Sunday Mailbag

We very much appreciate all the kind messages from readers who were supportive of our need to take the occasional day off, even if it's only announced at the last minute.

Also, since there was no Saturday post, we need to give a second hint as to the headline theme right now. Some readers who have already responded to this week's puzzle, liked it and said "yea," while others said "neigh."

Politics: This Week in TrumpWorld

S.S. in Toronto, ON, Canada, writes: Regarding Mark Carney's meeting with Donald Trump in the "new, improved" Oval Office, you wrote: "All visiting dignitaries are expected to praise Trump as the greatest leader anywhere in the world since Ramses II. Carney did what he was supposed to do, but it didn't help."

I thought Carney was diabolically clever in the language he used to "praise" Trump. I cracked up when he said Trump is a "transformational president." No question about that! He went on to congratulate Trump on his "leadership," and thanked him for his "focus on the economy," his "focus on the American worker," "securing your borders," "ending the scourge of fentanyl" and "securing the world" (!!!). In my view, no one who has a clue about who Mark Carney is and what he really thinks of Trump could see these statements as anything but the most ingenious, albeit subtle, kind of sarcasm. These remarks went way over Trump's head, and the heads of most (if not all) people in the room. Canadians got it.

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E.S. in Providence, RI, writes: For what it's worth, I think that America's small businesses are helping to drive down Trump's poll numbers in an unusual way. The Boston-based sports talk radio station I listen to runs a lot of commercials for local businesses. Most of them now mention some variation on "the tariffs are coming, so buy now before the prices increase. "That has to leave an impression on even the Trump supporters who listen to the station.

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J.E. in San Jose, CA, writes: In the context of Marxism, woke, and DEI, you asked: "At what point do those words cease to have any meaning at all?"

To which I respond: Did they ever?

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M.A.H. in Akron, PA, writes: The component missing from your immigration plan for the Trump administration (i.e., just continue what Biden is doing with some messaging and a Dr. Phil appearance) is that it doesn't have a critical component: There is nothing to trigger the libs.

Shipping people off to El Salvador? THAT'S gonna trigger the libs!

Kicking out academics for protesting? Another way to trigger the libs.

In fact, thinking about it some more, the lame-duck nature of Donald Trump's presidency, plus the almost-complete immunity he's been given by the Supreme Court, and his reality TV background, mean that his first priority would be to make a big splash rather than lasting, meaningful change.

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K.R. in Austin, TX, writes: You write that anyone who would be Surgeon General for Donald Trump would have to have some "special political ideas." I agree for Trump v2.0.

However, one of the few administration officials who I respected in Trump v1.0 was Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served through Trump's entire first term.

Perhaps the reason he was competent was that Trump v1.0 didn't care about the position and then-VP Mike Pence chose the Surgeon General. Adams served as the Health Commissioner of Indiana under Pence.

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R.R. in Pasasdena, CA, writes: You brought up that Donald Trump posted an image of himself as a Sith on Star Wars Day, and implied that the White House does not understand the implication of a red light saber (which marks a being as a Sith, the bad guys, and on the side of the Empire). There is zero chance that no one on the White House staff knows what a red lightsaber in Star Wars means and, even if they didn't know what a Sith was, they definitely know that Darth Vader used a red lightsaber and was a pretty bad guy working for the evil Empire. Even Trump has to know that one; it's just been an inescapable thing for almost 50 years in pop culture.

It's just impossible that no one at the White House pointed this out, but it got posted anyways. Of course, the staff are going to do their Master's bidding, and maybe that was enough. Personally, I think they and Trump chose the image purposefully, at least partly because it's another image that makes Trump look like a muscle man. The red saber might just have been meant to troll people, it was sure to rile people up for Trump to appear as a Sith (and it did).

But I think they wanted to grab the deeper meaning of having Trump appear as the Emperor, in charge of everything and in control. Space shuttles in the Empire ran on time, after all, and it was just the pesky Rebels that caused any delays or problems. The tell is the text added by the White House staff, that tries to portray everyone against Trump as the actual Empire, even though the Rebellion was always the group with the variety of species in it that stood up to the authoritarianism and abuses the Empire offered its citizens. Project 2025 is definitely an Imperial government plan; there's no freedom in there for people who aren't the "right" people, only suffering and exclusion.

