If you reached this Balkingpoints article by direct external link, stop by the front page for a rotating satellite view of the earth at night
source: whyy.org
March all you want, but it’s academic unless you also march yourself to the ballot box in November.
I’ve referenced in prior posts the low job approval of Donald Trump, specifically among independents / where elections are won and lost. So Dems were looking for a big night on Tuesday to register that electorally, and that’s just what took place.
After Trump disciple Glenn Youngkin won the VA governor’s race 4 years ago, with the assist of some media-amplified fear mongering about “critical race theory” (remember that red herring?), on Tuesday VA voters overthrew all of that and handed Abigail Spanberger a decisive win. 14.6% / big in a purple state.
Then a couple hours later came an even larger MAGA repudiation. Media Inc had been running with the canard that NJ would be “close”. Uh huh. Trump’s candidate Jack Ciattarelli lost by 13.1%. NJ is more liberal than VA, mostly a blue state but it has elected Republican governors at times, including Chris Christie twice. And by golly, Trump has a lot of support there ; according to a corporate press which is now clearly in his corner. (See 2024, no mention of Trump corruptions at all before the election. Not at all. The parent company owner of ___ news outlet, wants their tax cut dammit).
So the NJ winner Mikie Sherrill, made a point to confer national significance to her victory, and perhaps, give a hint about her future aspirations: “USA will never be ruled by kings” 😄
> Tacked On
For context which is driving the above election results ;
LendingTree estimates the tariffs will increase holiday costs by a total of $40.6 billion.
The average American holiday shopper will pay $132 more because of the tariffs implemented by President Trump, the online lending marketplace estimates.
Well, we’ve got to get those factories back from overseas. You know, the ones where robots do most of the labor now and it’s not the 1950’s anymore? So you need to cough up for that and pay tariffs… 😮
NBC News poll of late October:
The Trump administration has — lived up to (1st figure) / fallen short (2nd figure) ;
Inflation and the cost of living 30% / 66%
Looking out for the middle class 33% / 65%
The economy 34% / 63%
And about the 2026 midterms? On a 1-10 scale / 10 is extremely interested ;
10 / 58%
9 / 8%
8 / 12%
Those 3 highest levels of interest, total to a massive 78%. So inflation and the tariffs are not going unnoticed.
Midterms typically come in at only 30-40% of the electorate however. As mentioned, poll answers and marches don’t matter if you don’t exercise your vote. At least in VA and NJ last night, Americans did exactly that.
The economy is indeed, showing converging signs of a deep recession ahead.
> https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/06/job-cuts-in-october-hit-highest-level-for-the-month-in-22-years-challenger-says.html
Realize what is occurring right now. Companies have stopped hiring due to uncertainties around the tariffs and the reduced purchasing power of consumers because of them. On top of that, layoffs are ramping up.
> https://fortune.com/2025/10/06/us-job-labor-market-growth-mark-zandi-moodys
Many of the layoffs are tech jobs, as mega corporations figure out how to program an AI bot to do tasks which they used to pay workers to do.
> https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/october-2025-tech-industry-layoffs-blood-bath-21143585.php
Republicans on the Hill are doing nothing about either, AI or tariffs. Nor about the deportation of some thousands of workers in agriculture, hospitality and other industries because they do not have legal status as residents. Want to see produce go up? The cost of travel? Make it hard for those operations to find workers. Great idea.
Don’t resolve the matter with a guest worker program and comprehensive, humane immigration reform – something even Bush Jr. was in favor of. Just round up undocumented persons and get rid of them.
When consumer demand drops off – maybe say, because thousands of various household goods, electronics, shoes & clothes made in China cost more due to tariffs and then you have less to spend elsewhere – profits go down, firms stop hiring and a recession starts underway. Trump also cut a lot of govt jobs earlier this year by decree. This one could get deep and entrenched and protracted.
I mentioned in a previous post that Dems don’t have to do anything, because they derive their best electoral power when GOP’s are voted in and then demonstrate they are incompetent to govern. Bush Sr, Bush Jr, Trump 1st term. All resulting in crash recessions and Democrats being elected and cleaning up the mess.
See any articles this year to the effect of “Well, Dems are just as unpopular as Republicans and by golly they are in disarray! What are they going to do?!”. It is the favorite pastime of Media Inc, mostly owned by mega-corporations which are mostly run by Republicans.
The press is welcome to huff & puff and tilt perceptions to assist a GOP that caters to the interests of the few not the many. See, Tue 11/5. Those voters are plenty distressed about an economy that has gone sour this year after it was buoyant under Biden. And things haven’t really hit the fan yet.
NPR Poll: Democrats have biggest advantage for control of Congress in 8 years
More election results / trends unchanged. TN special of 12/2/2025 >
Republicans avoided a nightmare in Tennessee
So even in red-dunderhead TN, the GOP / Trump are losing support from where it was a year ago.