Top O' the Briefing
Happy Thursday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Osbelduwysk felt that his ayahuasca/Spam reimagining of the classic puff pastry gave him the right to be a bit braggadocious at the monthly Parcheesi socials.
We're going to be picking through the reeking debris from Tuesday night for a long time. I was going at it from every angle that I could on Wednesday. I'm letting some things stew before I flesh them out in columns, mostly to make sure that they're not nonsensical hot takes.
Although he is the focus of my latest column, I'm going to try and avoid writing about Abdul El-Sayed at least until January. The Motor City Muslim will be plenty awful once he's in office, I don't need to spend the holidays chronicling every stupid thing he says or does.
After the kind of shellacking that the GOP took in this one, everything has to be on the table when considering the best way to move forward.
Florida was the one real bright spot for Republicans on Election Night. That may have changed to the conversation about 2028 a little bit. This is from my HotAir colleague David Strom:
However, the 2028 election IS something we can affect, and until last night everybody was talking about an epic battle between J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio, but after last night a third name has resurfaced: Ron DeSantis.
I didn't just make that up because he was my favorite in 2024. The chatter isn't just on X, either. People are putting their money where their mouth is, for whatever that is worth these days.
In the betting markets, J.D. Vance's numbers dropped, and Marco's have remained stable today, but Ron DeSantis jumped from nowhere to 15 percent in just a few hours.
I'm a big DeSantis fan, but honestly hadn't thought about him much for 2028. He does make the Republicans' "embarrassment of riches" situation even more interesting. As I told my colleagues the other day on Slack, I am forever grateful to DeSantis for turning the biggest pain in the a** presidential swing state into a Republican stronghold.
That is even more important now that the Texas GOP has found a way to maybe transform the Lone Star State into a swing state almost overnight. Pondering Texas's electoral votes going to the Democrats is straight-up nightmare fuel.
DeSantis pulled no punches in his criticism of the GOP in remarks about Tuesday night. David has the video of that in his post. It is DeSantis at his no B.S. best.
While I do think that DeSantis spices up the 2028 Republican presidential nomination possibilities, I remember how awful he was during the 2024 primaries. In his role as governor, DeSantis is a stone-cold assassin when dealing with the hostile media.
When he was campaigning for the nomination in 2024, he looked like he'd never been in front of television lights before. That might have been the fault of his consultants. He seemed less extemporaneous and overly-produced. His ability to clearly make the case to MSM idiots about his accomplishments, which was usually brilliant, suddenly vanished.
DeSantis won't be governor anymore if he runs again. Another possible explanation for his stiff performance in 2024 is that he was distracted by being the chief executive of the third most populous state in the country.
Whether DeSantis is even thinking of running again in 2028 is unclear. If he doesn't, I hope he remains an active elder statesman in GOP politics. The party is going to need that red state mojo of his.
Contributions to the Mailbag of Magnificence can be sent to kruisermb@gmail.com
Click the button to get the Morning Briefing emailed to you every weekday. Have your coffee with me, people. It's free, and it supports conservative media!
The Mailbag of Magnificence
The post-election Mailbag is absolutely bursting, but I can only get to a few. Long story, mostly racism and Bush tax cuts. We begin with this one from our friend HBW in Texas:
Most Munificent One, Inquiring minds want to know. Where does The Sine Qua Non Sequitur get the funds for all of these trips to exotic locals for interesting and outlandish excursions, hhmmm?!?!?! As always, keep up the good work and funny words. Your Most Humble and Obedient Reader,
Excellent question. All SQNS travel is funded by an endowment that was created by a curiously wealthy group of mosaic enthusiasts in the 1940s.
OG FOTB Brice writes:
Gee... Guam as a bellwether sure didn't age well. That said... while I'm disappointed I'm not surprised. The reason Republicans got slaughtered is the same reason Biden torched Democrats 2024, Obama got slaughtered 2010 and 2014, Bush had his rear handed to him 2006, and Clinton had his 1994 issues. It really is the economy and people vote how they feel. Trump dragged a war on that people perceived as the sole cause of inflation and voted for a party that wants to get rid of fossil fuels altogether. Republicans offered no legislative solutions and Democrats didn't either... but the party in charge gets the blame. But the sun still came up this morning and we're now the resistance.
Fun fact: Kevin Downey Jr. and I did a couple of gigs for the troops in Guam several years ago. LOVED the place. Just up the street from our hotel was a strip mall that had a gun range and a topless bar next door to each other. Both were open until 4:30 AM. That told us all we needed to know about Guam. I've been the resistance a lot, I just hope this isn't an extended run.
This is from FOTB Sharon P:
OK, how does one who considers oneself sane come to grips with the results of this insane debacle of an election cycle? Is God saying, "To hell with it! Your choice, America, deal with it!" Stephen, dust off a copy of Dylan's "Slow Train" and tell us if it should become an anthem for the revival that must happen soon! A reminder to all the 'socialists' gloating today 'Pride cometh before the fall!'
I don't think that the good Lord is done with the U.S. just yet. I wrote a column on Tuesday afternoon that piggybacked on things I'd written here in the Briefing about why we shouldn't panic. My post-election "anthem" for the moment is in the "Kabana Comedy/Tunes" section today. Also, I would like to clear something up that you said in your other email, and I don't think that you're the only one who's confused about this. I am not a "former Michigander." I'm from Tucson, and quite proud to have been spawned in this desert. I've spent most of my life here and in Los Angeles. Never lived in Michigan. I don't do places that don't have mountains. And I think the seasons are overrated.
I felt it important to get that out of my system.
We'll finish with this from our friend Sheryl in Georgia:
Well, I successfully avoided coverage up until 1030 pm ET by virtue of reading American Warlord in one sitting and then catching some pro wrestling. Oddly, the combo of those two seems a fitting metaphor for our politics at present. Hoping the ammo prices don't go crazy overnight. (I kid!... maybe). Mid week cheers to you!
As I was wrapping up the MB after the live blog the other night I decided that more of my discretionary spending would be allocated to ammo purchases. My virtual shopping cart runneth over. Cheers to you too!
Thanks everyone. There were some long, thoughtful emails that I couldn't respond to. Just know that we're in this together! Oh, and probably don't sniff glue.
Everything Isn't Awful
That’s not a cat.. 😅 https://t.co/s0GpRkfwzj
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 4, 2026
PJ Media
Me. Wow: Islamophobia Sure Gets a Lot of Terrorism Supporters Elected
You Really Need to Hear This From Rush Limbaugh Right Now
'Satirical' Video Shows Non-Satirical Truth of California Migrants Voting in Red States
Iran Threatens to Assassinate Bessent, Hit European Military Bases
An American Referendum Against Israel and Jews
👏👏👏Girls' Sports Won on Election Day
Election Day Hangover: Let's Look at Some of the Hard-to-Believe Results and Executive Order 13848
Let's Win Our Country Back One Neighbor at a Time
Erika Kirk’s Post-Election Reflection on Charlie’s Vision
I like not getting nuked. Was Eliminating the Iran Nuclear Threat Worth the Political Price?
Soul Surfing the Blue Wave: What Happened, Why It Happened, and What the Hell We Can Do About It
Pure Evil: Leftist Women Chant 'Abortion Is So Back, Baby' on Video
Maryland Girl Escapes Illegal Alien Kidnapper-Stabber
Texas Voters Rejected Flock Plate Readers, but the Mayor Wanted Them Covered Immediately
Townhall Mothership
Republican Ballot Measures Were Victorious Across the Country. What Does That Mean for Republicans?
Nuke him from orbit. Thune Decides Whether He'll Run for Senate Minority Leader
Trump Reveals Whether He'll Get Involved in House Minority Leader Race
Do You Find This Exchange Between James Talarico and CNN Interesting?
Ohio House Needs to Move on Suppressor Deregulation
Cam&Co. After Blue Wave, What Can 2A Supporters Expect?
Referendum Results a Mixed Bag for Gun Owners
Trump: 'I Thought They'd Do Better,' but I'll Work With Democrats
Vance Comes Out Swinging: End the War, Abandon Israel
Some Horrible People Got Elected, and the Cardboard Ayatollah Has Some Thoughts
Ilhan Omar Just Addressed Her Supporters After Election Victory. What She Says Is Jaw-Dropping.
The Two Saving Graces We Have Headed Into 2027
Greg Gutfeld Has a Preview of the Next 2 Years of Dem Congressional Control and What Happens in 2028
Crude Oil Prices Plummet a Day After the Election (but It's Probably Just a Coincidence)
Muslim Brotherhood Leader Calls El-Sayed’s Win a Model for Working From Within the Political System
VIP
Postcard From France: 'Dear America': This Can Happen to You.
Predator Watch: Mother and Daughter Killed in Suspected Grizzly Bear Attack on Walk Near Their Home
Adventures in The Patriarchy™: Hijabed! Volume VI
Spencer Pratt Says Dems Are Better at Messaging Than GOP, and Storytelling Is the Key
Thune Has No Apology for Backstabbing Trump and Discouraging the Base
Darline Graham Nordone Was the Mistake That Didn't Need to Happen
The Great Replacement Chronicles: Halloween Fallout
Most Consciousness Scientists Say AI Is or Could Become Conscious
I Asked for Two More Innings, but My Daughter Said We Were Going to the Hospital
Around the Interwebz
Down the Detective Hole: 7 great Nordic noirs you can watch right now
People say they want small smartphones—the Enough Phone will put that to the test
The Real-Life Gilded Age Party That Changed New York Society Forever
The Kruiser Kabana
Kabana Gallery
Evening in Ukraine #artbots #kuindzhi https://t.co/36wtNlPkJT
— Arkhip Kuindzhi (@artistkuindzhi) November 4, 2026
Kabana Comedy/Tunes
This song popped into my head on my morning walk Wednesday and I realized that my Blue Wave coping mechanisms were firing on all cylinders.
POTUS Press Today
| ||
|