They really do want the U.S. to become the Empire, so choosing an image of Trump bearing a weapon of evil is completely on point for this administration.

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J.C. in Thủ Dầu Một, Bình Dương, Vietnam, writes: The big problem with the hypothesis that The Felon Guy decided to reopen Alcatraz because he watched Escape From Alcatraz is that it was on PBS.

Are we seriously arguing that Trump now watches PBS?

Politics: Comments on Bob from Chicago

P.M. in Edenton, NC, writes: Donald Trump is no longer the most important American in the world, and he can't do anything about it. That's gotta piss him off.

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D.R. in Massapequa Park, NY, writes: With the election of Pope Leo XIV, I wonder what Trump thinks about being the SECOND most influential American in the world?

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P.R. in Arvada, CO, writes: I find it kind of odd that MAGA is going after the new Pope as a woke DEI choice when he represents everything they hold dear to their hearts. He is an old white Christian man. The Cardinals rejected the candidate from Ghana and all of the candidates from South America. Leo XIV doesn't think women should hold positions of responsibility in the church. I don't know what his position is on the LGBTQ+ community, but I suspect he is tolerant but not supportive. He supports the working class over the rich elites. He is pretty much everything MAGA could wish for with one minor exception. He understands the teachings of the Bible and not only lives by them but encourages other to do the same. Odd how being a loving caring person (with a few exceptions) is the biggest disqualifying characteristic someone could have.

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J.R. in Berlin, Germany, writes: I am thinking of the Jewish St. Paul (formerly known as Saul), who was able to say a few things and exercise some clout with impunity because he had been a Roman citizen. Or the Polish pope who was able to go toe-to-toe with the Jaruzelski regime in the same manner. Perhaps Pope Leo XIV can appeal to what is left of American better instincts and move toward restoration of the country that we remember.

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M.I. in Jenkintown, PA, writes: You wrote: "However, every bit of our instinct says that when Francis said that he cared about the poor and downtrodden, he really meant it."

Vatican net worth: up to $15+ billion.

So...?

(V) & (Z) respond: Is this a serious argument? Because if so, then Franklin D. Roosevelt apparently did not care about the poor, as he failed to liquidate the assets of the U.S. federal government, which were then in the tens of billions. Same with Lyndon B. Johnson, except by his time it was hundreds of billions. Or Joe Biden, by whose time it was trillions.

Politics: Malicious Compliance

S.S. in West Hollywood, CA, writes: May I suggest "The Non-Denomination 10 Commandments" for posting in classrooms and other Taliban MAGA state religious decrees:

1. Be open minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
2. Strive to understand what is most likely true, not just what you wish to be true.
3. Science is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.
4. Every person has the right to control their body.
5. God is good for those who believe, but is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
6. Be mindful of the consequences of your actions and take responsibility for them.
7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you and as you expect them to want to be treated.
8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
9. There is no one right way to live.
10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

(Adapted by me from "The Atheist 10 Commandments.")

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M.B. in Cleveland, OH, writes: The Electoral-Vote.com readership had a field day with malicious compliance, with an emphasis on the "malicious." In our current political climate, there are a lot of people who will assume that anything connected with Christianity must be opposed. In fact, the Ten Commandments are pretty good rules for anyone in a civilized society to live by, and most religious traditions have very similar dictates, as (Z) points out.

I am a teacher and I have family in Louisiana. Any teacher who follows most of those reader suggestions is setting up conflict, and is going to create a lot of trouble for themselves.

Instead, push back with love and understanding: Alongside the Ten Commandments, also post Matthew 22:36-39—36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" 38 "This is the first and greatest commandment." 39 "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Perhaps with a footnote pointing out that your neighbor might be black, or white, or poor, or from Mexico, or a Democrat, or a Republican...

