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🇺🇸 Dem Redemption?

🇺🇸 Dem Redemption?

Plus, an absolutely bananas lawsuit.

The Flag America's Newsletter
August 23, 2022

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Good morning and happy Tuesday! Twin sisters stepped into action to save a woman’s life…mid-flight.

Plus, two artists are fighting over who taped fruit to a wall first. The lawsuit is absolutely bananas.

Also, make a “lovely” breakfast every morning with this Flag Find...

FLAG POLLS

🐎 Florida Governor - Democratic Primary: Crist 50, Fried 30 (St. Pete Polls)

🐘 Ohio Senate - Vance vs. Ryan: Vance 50, Ryan 4 (Trafalgar Group)

🐘 Ohio Governor - DeWine vs. Whaley: DeWine 54, Whaley 38 (Trafalgar Group)

POWERED BY VIP SURVIVAL ACADEMY

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QUICK CLICKS

Fauci Says Farewell, Newsome Says No to Supervised Drug Sites, Trump Wants Independent Review

US: Fauci stepping down in December (Axios)

US: Judge says FBI’s evidence for searching Mar-a-Lago is ‘reliable’ (POLITICO)

US: Trump files motion seeking independent review of docs seized during FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago (Fox News)

World: Ex-Pakistan PM Khan's supporters vow to block his arrest on terrorism charges (Reuters)

US: 59% of Americans worry student loan forgiveness will make inflation worse, CNBC survey finds (CNBC)

World: Russian partisans claim responsibility for assassination of Kremlin propagandist Daria Dugina (Yahoo! News)

US: Gavin Newsom vetoes supervised drug consumption sites in SF, LA (SF Chronicle)

World: US warns Russia "stepping up efforts" against civilians in Ukraine as independence day nears (Axios)

US: Nikolas Cruz's defense says his brain was 'poisoned' by birth mother's addictions in death penalty trial (CNN)

POLITICS

Dem Redemption?

With the midterm elections on the horizon, political pollsters and pundits are reassessing initial predictions. The notion of a “red tsunami” or even a “red wave” has been cast into doubt. Recent legislative successes for the Biden administration, falling gas prices, and struggling Republican Senate candidates appear to be working in Democrats’ favor.

Reporting from the Left: How Republicans could still blow the 2022 midterm elections (CNN)

Reporting from the Right: Economy takes center stage as Americans share their voting priorities ahead of midterms (Fox News)

From The Flag: Earlier projections for this year’s midterms had Republicans sweeping Congress. Now, however, pundits on both sides of the political spectrum aren't so sure. Here's what they're saying.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

All Is Not Lost

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged that the Republican party’s Senate candidates are lacking in “quality.”
Many were convinced Democrats would lose the House, possibly the Senate, and some swing-state governorships. However, in just a few weeks, things have taken a sharp turn for the better.
The Republican party’s inability to distance itself from Trump is a major reason the midterms are tilting in Democrats’ favor.

“Mitch McConnell is right. Senate Republicans have a candidate problem.” Harry Enten, CNN: “... Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said this week that Republicans had a better chance of taking back the House than the Senate. 'Candidate quality has a lot to do with [it],' he noted. McConnell's comments are where we begin our roundup of the news of the week that was. Democrats' chances of holding the Senate didn't look so great when 2022 began. They weren't in as bad of shape as they were in the House (as is still the case), but they were clear underdogs. Today, an average of different forecasts and political betting odds indicate that Democrats are slightly favored to hold on to Congress' upper chamber. The change in Senate fortune comes as the party continues to poll far better than expected in a number of states while several Republican candidates struggle to connect with the voters. In other words, McConnell seems to be exactly right.”

