Thoughts on a Tsunami
Chosen for Texas: Presenting Texas Senator-elect James Talarico, 37, seen here demonstrating his support for the arts by posing with a promising Texas musician named Willie Nelson. Statehouse rep, teacher and seminarian Talarico’s victory was one of the sweetest droplets in the blue tsunami that just thundered through Congress. In related news, Ken Paxton just offered Kid Rock a sawbuck if he’d take a selfie with him.
If you’re wondering why we haven’t posted something about the election results sooner, you may select a reason from this list:
- We’re still reading news stories about the blue tsunami, sometimes three or four times.
- We’re pretty hungover from all the champagne we drank last night.
- Every time we sit down to write something we have to get up and start dancing around.
Anyway, we’ve finally sorted out our thoughts somewhat.
This is a momentous, historic event. As much as it’s a repudiation of the corruption, cruelty and chaos of the Trump era, it’s also a validation of the ideas and constituencies MAGA has worked so hard to suppress.
What will ensue when this new, overwhelmingly Democratic class takes the field and addresses the damage wrought by a weakened, flailing president? We shall see. For now, we’re savoring a zealous swing toward sanity among the electorate.
We’re also wondering how this result will resonate throughout pop culture. Will music change? Will we hear more hopeful songs, more angry songs, more tuned-in songs? Given the relative youth and social-media savvy of so many Dem winners, how will their musical predilections affect the landscape? (Paging Bobby Pulido.) Considering the avid social-policy interests of stars like Taylor, Bruce, O-Rod, Billie, Bunny, Chappell, Doechii and Noah, how might they use their platforms to advance certain causes?
It will be fascinating—and, let’s face it, fun—to watch this new, more optimistic chapter unfold.
Meanwhile, in our office, the handicapping of the 2028 presidential race is already in full effect. Our in-house raters say Jon Ossoff’s odds of becoming the next chief exec hover somewhere between 0% and 100%.
OK, time to dance around some more.
That’s industry hall-of-famer Sylvia Rhone with then-Atlanta mayor and now Georgia governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. A champion knows a champion.