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F.W. in Decatur, GA, writes: The actual text of the law in Louisiana that requires the study of the Ten Commandments in the classroom anticipates and attempts to preclude a number of the forms of malicious compliance that readers suggested.

The law prescribes the exact text that the poster or framed print must contain. ("Thou shalt not kill" comes in at #6, but ironically, without a bullet). It is required to be printed in a large, easily-readable font, and to be at least 11"x14" in size. There are various other requirements.

It's interesting to me that the law makes explicit and detailed references to several Supreme Court rulings on the display of the Commandments on public property. I suppose this is an attempt to preempt constitutional challenges?

At any rate, my years as a student in Louisiana public schools lead me to believe that anything that hangs motionless in the same place on the wall will become essentially invisible to the students after a few days, tops.

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A.S. in Potsdam, Germany, writes: Your comments on malicious compliance encourage me to make my first Electoral-Vote.com comment: They strongly reminded me of the concept of many GDR jokes and the Russian Radio Yerevan jokes that were also widespread in Eastern Germany. The feeling of powerlessness and censorship led to subtle forms of mental pressure release, for example in the forms of ambiguously corrosive humor. This humor, but also many forms of speech and behavior, followed the approach of malicious compliance: correct in word, but completely contrary in spirit. This ambiguity of language and humor is perhaps a typical sign of oppressed societies and classes. Much of it got lost after German reunification.

Perhaps humor along these lines is also a means for Americans to mentally survive with sad realities of Trumpworld, not to lose their own humor, but to refine it.

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R.N. in Denver, CO, writes: I LOVED your idea of malicious compliance. I was raised Lutheran (ELCA... it matters), and I was taught in my confirmation classes all the things you posted. Our pastor made sure we came to Christ without conceit, and that there are other faiths with different ideas and understanding those ideas made ours stronger, not weaker.

That was in 1978-79. I have since completely lost my faith due to the rise of modern Evangelical Christianity. However, what Pastor Berg taught so many years ago has stayed with me.

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K.R. in Austin, TX, writes: In Texas, schools must post a sign that says, "In God We Trust." The law specifies the size of the sign and font, so that can't be changed. The signs must be donated, so they are not paid for by public funds, but, of course, some rich guy donated them to all the schools.

It needs to be posted somewhere conspicuous in the school. Our school decided that the "conspicuous" place was just outside the principal's office. It is in a hall that is locked and generally accessible to teachers and staff. Kids visiting the counselors, assistant principal, or principal may see the sign, but it's it's not seen by every kid every day despite the "conspicuous" location.

There were attempts to donate signs in Arabic and with rainbow lettering, but it seems like they didn't succeed.

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K.F. in Berea, KY, writes: I've been a social studies teacher in Kentucky for 22 years. The proposed standards for Oklahoma are so laughable that it's bordering on the absurd! The biggest challenge is how history marches on, but the time allotted for teaching U.S. History hasn't changed in decades. Our high schools teach Reconstruction to the present, but rarely have I been able to go much beyond the 1960s just due to time considerations. I always save a unit for the Sept. 11 attacks and subsequent War on Terror. There is no way I would cancel the most pivotal moment of the 21st Century to focus on TCF's nonsense. Until we have a Night of the Long Knives and/or coup, the Trump effect is going to have to wait until a second course in modern U.S. history is required by the far right lawmakers who "know" so much about education! I imagine that might happen sometime in the next 200 years.

Politics: Democrats...

D.E. in Lancaster, PA, writes: Irony is dead. As you are undoubtedly aware, the Mayor of Newark, NJ, Ras Baraka, was arrested while protesting outside the recently reopened Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, located in his city. Despite the Mayor's protestations that no one asked or ordered him to leave, he was charged with trespassing.

The next day, on CNN, the spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said that DHS was looking to make further arrests of three Democratic Representatives from New Jersey—Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez—who were there to conduct an oversight inspection of the facility. Yes, Representative Menendez is the son of the former Senator and convicted felon, Bob Menendez. Like I said, irony is dead. McLaughlin stated that there was an ongoing investigation into whether these representatives were trespassing and were assaulting police officers, and that their arrests was "definitely on the table." Menendez was quick to point out, via social media, that it is written law that no member of Congress or person employed by Congress who is conducting oversight can be denied access to a DHS facility or be detained while trying to do so; and that there does not have to be any advance warning or notification of said oversight visit. He also posted the applicable section of the law and it seems pretty unambiguous.

Spokesperson McLaughlin went on to say, "DHS is more than accommodating, but just because you're a member of Congress does not mean you can break the law, trespass, put law enforcement at risk and storm the detention facility." Seriously, she said that and with a completely straight face. It's stuff like that makes me want to scream and tear my hair out. According to the Orange Turd, people who break the law, trespass, harm law enforcement officers and storm government buildings are the finest of patriots. Such outstanding individuals who did break laws and were fined and jailed are now pardoned and, so it seems, being considered as candidates for monetary restitution. My eyes are starting to cross, the facial tic is back and steam is issuing forth like a factory whistle from my ears!

Because of sh** like that, I want to issue a warning to every person running for federal office on the Democratic ticket for 2026: You best come to Washington ready to work on Day 1. And by work, I mean starting the third impeachment hearings on Dear Leader, and also active and strenuous investigations into illegal activity by his department heads and flunkies. I'm thinking something on the scale of the Nuremberg Trials. Even if you didn't run on this issue, it still should be your major concern. If the Democrats win the House and/or the Senate, those elected members should not expect weeks-long recesses. Not is it time to play patty-cake, be all namby-pamby and huddle with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his granny glasses to craft more sternly worded letters (I picture Schumer poring over a "sternly worded letter" by another Senator and saying, "Do we want to use the word 'promptly'? That seems a little too stern for me and really boxes us into a corner for writing other letters"). No more limpid and flaccid speeches by Hakeem Jeffries (NY-D) expressing concern over some minutia of some political point of order. No writing a series of summons kindly asking a Trump official to appear to testify when convenient to them, but rather a "show up on Day X at such time. If not, you will be held in contempt."

Any legislator, or for that matter judge, should know the Trump Administration's tricks of delay, delay and more delay and nip those in the bud. This is a national crisis and if members want their posh fundraisers and showboating over democracy, then that shows me they are not serious legislators, and I will not waste my vote with nonserious legislators. The only way to defang the last 2 years of Trump's last term in office is to make it abundantly clear that his henchpeople and bootlickers will be charged with crimes for following his illegal orders (and if the Trump DoJ doesn't follow through, add that to the list of charges). Stop thinking of this administration as a follower of the law and/or political fairplay and niceties. Assume the very worst and have a game plan to combat it vigorously. Fight like your freedom demands it because, guess what—it now does!

While I for the most part supported the Biden Administration, I think history will not look at all kindly on our own Neville Chamberlain, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who shilly-shallied, dithered, dawdled, and vacillated way too long on prosecuting Trump and his goons. We don't need legal scholars debating on how many MAGAs can riot on the head of a pin. We need leaders whose motto is "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" Decisive action over focus-grouping every sentence spoken. Or Granny Schumer might find himself writing his next sternly worded letter on a piece of toilet paper from his jail cell. We are on the Autobahn to becoming fodder for the next phase in Relocation Camps. Irony is long dead.

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G.N. in Skippack, PA, writes: In regards to the Goldwater Rule, that didn't seem to stop the very same media outlets from giving not only air but also a gallon of Everclear to the fire that was the debate about President Biden's mental and cognitive health.

(V) & (Z) respond: We agree, and wrote many, many times that the people presuming to diagnose Biden with dementia, etc. had neither the expertise nor the insider information needed to reach such a conclusion.

Politics: ...And the Goldilocks Problem

M.G. in Piscataway, NJ, writes: In your item "Democrats Have a Goldilocks Problem," you wrote: "Progressives are pushing Democrats to move further to the left and confront Donald Trump much more aggressively." I would like to make a slight clarification. The majority of progressives are pushing Democrats to move further to the left ON ECONOMIC ISSUES and confront Donald Trump much more aggressively on those.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), the recently elected Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and many other progressive leaders are pushing Democrats to stay away from culture-wars issues and focus on economic issues and healthcare (which I would argue is an economic issue). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) talk about economic issues and healthcare at least 95% of the time. Economic issues such as paid family leave, higher minimum wage, negotiate drug prices and improving our healthcare system all poll very well. Even Republicans want a better healthcare system. It's the economy, stupid!

