Wednesday, November 05, 2025 |
|
|
Democrats won big elections in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia yesterday. But there were even more surprising victories elsewhere in America. Local and statewide elections in red states, some of them deep red, broke in favor of the Democratic Party, according to Esquire's political columnist, Charles P. Pierce. In a column today, Pierce goes beyond the headlines to find several encouraging signs for Democrats. You can read his column below. – Michael Sebastian, editor-in-chief Plus: |
|
|
In places where seats are scarce, Democrats won big. |
The Democrats had a big night on the big-ticket items. Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill are the new governors of Virginia and New Jersey. California is now free to use for good the power of the gerrymander. And Zohran Mamdani, who sounds less like Trotsky than he does a combination of Fiorello La Guardia on policy and Al Smith on the politics of joy, confounded a lot of Very Serious People and is now mayor-elect of New York City. All of these things are unquestionably good, but let's go down to Mississippi for the real skinny on what happened Tuesday night. For the past 13 years, Republicans have wielded this power over the Mississippi senate. On Tuesday, the Democrats flipped two state senate seats, cutting the Republican majority from 36 down to 34, which breaks the supermajority and forces the Republican majority to behave as if the senate is an actual legislative body. One of the winners, Johnny DuPree, the politically eccentric former mayor of Hattiesburg and something of a perpetual candidate for anything, beat his Republican opponent with 71 percent of the vote. That is what political scientists refer to as a "serious ass-whupping." |
|
|
In 2021, some good news for Japanese-whisky fans arrived in the form of new labeling standards set forth by the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association, which were codified a few years later … sort of. Japanese whisky is now subject to rules that clearly define what is in the bottle, although at this point it's really an agreement among producers rather than a legal requirement. According to Kris Elliott, cofounder of High Road Spirits, which imports Japanese whisky, among other spirits, the intent is for these standards to become law within a few years, ensuring that Japanese whisky will be defined as specifically as Scotch or bourbon is. Kris Elliott, cofounder of High Road Spirits, believes that the new standards will benefit the industry as a whole. "Even though Japanese whisky is growing as a category, it is quite small compared to other global whisky categories," he said. "As the industry matures and the regulations are recognized, there will be less brands 'faking it until they make it.' It will be an evolution, a curve, until we reach a level of transparency all the way to the consumer." |
|
|
"Don't you just love New York in the fall?" That's what Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan said to each other in the effervescent rom-com classic You've Got Mail. (Written and directed by former Esquire columnist Nora Ephron, by the way.) But you don't have to live on the cold East Coast to love the cooler months. From now until Spring, it's a time for cozier style, layers upon layers, and a wider breadth of colors. This time of year, I rely on Todd Snyder's sweats to make me look my best on pumpkin spice-fueled errands. Todd Snyder's Luxe Sport line is perfect, with a more classic menswear look than you get from modern athleisure. Amongst the collection is a sweatshirt threatening to steal my Midweight Pocket's spot in the lineup: the Portuguese Terry Pocket Sweatshirt. It's made for the gym, but the sweatshirt works for just about any occasion short of formal. It's versatile, looks good, and keeps you warm. What more could you ask for? |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment