No Chicago Public Square Tuesday. Back Wednesday.
‘We will win the House.’ Now that Democrats have secured control of the U.S. Senate for 2023, author and filmmaker Michael Moore—for much of the campaign a lonely voice of optimism for the party—predicts the House will follow suit, although it may take some time.
■ This round, he’s not alone: Politico says Democrats have a once-“unthinkable” chance of holding the House.
■ Author, documentarian and Chicago native Jonathan Alter calls the midterms “a prophylactic for the future of democracy.”
■ The Washington Post: Election deniers lost races for key state offices in every 2020 battleground state.
■ The Atlantic’s David Frum says voters sent Republicans this message: “We don’t like your MAGA candidates” …
■ … but Politico reports that, compared to the 2018 midterms, Hispanic and Asian support for Republicans jumped 10 and 17 points respectively, and Black voters shifted about 4 points to the right.
‘A what the f— have we done sundae.’ John Oliver mocked Fox News talking heads’ reaction to the election.
■ The conservative Bulwark editor-in-chief, Charlie Sykes: “Last Tuesday destroyed [would-be House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy’s future. … If the GOP wins a narrow dysfunctional majority … he’ll either be ousted or gelded by the NutCase Caucus.”
■ Post columnist Alexandra Petri channels Republican strategists: “We have got to raise the voting age. … Fifty feels reasonable.”
And now, Georgia. The pending senatorial runoff between that state’s incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and his lying Republican challenger Herschel Walker will determine how much clout will rest with conservative Dems Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
■ In a surprise to Georgia’s election officials, state law seemingly forbids voting on the Saturday before the runoff—because it’s the day after a state holiday formerly known as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Birthday.
‘Fix your companies. Or Congress will.’ A U.S. senator whose Twitter account was spoofed—with the senator’s permission—by a Post reporter is demanding Elon Musk undo the damage he’s done at Twitter.
■ In fairness, Fake Twitter is kinda fun—witness this bogus tweet attributed to the CTA’s embattled chairman, Dorval Carter Jr. …
■ … but cached by Google before it went away.
■ Columnist Parker Molloy is enjoying the ride …
■ … but longtime Chicago media observer Mike Foucher is “trying to soak up what I love about Twitter, because once it’s gone, I’m not sure there will ever be a replacement nearly as good as it once was.”
‘The unofficial benefits would be modest at best.’ PolitiFact says a declaration of Donald Trump’s formal candidacy for reelection wouldn’t give him any special protection against the many legal threats he faces.
■ Columnist Lauren Martinchek’s sarcastic appeal: “Please, Trump. Pick Marjorie Greene as your running mate.”
Motorcycle menace. As tensions rise between Chicago’s infamous Outlaws Motorcycle Club and the expanding, California-based Mongol Nation, the Sun-Times sees a biker war brewing.
■ Police say a grocery store worker and an armed robber shot and killed one another in the South Shore neighborhood.
■ Sixteen St. Ignatius College Prep students on their way to an Indiana hockey tournament were hurt Saturday night—three critically—when a truck driver rammed their school bus.
Stillbirth stories. Turning its investigative eye on the more than 20,000 U.S. pregnancies that end with infants born dead, ProPublica is inviting parents, families and medical professionals to share their experiences.
■ Its first report in the series: As many as one in four stillbirths are potentially preventable.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a Square advertiser.
Chicago beauties. Neil Steinberg profiles a Pennsylvania duo turning a photographic spotlight on the crowns of the city’s landmark older skyscrapers …
■ … which may be capped by snow this evening and through the week.
About SNL. Dave Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live monologue—rife with antisemitic notes—is under fire from the Anti-Defamation League.
■ NPR TV critic Eric Deggans: “An artist who fans admire for illuminating issues in surprising ways chose a different path, letting us all down.”
A Square public service announcement.*
).png)
Without them, no Square. If you’re reading this service for free, send thanks to people including Timothy Bannon, Rosemary Caruk, Janean Bowersmith, Stephanie Goldberg, Sherry Kent, Nancy Burns, Mark Mueller, Jordan Wilkerson, Meghan Strubel, Janet Grimes, Donna Barrows, Dave Tan, Jean Remsen, Michael Mini, Timothy Mennel, Tim Colburn and Rupa Datta.
■ You can join them for—no kidding—as little as $1.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.
* For an event featuring a performance by your Square columnist.