Data scientist David Shor made a very strong case for high-information voters voting Democratic and low-information voters voting Republican. The issues that moved low information voters the most are cost of living, the economy, inflation, healthcare and taxes/government spending. Voters perceive the Republicans as being better than Democrats on all of these issues except for healthcare.

If Democrats want to win elections, they would do well to focus on economics and healthcare at least 80% of the time (like Bernie and AOC are doing on their Fight Oligarchy Tour). Democrats should focus on Trump ignoring the courts, the rule of law, immigration, crime, veterans, etc about 10%-20% of the time. Democrats should always avoid talking about culture-wars issues. Culture-wars issues are a trap that Republicans set for Democrats and Democrats can't help but take the bait. Democrats need to be more disciplined.

Sticking to healthcare and economics at least 80% of the time is a winning strategy. People forget that Bernie was clobbering Trump in the polls in 2016. Bernie was up by over 10 points against The Donald. Fixing the economy is a message that appeals to everybody, including Republican voters, even if the messenger is on the left side of the aisle. Bernie and Trump had similar messages except Bernie meant what he said and Trump was just being a con man, so when Bernie lost to Hillary Clinton, many voters switched from Bernie to Trump. If Bernie had beaten Hillary in the primary, I strongly believe he would have crushed Trump in the general election. If Hillary had run as an economic-progressive, I believed she would have crushed Trump too but she wouldn't go there.

Democrats need to get back to their Franklin D. Roosevelt roots. That's what the economic-progressive movement is about. It was a winning message in the 1930's and 1940's and it is a wining message now. It's the economy, stupid!

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M.L. in West Hartford, CT, writes: The discussion of a "Goldilocks problem" in politics presupposes that the game of politics is played in only one dimension: Left-Right. Let's call this the "ideology" axis. In this analysis, the only choice that a political player has to make is where on the Left-Right spectrum they (or their party) should choose to occupy. But this is not the only axis on which politics is contested.

Another axis is the Us-Them, or "populism" axis. Republicans are very good at creating "Them" identities out of groups who lack privilege. They demonize those who are not white, not Christian, and not straight. Heck, they even demonize women, and they are over 50% of the population! They also use populist language to portray themselves as opposed to global financial elites, which is a two-fer for "them" because it is code for antisemitism as well as the wealthy interests that most Americans are wary of. These issues can also exist on the Left-Right dimension, but they don't necessarily have to, and they don't necessarily ONLY operate on the Left-Right axis.

The Us-Them axis is why a sizable percentage of AOC's district voted for TCF as well as for her. When she (wisely) asked them in a non-judgmental way why they had voted that way, the most common response was some version of "you're both fighting for me."

Democrats need to find ways to occupy the "Us" end of the Us-Them axis. Focusing on class, as Bernie and AOC have done, is the most common progressive approach to building a populist agenda. People need to be convinced that Democrats are on their side. Otherwise, they're not going to be open and receptive to Democratic messaging.

The biggest pitfall Democrats make in this area is assuming that this is solely a matter of issue positioning. It's not! Issues matter, but not in and of themselves. What matters is how issues are framed to tell the story of a candidate or party.

TCF's TV ad on trans rights is instructive. It was effective not because most Americans are particularly focused on gendered bathrooms, but because his team skillfully used the issue to portray Kamala Harris as out of touch with mainstream American values. They used it to convince voters that she was working for "them."

Convincing voters—especially low-information voters—that Democrats are on their side is more important than trying to identify the ideal precise location they should occupy on the ideology axis.

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J.N. in Columbus, OH, writes: You wrote: "Related to this problem is which issue to prioritize. Many progressives want to prioritize immigration and getting Kilmar Abrego Garcia home. Moderates think that voters view this as a 'process' issue and see it as defending a criminal who entered the country illegally. They think it is a loser. They want to focus on Trump's broken promise to lower prices on Day 1."

