The Morning Briefing: OK Patriots, That's Enough Moping

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Friday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. The lunchtime drum circle will meet at the Jacuzzi of Unbridled Recalcitrance to discuss the recent purchase of ethically-sourced John Denver wigs. 

Look, I know that not all of you are moping. There is only so much space available in the headline, though. "OK Patriots, Enough of Feeling Whatever You're Feeling, Whether It's Bad, Worse, or Indifferent" wasn't going to fit. 

Feeling like garbage after the GOP's bed-befouling non-performance on Tuesday night is warranted. Emotions muddy perspective, however, and we are all in need of some of that if we're going to make this resistance functional when it kicks off in January. 

Honestly, I do like what I'm seeing from a lot of conservatives so far. There's been a tendency in the last decade for Republican voters to blame every loss on the Democrats' fetish for election shenanigans. My body of work on election fraud is extensive, but the Dems didn't even need the Magic Mail-In Ballot Machine this year. Paraphrasing something I told my colleagues during one of our Slack convos on Thursday, "We don't need to look for any monsters under the bed here. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and a slate of crappy candidates is a slate of crappy candidates." 

It's comforting to see Republicans admitting that Republicans screwed this up. Blaming spectacular failures on everyone else is a Dem thing. 

My good friend and partner in thought crime Stephen Green has a very detailed examination of just how, why, and where the GOP shot itself in the foot in his Thursday Essay. I recommend reading the whole thing, then meditating upon his conclusion. 

This resistance of ours is not only going to have to deal with the new and unimproved Democratic Party — Now with a zillionty percent more commie! — but also with the invertebrate "Harumph!" Republicans, as my good friend Kurt Schlichter reminds us at Townhall:

Now, there’s already some gloating by the people affiliated with the old-school Busherriffic Republicans, who are now going to argue that we should announce the end of the America First movement and allow them back into power. They are positively giddy that this happened because they imagine we’re going to come crawling to them, admit we were wrong, and beg them to take us back. Not happening.

Schlichter goes on to point out that the GOP jettisoned some dead weight and that the party is now "tighter and more conservative." We're going to need that to fight the fight that's ahead of us. 

Everything that I wrote before the election to help people prepare for exactly this still applies. In another Townhall piece, my colleague Amy Curtis wrote about Jonathan Turley's recent appearance on Sean Hannity's show. Turley asserted that "the Democrats don't have much to offer here," and that their new majority was going to be a hot mess of impeachment Kabuki. 

That's a variation on a theme in this column of mine that was published just before the results started coming in on Tuesday. This hatred for President Trump that the Democrats have made their brand is going to manifest itself in embarrassing ways for them when they're back in the majority. Here is how I summed that up:

The overwhelming message that the Dems will be sending to the American people is, "Here's why you shouldn't elect one of us president in 2028."

It's time to settle in for the long game now. Find better candidates. Pray that there is a leadership change in the Senate. 

And let the Dems air out their family dirty laundry on a bigger stage. 

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! Subscribe

The Mailbag of Magnificence

Friday's Mailbag kicks off with a note from our friend Charlene in Texas:

Two days out, I am still reeling. I DID NOT see this coming in Texas. To be fair, I am not as active in the "political scene" as I once was, but WOW!! I blame a lot of the Ken Paxton loss on John Cornyn. He has a lot of blood on his hands. I know a lot of people sat out the election because of his hissy fits, and that went a long way to what happened. I read one post that said the best thing about this debacle is that we got rid of a LOT of RINOs. I hope in the recovery we look a lot closer at who wants to "represent" us.

Cornyn couldn't be trusted to do what was best for Republicans even when he was raking in that sweet salary that senators get for doing NOTHING. His supporters always blather on about what an honorable gentleman he his. Nah. He's just a petty, backstabbing "b" word. 

Briefing Bestie (a new designation) Sharon P. writes:

You really get this FaithfulFOTB! Your choice for a timely anthem featured in the Kabana - LOL! Have you been hacking my YouTube selections and noticed all the late nights I head off to bed after viewing this very video? Thanks be to God, at 88, RS still gives me those 'feels'! - OML! BTW - apologizing for the assumption! My roots began in the Badger State, then moving to Michigan, to take a similar job opportunity and be with my older son and his family, as a senior citizen, and off to my Florida nesting place with same family at 80! The perfect place for this Mom of Meticulousity! And thanks to you my dear friend for helping me to look forward to better tomorrows!

It's impossible to grow tired of Rod Stewart. That song really did just JUMP into my head Wednesday morning. Made me smile a little. My maternal grandparents were from Wisconsin then, like you, moved to Michigan. Fun fact: My 6th great-grandfather is Charles de Langlade, aka "The Father of Wisconsin." I think we know where I get my love of beer. Thank you for being here!

