Democrats Shouldn't Be Overconfident About Retaking The Senate

In one month from today, the 2026 mid-term elections will take place.

It is widely expected that Democrats will regain control of the House of Representatives.

Recently polling would also suggest that Democrats could also retake the Senate.

Democrats need to hold onto the seats they have and win four more to take control of the Senate.

It appears that voters in North Carolina will choose former Governor Roy Cooper as their new Senator with Republicans all but ceding this race.

So, can the Democrats gain three Republican seats? Democrats are banking on former Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio, James Talarico in Texas, Troy Jackson in Maine, Josh Turek in Iowa, former Congresswoman Mary Peltola in Alaska. Democrats also have visions about winning Senate seats in Kansas and Mississippi along with an independent in Idaho.

Let's say for argument's sake the Democrats win three of those seats - Brown in Ohio, Turek in Iowa and Peltola in Alaska. Along with Cooper, that is 4 seats and it gives the Democrats a majority in the Senate.

Well, not so fast.

Remember, the Democrats still need to hold onto the seats they have, and Republicans have a chance to gain Senate seats in Michigan with Mike Rogers, in Minnesota with Michele Tafoya and in New Hampshire with former Senator John Sununu. 

It is true that Abdul El-Sayed has consistently led Rogers in the polling in Michigan, but generally within the margin of error. That's too close for comfort.

The race in Minnesota should really worry Democrats. Given everything which has gone on in Minnesota with ICE this year, one would think that Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan would win in a cakewalk, but the race is a virtual tie. 

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, Democratic candidate Chris Pappas, who currently serves in the House of Representatives, has openly said that Democrats don't retake control of the Senate without retaining NH and is concerned the DNC is taking his race against Sununu for granted. Pappas doesn't appear confident about his chances.

If the scenario that I present comes to pass, then Republicans retain the Senate by a margin of 52-48.

But let's say Trump becomes so toxic that Democrats manage to win two more Senate seats making it a 50-50 Senate. In that case, Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman becomes the next Joe Manchin. Fetterman has become virtually persona non grata in his own party for his stalwart support of Israel and his friendliness towards President Trump. Democrats are going to have to make nice with him and forget any futile attempts to try to impeach Trump even if he is guilty as sin. Republicans will move Heaven and Earth to have him join their ranks. 

This outcome will be very dissatisfying for Democrats. But for better or for worse, this is what democracy looks like.

Thoughts on The Inaugural Cambridge Cat Tour & Meowfest: Too Many People, Too Few Cats

 

This afternoon, I attended the inaugural Cambridge Cat Tour & Meowfest.

Those of you who take the time to read my dispatches will know that cats mean a great deal to me. One of the best things about living in Cambridge is occasionally encountering Remy the Harvard Cat although it has been nearly two years since I last gazed upon him. A year ago, less a day, I spent part of a Saturday afternoon at a cat cafe in Boston. 

So, I was delighted to learn that the City of Cambridge was organizing this event. For everything cats give to us, I don't think we give nearly enough back.

The gathering point for the tour was Dana Park which is situated in Cambridgeport. Much to my surprise, leading the parade was Cambridge Mayor Sumbdul Siddiqui.

The plan was to walk around the neighborhood where we would see approximately 15 different cats. This would take approximately 90 minutes. At the conclusion of the procession, we would return to Dana Park for the Meowfest. 

I think the city underestimated the number of people who would be interested. As we returned to Dana Park, I overheard one of the organizers state that they expected maybe 50 people would show up. Now perhaps that is how many people actually registered to walk. My estimate of the crowd would be 200-300 people. 

While it is great that there are people who want to see cats, the problem is there was a paucity of cats. Or should I say pawcity?

Many of the cats were part of the tour viewed us from the safety of a window. Although a few of the cats were comfortable with the large amount of attention, many were freaked out by the site of hundreds of people converging on them. 

Let us remember that cats are not dogs. They do not take orders. You cannot make them do things they do not want to do. Standing in front of a window to see a large mob is a hard no unless there are treats to follow.

Because of the crowds, it would take 5 to 10 minutes even to get a glimpse of a cat. As a result, there were a couple of instances when I would arrive at a destination only for Mayor Siddiqui to ask us to turn around which caused considerable confusion.

Considering we were in a residential neighborhood, not everyone could use the sidewalk. So, many of us had no choice but to walk in the streets. Although Cambridge PD were accommodating this did have the effect of clogging up traffic. We eventually had to pause to either allow traffic to pass or pause to wait for people to catch up. I will say that Mayor Siddiqui and the Cambridge PD were in close communication with each other in real time. So, they were able to adapt on the fly.

I should note that this event was supposed to take place a week ago but was postponed due to the Nor'easter which brought massive rain and heavy winds. After a week worth of clouds, it was nice to get into the sun in comfortable weather and see parts of Cambridge I don't regularly see up to and including its feline population.