This one is easy: Intelligent moderates don't care about Garcia in particular, but they do want him brought back... to stand in court to prove he is an illegal immigrant or a gangster from Venezuela. We don't have a problem with sending gangsters back home. In fact, we want that. We just want to make sure he really is a Venezuelan gangster and not an American citizen, or an innocent Venezuelan that followed the process. We don't like that Donald Trump can pick up any old person and dump them in a Salvadoran prison. We also don't like the idea of sending ANYONE to a Salvadoran prison, unless it's an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, in which case it's their business about putting them in prison or not.

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R.L.D. in Sundance, WY, writes: I want to make this very clear: You do not have to move to the left to oppose Donald Trump. It is perfectly reasonable to be highly conservative and still want to protect the Constitution. You can even be fu**ing crazypants conservative and still oppose Donald Trump and all his authoritarian ways. Democrats need not worry about being too moderate on any given issue because totalitarianism is beyond all that. It's on a completely orthogonal axis. Move left, move right, stay right where you are, none of it matters.

I have to vote in the Republican Primary next year and you can bet your bottom dollar that given a choice between two candidates who are both crazypants on my core issue of homelessness, I will not hesitate to prefer the lunatic who is at least willing to stand up and criticize Donald Trump. This is where we are as a country and the sooner people realize that, the better. We all agree that the Umber Mussolini is a threat to democracy, but the fact of the matter is, he's also a threat to the republic. We need to get that message out to the Republicans. They've made it perfectly clear they don't give a rat's patootie about democracy, but they still claim to care about the republic.

Politics: Age Limits

T.M. in Langley, BC, Canada, writes: I'm following your discussion regarding "age limits" on members of Congress with interest but I can see the same sort of problem with imposing an upper limit on the eligible age for legislators as I see with "term limits," and that is the arbitrary ruling out of competent people.

Possibly a better result would be achieved by requiring potential legislators to take and pass (a series of?) competency tests which would include testing their knowledge of the basic legal fundamentals underlying the United States of America and their ability to problem solve.

Of course that might mean that someone who did not know that the Constitution of the United States of America (and the legal/procedural protections therein) applied to everyone in the United States of America might not be allowed to run for positions as exalted as "Associate Deputy Reserve Mayor of New Lower East Cupcake," but there are always some negatives.

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L.H. in Luxembourg, writes: After reading the piece about the age of Congress members, I couldn't help but connect it to the conclave of cardinals that commenced selecting a new pope on Wednesday. Of the 220 cardinals, only 133 will be voting to decide who among them will be the next pope. Why? Because even the Catholic Church has put in an age limit (of 80 years) for eligibility in such a significant decision. For once, I implore Congress to take note of what the Catholic Church is doing and respond accordingly.

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L.C. in Boston, MA, writes: You wrote in favor of an age limit on members of Congress, given the observation that Congress doesn't get anything done.

An age limit wouldn't solve anything. Plenty of young members of Congress won't get anything done either. I start you off with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)...

Politics: Marge Green Speaks Out

S.A.K. in Karnataka, India, writes: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to agree with bits of what Marjorie Taylor Greene had to say. Your analysis threw the baby out with the bath water.

On Iraq: "The U.S. military went in based on flawed intelligence at best... lies, damned lies, and utter lies at worst. Millions of lives were destroyed, and for what? Vietnam, anyone?"

For a change, Greene was right about what actually happened.

On Iran: "There's no doubt the neocons have been itching for a war and pushing for it for years. If it comes to pass, it would be catastrophic for the U.S. in every sense—militarily, economically, and geopolitically."

Again, she's said the quiet part out loud̵i.e., going to war on behalf of another nation. The one that can't be named.

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A.G. in Scranton, PA, writes: When Congresswoman Taylor-Greene refers to herself in the third person, isn't she is expressing her preferences in her chosen pronouns?

We/Her/MTG

Right? Right?

