s statement, a 2005 letter from Patel to the Florida Bar was revealed wherein he admitted to having been arrested twice for public intoxication and public urination. All of this ensures that the questions around Patel won’t fade anytime soon.

At that point, the damage isn’t just about one official. It’s about the pattern. And patterns are easy for voters to remember.

Photo by netwalkerz_net, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/uwZJxr

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Could U.S. Senator Mark Kelly be the next president?

Written on March 5, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona held an exclusive call with VoteVets, which was live-streamed on the VoteVets YouTube channel. Kelly had plenty to say about Donald Trump‘s conduct of his new Iran War, as well as affordability and other issues here at home. Kelly’s high-profile appearance raises the question of whether he wants to run for president, and if so, what his chances are.

Sen. Kelly has an impressive record of service to America. The son of two police officers and member of a military family, he served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years as a test pilot and aviator, earning numerous medals. During Operation Desert Storm (the 1990-91 Gulf War against Iraq), he flew 39 combat missions over Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Then Kelly became a NASA space shuttle pilot and commander aboard shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. In 2011, Kelly’s wife, U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head and critically wounded by a gunman who killed six people and wounded 12 others in an assassination attempt. During her recovery, she and Mark started Americans for Responsible Solutions (now the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence).

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Is Epstein the big issue for the 2026 elections?

Written on February 18, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging, Republican Messaging

People have thoughts about Epstein

Right now, there seem to be two main issues that the news media and the public are talking about. The first one is the thuggish behavior of ICE agents attacking and imprisoning protesters, non-criminals, and even children. However, Donald Trump‘s administration is making it as difficult as possible for people to protest, film, or even write publicly about the illegal ICE activities.

The second issue the news media and many voters are talking about is the Epstein files. There, the Trump administration is having less success keeping the story under control. In recent testimony before Congress, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tried her best to protect Trump and make the issue go away, at one point even saying that Americans should not be talking about the horrors of the Epstein files because “the Dow is over 50,000 right now.” However, every day, it seems additional prominent people become implicated in the Epstein story to one degree or another, from being friends or socializing with Jeffrey Epstein or riding on his plane, all the way to allegations of raping underage girls. In other countries, Epstein files revelations have taken down, demoted or sullied the reputation of high-placed officials and prominent figures, including:

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In politics, are you a satisfier or a maximizer?

Written on January 22, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents

Kamala Harris, target of maximizers

In the psychology field, there is a concept known as being a “satisficer” versus being a “maximizer”. According to The Balanced WorkLife Company, a satisfier (we’re going to use this spelling because it’s much more common) is someone whose:

satisfaction is judged by meeting the standards they have in place. To them time and energy is considered a waste if there is a reasonable option ready for the taking. Satisfi[]ers don’t necessarily have low standards; they can be super picky or want the top brand.

In contrast, according to the company:

Maximizers are satisfied by researching as many options as they can. They sacrifice time and effort into learning as much about the “offer” as possible. They consider all the variations, advantages, and weaknesses. When the decision is final, they then compare it to the choices those around them made. The question on the maximizer’s mind is “Is there something better out there?”

In simple terms, we like to think about satisfiers as choosing among the readily available options, and being happy with their best choice, even if they know it’s not perfect. Maximizers, on the other hand, are more like perfectionists, who obsess over every detail, and need everything to be just right. As one can imagine, such perfection is almost never achieved, and as a result, according to the book The Paradox of Choice, as cited by The Balanced WorkLife Company, “maximizers experience significantly less life satisfaction, happiness, optimism, and self-esteem.”

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Will Democrats vote for former Republican George Conway for U.S. House?

Written on January 7, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging, Media Watch

George Conway

Coinciding with the five-year anniversary of the January 6 Republican U.S. Capitol insurrection, former Republican George Conway has announced his candidacy as a Democrat for the U.S. House in New York’s 12th Congressional District. Conway’s candidacy is sure to attract plenty of controversy, given his former high-profile status as a conservative lawyer helping the Republican Party, and husband of Kellyanne Conway during her term as advisor, campaign manager, and White House Counselor to Donald Trump before and during his first term (the Conways divorced in 2023).

New York’s 12th District is quite unusual and high-profile. Covering a chunk of Manhattan, it is simultaneously the smallest, one of the wealthiest, and one of the most Democratic of all U.S. Congressional districts. Obviously, it is also home to a number of news media headquarters and bureaus. The race this year in the district will be to replace retiring Democrat Jerrold Nadler, who was an outspoken member of his party. On the Democratic side, the contest has already attracted Jack Schlossberg, who is the telegenic grandson of President John F. Kennedy and daughter of Caroline Kennedy, as well as a slew of other candidates. Thus, the Democratic primary (which almost assuredly will yield the general election winner) promises to be a lively one.

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Thanksgiving 2025 political talking points are out, but will they help?

Written on November 26, 2025 by in Democratic Messaging, Media Watch, Republican Messaging

Will facts get through to them?

