Can the Democrats Win This Fall?

Plus: the sins of the Supreme Court’s Catholics; and an illustrated story of a recovering alcoholic. View in browser | Update your preferences Friday, August 19, 2022 In today’s newsletter, “Trumptimism,” and then: • The sins of the Supreme Court’s Catholics • An illustrated story of a recovering alcoholic • Rehabilitating the world’s largest instrument Is There a Case for Optimism for Democrats This Fall? One strategist’s “Trumptimism” is another’s “hopium.” Photograph by Jackson Hole / The Washington Post / Getty By Tuesday night, the Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney’s “once promising career in the House of Representatives was over, at least for now, a casualty of her refusal to prostrate herself at the altar of Trump,” Susan B. Glasser writes, in her weekly column. Cheney’s primary loss was another triumph for Donald Trump this midterm season. But there is a new school emerging of what might be called “Trumptimism” among some Democratic strategists, who are holding out hope for a bluer election than once seemed likely this fall. Is this “history-defying, experience-flouting optimism that maybe things won’t work out so badly after all in November”—which abandons “the laws of political physics”—unrealistic? Or can the Democrats overcome President Biden’s unpopularity—and voter distress over record inflation—to move the needle in their favor? —Jessie Li, newsletter editor Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Daily Comment The Sins of the High Court’s Supreme Catholics The overturn of Roe v. Wade is part of ultra-conservatives’ long history of rejecting Galileo, Darwin, and Americanism. By James Carroll Politics and More Podcast Uncovering Biden Family Secrets The President has been a public figure for decades. How did his father’s scandalous past remain unknown? The New Yorker Festival returns October 7th-9th. Buy a Eustace Pass » Editor’s Pick Culture Desk What Happened When I Stopped Drinking I put down the bottle and picked up everything else. By Simone Finch and Jason Adam Katzenstein Culture Dept. The Front Row What to Stream: “Posse,” a Wild Western of High Purpose The director Mario Van Peebles dramatizes the centrality of Black people as cowboys and townspeople in the history of the American West. By Richard Brody Atlantic City Postcard Helping the World’s Largest Instrument Get Its Groove Back The Midmer-Losh, the pipe organ at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, hasn’t been fully playable since 1944. A team of volunteers is fixing it up. By Laura Preston Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Shouts Reading Between the Lines in Instagram Dog-Adoption Posts What they say: “Flopsy is a four-year-old shepherd mix with a big personality!” What they mean: “Just sell your nice furniture now.” By Katie Barsotti Crossword A Themed Puzzle: Body Language Table salt, to a chemist: four letters. By Peter Gordon Daily Cartoon Friday, August 19th By Leise Hook P.S. “House of the Dragon,” a prequel to the television series “Game of Thrones,” premières on Sunday. Both shows were adapted from books by George R. R. Martin, who was profiled by Laura Miller in 2011. For years, Martin has written a lively blog (titled “Not a Blog”) in which he speaks to eager, restless fans who sometimes admonish him for not writing his books quicker. In one infamous post, “To My Detractors,” from 2009, he wrote, “As some of you like to point out in your e-mails, I am sixty years old and fat, and you don’t want me to ‘pull a Robert Jordan’ on you and deny you your book. Okay, I’ve got the message. . . . (Well, maybe it’s okay if I take a leak once in a while?)” Today’s newsletter was written by Jessie Li. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.