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M.B. in Wichita, KS, writes: You wrote, in response to Marjorie Taylor Greene's screed: "Maybe it is too subtle, but we miss the connection between mining terbium in Ukraine and transgender children in America."

Actually, the connection is obvious. Terbium is the element with atomic number 65. 1965 was the year the song "19th Nervous Breakdown" was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. And, whaddya known, the Rolling Stones started dressing and wearing makeup around then. It's such an obvious connection I'm surprised it needs to be explained.

(V) & (Z) respond: You're way off the mark.

In fact, Terbium was discovered Carl Gustaf Mosander. The current king of Sweden is similarly named Carl Gustaf. "King Carl" can also be rendered as "King Charles," as in the current King of England. Charles became King when his mother, Queen Elizabeth passed away. That means that the British throne publicly switched from one gender to another, as many trans people do. And this made headlines, such that many children in America were aware of it.

In short, first it was the Stamp Act, and now it's this.

All Politics Is Local

L.S. in Greensboro, NC, writes: I'm glad you wrote about the North Carolina Legislature's power grab to pull the appointment power of the state (and county) election boards from the governor and hand it to the auditor. This is a classic example of "bait and switch." Tar Heel voters went to the polls fully expecting that the person they voted for as governor would have control over the state's election apparatus. Then, after the voters had spoken, the legislature handed the power to another official that the voters had no idea would have this power when they made their choices in the voting booth.

During this election, I saw hundreds of commercials from both parties for the governor's race. I also saw many commercials for attorney general and superintendent of public instruction. Interestingly, all three of these offices were won by Democrats. However, I did not see a single commercial for either candidate for state auditor. Clearly, if prior to the election we had known that the auditor was about to gain this major power, both parties and candidates would have run their campaigns differently, and the voters may have delivered a very different result.

Indeed, if you look at the five offices the Republicans won, two were held by incumbents (agriculture and insurance) who people of all political stripes see as effective and competent (and neither is seen as particularly MAGA). The other low-profile races just followed the state-level lean, as seen in the presidential results.

However, I can guarantee that in 2028 we will see many, many commercials for the state auditor's race, and I am sure that the Democrats will repeatedly point out that this office is the chief elections officer of the state and that it has that power solely due to a power grab by the legislature. So the Republicans may very well find that their hold on this office will be short-lived. The only question then is whether decent public servants like Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler or Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey, both of whom will likely be re-elected as long as they wish to continue to run, will go along with another power grab transferring the election administration power to one of them.

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M.L. in Southfield, MI, writes: Senate flip opportunities?

I'm surprised you didn't mention Iowa. Twice-elected Sen. Joni Ernst (R) is up. She won the first time with about 52% of the vote and the second time with 51% (these are approximates, but her share went down the second time).

Failing to consolidate your base over two elections is a bad sign. Campaigning in a state where farmers are going to get hammered over tariffs is a bad sign. Iowa is obviously a red state for the last few cycles, but this seems like a better opportunity than Montana, where a strong, tested candidate lost by 7!

Interestingly, the only person I have read beating the Iowa drum is Josh Marshall of TPM. I hope that there are DSCC people that are looking at it.

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I.K. in Queens, NY, writes: Reporting on the latest nonsense coming out of New York State.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D) has announced that she'll send out $200 "inflation relief" checks to New Yorkers, because nothing fights inflation quite like pumping two billion dollars into the economy for no good reason.

This is an embarrassingly transparent attempt to buy her reelection, given how incredibly unpopular she is. Her 2022 performance was the closest New York governor's race since 1994. Ambitious representatives are already circling, her lieutenant governor left the ticket and might challenge her, and I've long thought that AOC might want an easier win against Hochul for the governorship rather than tilting at the Senate windmill and Chuck Schumer.

I also wonder how long it'll be before this practice of sending people checks to buy their votes is understood to be a disaster. It used to be very rare because the opposition party could always be trusted to scream bloody murder and fiscal responsibility. But once COVID opened the floodgates, with both parties signing off on stimulus checks, this now just seems to be an acceptable political maneuver, and more's the shame.