Just in time for Thanksgiving 2025, the ACLU and Everytown for Gun Safety have released their dinner table talking points, for those fair-minded folks (i.e. Democrats) to use against their bull-headed relatives (i.e. Republicans) when the conversation, like the food, heats up.

First up is ACLU, which states that its goal this Thanksgiving is “countering misinformation”. To that end, it has sent around a “Holiday Conversation Guide“. The guide talks about Donald Trump‘s threats to free speech, including to TV hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel, and to student protesters. It also mentions Trump’s deployment of federal enforcement agents and military troops around the country. Then the ACLU’s guide provides some tips, such as “Emphasize the facts and shared values”. For example:

Protests against the Trump administration’s abuses and policies have been overwhelmingly peaceful. The First Amendment protects the right to organize and protest peacefully, and law enforcement can’t break up a gathering simply because a few people have broken the law.

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Meet the real centrist

Written on August 18, 2025 by in Democratic Messaging, Media Watch, Republican Messaging

Centrist Bunny

The word “centrist” gets thrown around a lot lately, but on the political left, it is more likely to describe a moderate Democrat. What is the difference? That can be found by meeting someone we know named “Carl.” He is perhaps like other U.S. voters today. For starters, his political and policy information arrives largely from cable TV “news.” Unfortunately, that often involves superficial shiny objects that originate from the Republicans, from Hillary Clinton‘s emails to Hunter Biden‘s laptop to Sydney Sweeney‘s clothing, and more. Even the supposedly non-Republican TV “news” networks like CNN and MSNBC spend lots of time on these GOP distraction squirrels.

10 years ago, Carl was pretty firmly in the Republican camp (though we’re not sure where he was before that). The GOP’s 40-year Culture War apparently had won him over. Carl felt that the Republicans somehow appealed to his manhood. Living in a red state, he also fondly talked about his gun collection. When Donald Trump came along as a presidential candidate in 2015 and subsequently won in 2016, Carl supported him.

Now, however, Carl has shifted his stance, or feels that the Republicans have shifted too far to the right and away from him, or both. At a recent lunch, Carl first said that Trump is an idiot. However, Carl went on to describe political positions that appeared to choose almost evenly from the very different Democratic and Republican Party platforms and agendas. After saying he can’t stand Trump, he said that the Democrats should not be operating “sanctuary cities” that give free stuff to illegal immigrants. After saying he loves “Obamacare” i.e. the Affordable Care Act, Carl stated that Hunter Biden is a problem. While Carl expressed great concern about Trump’s and the Republicans’ move to fascism and their destruction of the balance between the three branches of government, somehow that wasn’t enough to turn Carl blue.

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Trump caught cheating at golf, and why it matters

Written on July 28, 2025 by in Democratic vs. Republican Presidents, Media Watch

 

Donald Trump just took a taxpayer-funded trip to Scotland to play golf on, and promote, his own course. If that’s not bad enough, he was caught on video blatantly cheating during his round of golf. Here’s the video (Note: there is lots of general commentary after the initial video footage):

Now, some folks might ask, “we already knew he was a cheater, just look at what he’s done to each of his wives?” Or they might simply ask, “so what?” To them, the answer is in the form of a question:

If a Democratic president had done this, what would the Republicans and the mainstream “news” media (redundant, we know) be doing?

You know the answer. They would be running stories about this 24-7. They would extrapolate and ask, “what else does this Democratic president cheat on?” “How can we trust him?” The story, rather than whatever agenda item the president wants it to be, would be the president’s own behavior.

We might even get Republican Congressional hearings.

Instead, we are left with, at minimum, the world’s biggest embarrassment.

YouTube video from Brian Tyler Cohen News. 

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What Trump’s war on Iran distracts us from

Written on June 24, 2025 by in Media Watch, Republican Messaging

2020 antiwar protest, Milwaukee, WI

Donald Trump‘s bombing of Iran has knocked many other stories off the news headlines. That seems convenient at a time when those other headlines weren’t good for Trump and the Republicans. Recall what was happening, and being talked about, just a few days earlier:

—Trump’s birthday parade using the U.S. military as props was a big dud. Attendance was dismal. Trump fell asleep. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was looking bored and was yawning. Moreover, the parade was greatly overshadowed by …

–The “No Kings” protests, which attracted millions of peaceful, committed demonstrators around the country, and galvanized Democrats and others to continue their resistance against the Trump administration’s worst abuses.

–Trump’s TACO nickname (which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out”) on tariffs.

–Trump’s negative poll ratings.

—Record-high food prices, including soaring beef prices, reminding us that a centerpiece of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign was the promise to bring such prices down right away.

–The Republicans’ so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” a giant debt disaster of tax cuts for the wealthy offset by cuts to environmental protection, Medicaid and elsewhere, that is highly unpopular.

In the face of all this bad news, it’s no wonder that Trump started an impulsive and illegal war. But Middle East wars have a habit of driving U.S. presidents’ popularity down over time. Speaking of which, Democrats should now ask Trump, “why did you bomb Iran when there was no intel to support it?” and “where is Iran’s uranium now?”

Photo by Susan Ruggles, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/uNkjn3

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