This is from Kathy E:

Hello. I agree Ron DeSantis would be excellent president, extraordinarily capable, I think he would be superb as RNC leader too. We need a strong leader there not a feckless one.

If DeSantis doesn't run in 2028 I would LOVE to see him whip the Republican National Committee into shape. Too bad he doesn't have time to do both. 

We'll finish with this from Briefing stalwart Jerome F:

Hey Kruiser, Figure we can slide into the first weekend after the Republican midterm election fail with something a bit more fun to discuss. Pickle wraps! They are a great addition to a party platter with things like deviled eggs and summer sausage. My wife and I make pickles and the best ones for wrapping are the hot ones. The heat pairs well with a medium thick layer of cream cheese and deli ham. This weekend, have a beer for me, and I’ll have one for you!

I'm half Polish, pickles are my spirit animal. And yes, let's beer for each other this weekend!

Thanks to all who wrote this week. Pretty sure I'm making deviled eggs this weekend.

Everything Isn't Awful

He just needed some personal space.. 😅 https://t.co/gT4vmauk1q

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 5, 2026

PJ Media

VodkaPundit. This Is How Pelosi Ends: Not With a Bang But With a Weirdo

Knock, knock, knockin'...The Pope of Rome Meets ‘The Poet Laureate of Rock and Roll’

U.S. Helps Strike Cartel Hotspot Venezuela With Drones

Newsom Commutes Death Sentences of All 548 California Death Row Inmates

Fraudsters Allegedly Bought a Nightclub and Homes in Greece With Homelessness Funding

What Is Going on With J.D. Vance?

JD Vance Just Revealed His 2028 Presidential Platform — and MAGA’s Ideological War Is Underway

The Dangerous Illusion of a Neutral Culture

DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon Decides to Leave Washington and Return to Private Practice

Mexican Judge Accused of Taking Bribes to Prevent Traffickers’ Extradition

Melania Helped Civilians Escape Oleshky, and Now Both Sides Have Met at the White House

Townhall Mothership

Schlichter. Yeah, It Blows… So What? Life Is Hard. Toughen Up.

Turley Warns That Voters Will Experience Buyer's Remorse, and Soon

Here's How One Republican Defied the Blue Wave and Won in Deep-Blue Vermont

MS NOW Dismisses Byron Donalds As Florida's First Black Governor

About Those 'Gun-Free' Subway Platforms...

Cam&Co. Gun Control's Long Game Revealed in 'Assault Weapon' Amicus Briefs

NRA-ILA: Now the Real Work Begins

🍾🍾🍾Salon Is No More, Pass the Champagne

First Lawfare Target: James O'Keefe

He's running. DeSantis Brought the Fire Over Senate GOP, and I'm Here for It

Rubio Weighs in on Whether He's Leaving Admin With the Perfect Answer

Lisa Murkowski's Blue Wave Surprise: Did She Really Miss It?

Pay Close Attention to What Happens in North Carolina Over the Next Two Years

Theory: Dems Can Hold Power for Over a Decade If They Can Just Do Three Things (They Can’t)

Pramila Jayapal Looks Forward to Imprisoning ICE Agents for ::Checks Notes:: Enforcing Federal Laws

Hakeem Jeffries Asks 'Why Pete Hegseth Is Still Around' and X Delivers in the Replies

VIP

VodkaPundit, Part Deux. Thursday Essay: So That Happened

How Left-Wing Racism Against White People Led to France’s Riots

The Great Replacement Chronicles: When the Somalis Go Marching in (to Congress)

Texas Added Nearly 3 Million Voter Registrations in Two Years. Citizenship Proof Isn’t Required.

The Democrats' Plan to End the Electoral College Would Be Catastrophic for Republicans and the U.S.

The Lure of DSA and Undiscussed Radicalization of the Younger Generations

Leftists Think Texas Is Blue Now. It’s Not.

Around the Interwebz

John Wick Animated Film With Keanu Reeves Officially A Go At Lionsgate

Sony revives the original Walkman headphones, adds USB-C

Why Neon Signs Were So Common on Route 66—and What They Mean Today

The Kruiser Kabana

Kabana Gallery

The Oak #artbots #cezanne https://t.co/MdHq74YArz

— Paul Cezanne (@cezanneart) November 5, 2026

Kabana Comedy/Tunes

My favorite band. These are two of AC/DC's most underrated songs. "Sin City" got some airplay, but "Live Wire" was just too long for heavy radio rotation. These were recorded just a couple of months before Bon Scott died his very rock and roll death. Also, this is peak Angus.

Weekend Bonus

One of their greatest songs. The audio isn't super here, but it had the best vibe of any of the versions that were on YouTube. Crank it up anyway.

POTUS Press Today

Become part of the PJ Media VIP party by subscribing here. Use promo code KRUISERMB to receive a WHOPPING 60% discount. Trust me, we’re having fun over here.