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F.L. in Allen, TX, writes: Woo-da-hoo-da!

If memory serves, you've frequently banged on about how the GOP, and rightly so, knows that you have to plant small potatoes—like school boards—to get big spuds.

MAGA was taken to the woodshed all across Texas this past weekend. I reminded my little voting bloc (my daughter and her husband) that we had to vote on the day, so we toodled off to my girl's former middle school and did our bit.

Good omens.

Gallimaufry

D.E. in Atlanta, GA, writes: Dick Wagner has been taking a lot of criticism on your site recently. While I do understand why, I believe he is a product of his time and upbringing. I have always greatly enjoyed his music and believe that the Pilgrim's Chorus from Tannhauser is one of the finest pieces of music ever written. Then again, I maybe should blame these two for my thoughts on this:

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J.T. in Philadelphia, PA, writes: When you mentioned that you did not like the music of Richard Wagner (one of my favorite composers), I was disappointed, but I accepted that not all of us have to like the same music. But I was rather surprised when nobody suggested what I thought was the most obvious Wagner piece that is the very antithesis of "too heavy," i.e., his "Siegfried Idyll," which he wrote for his wife Cosima to celebrate the birth of their son Siegfried.

Incidentally, the composition figures prominently in a second season episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm ("Trick or Treat"), when someone overhears Larry David whistling a tune from it and accuses him of being a "self-loathing Jew."

Most performances of it these days are of the orchestrated version, but here are students from Philadelphia's Curtis Institute playing it as Wagner wrote it, one instrument to a part. I don't expect it to turn you into a Perfect Wagnerite but perhaps you'll agree that it is not "too heavy."

(V) & (Z) respond: Certainly it's an improvement on "Ride of The Valkyries."

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D.S. in Cleveland Heights, OH, writes: Regarding the discussion about Wagner: I would urge you to listen to some Wagner pieces that are not heavy at all and that I think you would quite enjoy "Siegfried Idyll," and the "Preludes" to Lohengrin and Parsifal (well, ok, parts of the Parsifal prelude are maybe a bit heavy, but not bad, and extremely beautiful).

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P.S. in North Las Vegas, NV, writes: You wrote: "And [Jay] Feely was a kicker, which means he was only barely a football player. He also played for the Jets, the Cardinals, the Bears, the Giants, so he's got vast experience in losing, in all kinds of different ways."

As a Jets fan, that hurt!

(V) & (Z) respond: As the team to most recently employ Aaron Rodgers, they are going to come in for more than their share of scorn for the next few years.

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B.J. in Arlington, MA, writes: I was rock climbing outside of Las Vegas about 15 years ago and someone recommended I try Lotus of Siam. The place was full of Asian-looking people, which is generally a good sign. I ordered Tom Yum soup, which I always like, and some other dish I don't remember. The soup arrived, I took a bite, and... choked. The soup was SO SPICY I could not eat it. I'm not someone who eats insanely spicy food but I can enjoy some heat, and will even eat and enjoy some things with sweat pouring down my face as a result. This soup was way, way, way beyond that. I remember thinking, "I can't believe they served this to a random white guy." I remember that whatever else I ordered was wonderful, just not that.

If you like BBQ, try John Mull's Meats and Road Kill Grill. It is a store and a restaurant. Delicious.

If you like being athletic outside, rent a car and go to Valley of Fire State Park one day and Red Rocks National Conservation Area another. Check the forecast; both places are dangerously hot in the summer.

Final Words

J.C. in Thủ Dầu Một, Bình Dương, Vietnam, writes: Charles Darwin's final words are often radically altered to indicate a deathbed confession to Christianity, and it is rejoined that his wife and children were present to hear him say that he wasn't afraid of death. What is rarely included is the actual final words, according to Down House (Darwin's home of 40 years, and now a museum dedicated to his career). At a time when it wasn't common for men to spend abundant times with their children, Darwin bucked the trend, and was a devoted father: "I am not the least afraid of death. Remember what a good wife you have been to me. Tell all my children to remember how good they have been to me."

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---The Votemaster and Zenger