All things considered, with the inaugural cat tour under their belt, the city will hopefully plan more effectively for next year's edition and plan with the expectation that more people will attend. Because people do love cats. It is an idea whose time has come.

Next month, there will be a cat tour in Somerville. Unlike this cat tour, the Somerville Cat Tour is sponsored not by the city but by Tandem Vet Care. Somehow, I missed last year's inaugural edition. In any case, I plan to make up for that error of omission. It will be interesting to see its logistics. Hopefully, this cat tour will have more cats.

Zach Bryan Becomes The Latest Useful Idiot

 

Last night, while performing at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, country music star Zach Bryan and his band sported "Free Palestine" t-shirts. Bryan's drummer Nate Head wore a t-shirt bearing the name of Hind Rajab, the 5-year-old girl allegedly killed by the IDF which Israel is currently probing.

It remains to be seen if this was a one-night only gesture as Bryan is scheduled to perform a second concert at Gillette this evening. In which case it could be argued Bryan and his band merely may be objecting to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's removal Macklemore from Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour for shouting "Free Palestine" during a concert at The Meadowlands earlier this month on free speech grounds. 

But even if Bryan and his band don't don the apparel at other tour stops, the fact remains that when I see someone, anyone, wear a "Free Palestine" t-shirt the message I see is "Kill Jews". When people make the Free Palestine statement, they are not clamoring for Gaza to be freed from Hamas. Wearing a Free Palestine t-shirt once is enough to convince me that you wish my people harm.

In which case, were Macklemore to take his Free Palestine tour to this country, it would not shock me if Zach Bryan were to join his Artists for Anti-Semitism cavalcade. 

Like many who don Free Palestine apparel, I doubt Zach Bryan could find Gaza on a map. But like all demagogic movements, Free Palestine is built on the pillars of hate and ignorance. 

Bryan and his band might be part of the latter pillar. Hell, this might have nothing to do with Macklemore at all. They might just want to be trendy. It could be the case that wearing a Free Palestine t-shirt is current day equivalent of wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt. Yet statements borne out of ignorance have a way of turning actions driven by hatred.

In which case, Zach Bryan has become the latest in a long line of useful idiots. Sadly, this line gets longer with every passing day.

No Sunny Skies for Sonny Gray & The Red Sox

 

(Screenshot of Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray following Game 2 of the 2026 AL Wild Card Series)

There is considerable frustration among the Boston Red Sox and Red Sox Nation follow a sweep in the AL Wild Card by the New York Yankees. 

In my commentary on the series last night, I briefly alluded Red Sox manager Chad Tracy pulling both Game 1 and Game 2 starters Peyton Tolle and Sonny Gray before the end of the fifth inning and the bullpen not rising to the occasion.

It turns out Tracy's decisions, especially in last night's game, proved very unpopular with Red Sox players. Following their elimination, it was clear there were no sunny skies for Sonny Gray:

I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that’s a fact. Yeah, I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment but that’s the competitor I am. I think you can probably ask the guys, and they feel the same way. I felt strong, I felt confident, I felt convicted, but what can you do?

I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.

I don't blame Gray for his cloudy outlook on what was the brightest season of his 14-year MLB career. Gray, who turns 37 next month, posted a career high 18 wins and a career best 2.72 ERA in 29 starts with the Red Sox this season. 

Gray is evidently considering retiring. But if he does return to the mound in 2027, I cannot see him pitching in a Red Sox uniform given his public rebuke of Tracy.

Meanwhile, Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras seemed to take aim at the Red Sox front office led by Craig Breslow:

It's not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or you have computers that are telling you what to do, because this is baseball. The data is here to help us, but at the end of the day, you're going to have to need experience and veteran guys to win games.

Writing for CBS Sports, Julian McWilliams wrote, "Don't be fooled by the summer surge. Don't be fooled by the progress. This season wasn't a success."

However, McWilliams does not define success. Now if success constitutes winning the World Series, then 29 out of 30 teams will have had unsuccessful seasons. But if that is the criteria then there is no difference between a team which makes the post-season and a team which loses 100 games. 

In the space of five weeks, the Red Sox went from the worst record in the AL to claiming an AL Wild Card berth. That is certainly successful even if post-season success was elusive. Of course, what dampens the spirits is the fact the Red Sox have been ousted in back-to-back years by the Yankees.

As such, there will be considerable cloudiness hovering over Fenway through this off-season. Hopefully, things will thaw by spring and perhaps Chad Tracy and whoever is part of the 2027 Red Sox can move past. But if the Red Sox get off to a slow start in 2027, Tracy might end up wearing Alex Cora's shoes three-year contract be damned.

Israelis Passengers & One Brave Indian Pilot Avert Another October 7th In The Air

One week away from the third anniversary of the October 7th attacks, it can be said that the Israeli passengers aboard and Indian born pilot on Flydubai FZ Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv prevented another October 7th and quite possibly another 9/11.

The pilot, identified as Captain Smit Machchhar was repeatedly stabbed by his co-pilot in an effort to crash the plane. Despite his wounds, Captain Machchhar managed to open the door thus allowing several Israeli passengers to access the cockpit and subdue the assailant and quite possibly getting the plane back under control. All of this happened as the plane plummeted 18,000 feet in 90 seconds. Eventually, two other pilots who were aboard the plane would make a safe landing in Saudi Arabia.

Of course, Jew hatred runs so deep there were invariably charges of a false flag operation. At heart, these people are conspiracy theorists and anti-Semitism is the world's oldest conspiracy theory. So, conspiracy theorists are going to spread conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, with AI accelerating the internet these conspiracy theories are going to spread faster than they can be debunked. 

The important thing is that everyone aboard survived.

This is good news and good news is in short supply.

Red Sox Overmatched By Yankees in AL Wild Card For Second Year in a Row

To quote the late Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again."

For the second year in a row, the Boston Red Sox were overmatched in the AL Wild Card Series by the New York Yankees. 

Only this time it was worse. A year ago, the ALWC went the full three games.

This year the Yankees swept the Red Sox outscoring them 18-2.

Yankees ace and likely 2026 AL Cy Young Award winner Cam Schlittler was a big part of the deja vu as he fanned 10 batters in 6.1 innings pitched while Ben Rice hit 2 HR and knocked in 6 runs en route to a 9-0 win in Game 1. Both Yankees are natives of Massachusetts.

Things looked better tonight. In the middle of the sixth inning, the Yankees were up 2-1 with the Red Sox scoring their first run of the ALWC on a solo HR by Wilson Contreras. But then the Yankees scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth highlighted by a 3-run HR by Cody Bellinger who had 4 RBI tonight. The Sox would score one other run on a solo HR by Nick Sogard in the 8th inning. But the Red Sox simply could not put together a rally.

Methinks that Red Sox manager Chad Tracy didn't help matters by lifting starting pitchers Peyton Tolle and Sonny Gray before five innings were in the book and with gas in their tanks. Of course, it might not have made a difference. Tracy could have left them in and had either of them been lit up, Red Sox Nation would demand to know why he didn't lift his starters.

In the grand scheme of things, it is a small miracle the Red Sox reached the post-season at all given the early dismissal of Alex Cora and having the worst record in the AL in late June. Tracy exceeded all expectations in the regular season and justly earned a chance to manage the team on a full-time basis.

However, in this series, the Yankees were once again the better team. 

The Bronx Bombers advance to the ALDS against the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays starting Friday evening in St. Petersburg. In the other ALDS, the Chicago White Sox will face the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians after sweeping the Houston Astros in their ALWC matchup.

As always, anybody but the Yankees.

Maine Democrat Senate Candidate Jackson Scolds Jews for Not Using Term Genocide re: Gaza

Maine Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson got himself in hot water yesterday for lecturing his state's tiny Jewish population for not being prepared to use the term "genocide" where it concerns Gaza:

It’s unfortunate that there are people here in Maine that don’t like to use that term only because they’re Jewish and what that means to them with the Holocaust. It fits that description, and it is [a genocide].

Jackson would "apologize" for his remarks today:

I believe what’s happening in Gaza is genocide, and I also understand that word carries particular weight for many Jewish families given the Holocaust—the genocide of six million Jews. In trying to acknowledge that, I misspoke and made a generalization about Jewish Mainers’ views that doesn’t reflect what I meant to say.

Yeah, whatever.

Jews comprise less than 1.5% of the population in Maine. That's fewer than 20,000 people. Jackson knowingly and willingly saw fit to scold and publicly shame Jews in his state for being unwilling to accuse Israel of committing genocide.

Jackson is entitled to his opinion, but he is not entitled to his facts. 

To accuse Israel of genocide is to willfully ignore Hamas' genocidal intentions and actions.

To accuse Israel of genocide is to willfully ignore Hamas imbedding themselves within Gaza's civilian population.

To accuse Israel of genocide is to deliberately not making any distinction between Hamas and the civilian population.

To accuse Israel of genocide is to deliberately ignore Israel's efforts to pour in food aid which is stolen by Hamas.

To accuse Israel of genocide is to willfully ignore the fact that Gaza's population has grown.

It is very clear that Jackson knows nothing about the Holocaust, and I don't think he is willing to learn. A visit to the U.S. Holocaust Museum would be wasted on him.

Troy Jackson isn't interested in the facts where it concerns Israel. He simply wished to pillory Maine's Jewish community.

In so doing, Jackson has given Maine's Jews a reason to vote for Susan Collins.