“How Democrats could actually come out on top in the midterms” Ryan Cooper, MSNBC Opinion: “Democratic senators pushed through the Inflation Reduction Act… Inflation appears to be moderating somewhat. And Republican extremism has produced weak conservative candidates in several states and, thanks to the right-wing majority Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, toxic opposition. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump appears to be in deep legal trouble. Last week, the FBI executed a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago estate and reclaimed numerous boxes of documents. The entire conservative movement responded with purple-faced outrage, threatening retaliation against Attorney General Merrick Garland, the FBI and anyone else it could think of. One right-wing terrorist mounted an attack on an FBI office, which ended in his death. But then on Friday, the warrant was released, and everyone learned Trump is under investigation for allegedly violating the Espionage Act. Democrats just might be able to save their majorities in Congress, if they hustle.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Midterms Starting To Tilt in the Dems' Favor Robert Reich, The Guardian

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Red Wave Isn't Guaranteed

Historically, the President’s party fares poorly in the midterms. However, current circumstances are making the ultimate outcome look more ambiguous.
Tucker Carlson admits that Democrats have a chance to hold at least one chamber of Congress if not both, despite Biden’s massive unpopularity.
Some suggest it could be good for the GOP to lose in the midterms because it would motivate the party to come out stronger in 2024.

“Hopeful Signs for Democrats in the 2022 Midterms” William A. Galston, Wall Street Journal Opinion: “Midterm elections are usually referendums on the incumbent president and his party. Although President Biden’s job approval remains low (as it has been for the past year), it appears to have improved by 2 to 3 percentage points in recent weeks. If this trend continues, the president will be less of a drag on his party’s candidates than he was at his nadir. Surprisingly, Democrats remain tied with Republicans in the generic congressional ballot, which reflects national preferences for the parties’ House candidates. If this is still true on Election Day, Republican gains will be much smaller than they were in 1994 and 2010. Other factors—including the record low number of truly competitive House districts—point in the same direction. In Senate races, candidate quality matters more. As has happened repeatedly in recent cycles, Republicans appear to have damaged their prospects during primary contests by choosing nominees who have more appeal with their party’s base than with statewide electorates.”

“Tucker Carlson: The Red Wave Is Not Guaranteed, The Numbers Don't Show It Despite Biden's Well-Earned Unpopularity” Tucker Carlson, Fox News: “For all the bad things going on, there are, on the other side, Joe Biden's approval ratings, which are a nonstop source of joy for us. And if you've seen them recently, you know in your heart exactly how the November elections are going to turn out. Biden's obviously been a disaster for the country…[yet] all the indications we have right now suggest that despite Joe Biden's well-earned unpopularity, the Democratic Party still, again, as of tonight, has a strong chance of holding Congress in November. The prediction markets, which many believe are more accurate than the polls, overwhelmingly point to the Democrats keeping at least one chamber, and maybe strangest of all, as of this week, Democrats are leading Republicans nationally in the so-called generic ballot by about four points. So, if you ask people, 'Which party do you like more?' they say, Democrats. And maybe that's why Democrats are raising a lot more money…”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Why Losing he midterms would be good for the GOP Joel Kotkin, The Post

FLAG THIS

Democrats May Have an Opening

Recent polling from NBC News found that while Republicans are still leading on a generic congressional ballot, two specific changes point to opportunities for Democrats.

Firstly, Democrats have nearly closed the enthusiasm gap with Republicans. 68% of Republicans express a high level of interest in the midterms compared to 66% expressing the same among Democrats. That 2% gap is down from a 17% gap in March.

Secondly, voters ranked “threats to democracy” as a more important issue than the cost of living, whereas high costs were ranked as the more important issue in May.

Flag Poll: Which party has the best chance to win both the House and the Senate in the upcoming midterms?

FLAG FINDS

Clean Boots and Floors, Heart-Shaped Waffles, and Perfect Burgers

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WATERCOOLER

First Survivor Wins, Lagom, Posthumous Exoneration

On August 23, 2000, Richard Hatch, a 39-year-old corporate trainer from Rhode Island, won the season-one finale of the reality television show Survivor and takes home the promised $1 million prize.

Big Think: The Swedish philosophy of lagom: how “just enough” is all you need

VICE: Why Does Everything On Netflix Look Like That?

CNBC: 10 common phrases that make you sound passive-aggressive in the workplace

Today I Learned about Pheasant Island. The landmass is located between Spain and France and alternates nationalities every 6 months between both nations.

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