So What?

We are headed into the long weekend — many of you are probably already into it — and I wanted to share some articles from the past week (or so) that you really should spend time with over the next few days. I am not sure if this will be a regular feature or not — let me know what you think in the comments section! — but I kind of like the idea. Here we go! I am going to have MUCH more to say about this piece — and Fetterman more generally — early next week. In the meantime, read this.

My two boys are on a soccer trip. Which means my wife and I are home alone ‚ÄĒ at least for a few days. Last night, we went on a six-mile walk. I am not sure I am setting the right precedent for our empty-nester years ūüėāūüėāūüėā. It‚Äôs Friday. Which means it‚Äôs time for me to answer questions about the week that was ‚ÄĒ and the weeks to come (60 days until the midterms!) ‚ÄĒ from the ‚ÄúSo What community. As always, these are real questions from real paid subscribers to this newsletter.

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on September 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) For the first time in [checks watch] more than 40 days, the White House held a “daily” press briefing on Thursday. Still without a press secretary following Karoline Leavitt’s departure late last month, Vice President JD Vance stepped behind the podium to try out for 2028 brief reporters.

If you look at the 50,000-foot view of the coming 2026 election, you quickly perceive that EVERY indicator suggests a massive Democratic wave building. Donald Trump is unpopular. Gas prices are over $4.00 a gallon. People are very pessimistic about the state and direction of the economy. Historic midterm election trends suggest the party in the power loses House seats more than 90% of the time. But the 50-foot view of the House and Senate maps looks different.

. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Fourteen months ago, when I first started ranking the 10 Democrats most likely to be the 2028 presidential nominee, I put New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the pole position.

US Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed speaks with reporters during a Student Meet and Greet at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on August 26, 2026. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty Images) Abdul El-Sayed is a very gifted candidate.

Nine weeks from today, Democrats are going to pick up House and Senate seats. That’s as close to a certainty as you can get in politics. What’s harder to know — today — is whether it will be a blue wave or a blue tsunami, meaning are Democratic gains in the House in the 7-12 range or the 20+ range? And in the Senate, do Democrats net 2 seats or, say, 5 or even 6 seats?

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a campaign event at Matt's Rancho Martinez restaurant on August 04, 2026 in Allen, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Over the weekend, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn unloaded on the man who beat him in a GOP runoff over the summer: Ken Paxton. “Paxton’s a poor campaigner,” Cornyn told the Texas Tribune. “He’s lazy and doesn’t raise money. And he basically is not offering a very compelling case for his election.

President Donald Trump arrives to present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II crew members, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) I will admit that I was unaware that former South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy had his own Sunday evening show on Fox News.

I left legacy media to build something different: independent, honest political analysis with no corporate or partisan agenda. I call balls and strikes ⚾ — because politics needs referees, not cheerleaders. If you want clear, concise analysis that cuts through the noise, subscribe today. You’ll get what actually matters—not just what people want you to hear. ğŸŽ¯ Welcome to the last week before my kids go back to school.