It’s election day. I’m voting at my polling place at the Uptown VFW a few blocks away. I only early vote when I’ll be out of town. It’s a nice walk to the VFW and I know some of the folks who work the polling place. How New Orleans is that?

The title needs some instant analysis. The main issue in this election is Trump, Trump, Trump. He is directly responsible for policies that have tanked the economy including tariffs and the Iran War. Team Trump’s relentless corruption has broken through to the electorate including Trump voters; many of whom are tired of the man’s mendacity and mockery of his supporters. How arrogant is that?

Team MAGA’S policies and incompetence have led to close races in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alaska to name but a few: North Carolina and Georgia seem in the bag.

Repeat after me: Candidates matter.

Texas is a special case because of the Insult Comedian’s disastrous endorsement of Ken Paxton instead of John Cornyn. I guess Cornyn wasn’t sycophantic enough. He’s certainly a senator from central casting as Trump is wont to say.

Trump gets special thanks for appointing two senators to office: Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ohio seems poised to fall to the Comeback Kid, Sherrod Brown. Florida is close but looks like a GOP hold even though Angie Nixon is running a good race. I hope I’m wrong about that. I’ve never rooted for a Nixon before.

The Kaiser of Chaos also deserves credit for Thom Tillis and Joni Ernst not running for reelection. They’re normie Republicans who were never comfortable with MAGA. Ernst went quietly. Tillis did not.

Thanks, Donald.

I should also thank him for campaigning extensively and urging his fans to pretend he was on the ballot. Great move for Democrats, bad move for Republicans.

Thanks, Donald.

There’s evidence to support my optimism about the Senate. Again, I rarely discuss horse race polls but the final NYT poll makes my heart sing:

I’m hoping that Josh Turek can pull it off in Iowa. He’s one of my favorite candidates this cycle. He’s been disabled from birth but through grit and determination has a good chance to take back Tom Harkin’s senate seat.

Tom Harkin is one of my all-time favorite senators, a staunch liberal and the author of the ADA. Harkin’s career is proof that you can be a fighter without being an asshole: He’s known for his personal kindnesses as well as his political toughness. It’s been great to see him campaigning for Josh who has directly benefited from Senator Harkin’s work on the ADA.

Shorter Adrastos: The Democrats will win the senate. I’m not sure of the margin but a blue wave lifts all boats.

Thanks, Donald.

TPM’s David Kurtz did an excellent job analyzing potential MAGA election day ratfucking in yesterday’s Morning Memo. It’s the most optimistic tone he’s struck during the cycle. A reminder that Team MAGA are fuck ups and Democrats are locked, loaded, and ready to fight back.

The House has been more or less a sure thing for months. The only question is the size of the majority. Midterm gerrymandering may lessen its scope but that remains to be seen. I’m enjoying the infighting and jockeying for post defeat position between Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, and Gym Jordan.

To all the doom scrollers, bedwetters, and perennial pessimists out there, I’m confident, not cocky. I’ve never thought Americans wanted a dictatorship and we have a chance to prove it today. I’d rather be optimistic for months, then be upset if things go wrong, than fret and fume for months for naught.

Finally, I’d like to once again thank the master of this Republican disaster, Donald Trump who is about to be the lame duck’s lame duck. Quack.

The musical last word goes to John Hiatt and Paul Rodgers with different songs that are both on theme.

I promoted Harold Lloyd in Safety Last to the featured image but he’ll always be the countdown guy: