The Democratic Party is primed to lose a high-profile elected official to the murky waters of independent status. Trump’s tariffs are inspiring misinformation, knee-jerk responses, and hysteria on the left, yet one world leader says “okay” without any fuss whatsoever. And in the great state of Texas, a pre-planned Islamic community has been told to cease and desist.
It's a graveyard of bones of contention, and heartlanders were compelled to gnaw away with facts, some satirical fiction, and a whole lot of finger-pointing.
Buh-Bye Democratic Party
The Democratic Party must’ve believed that New York City Mayor Eric Adams had been properly buried under federal corruption indictments. Nah, that case was dismissed, and a defiant Adams came out swinging against both sides of the aisle, announcing his run for re-election – which is problematic at best but not unheard of in American politics today.
The big guy in the Big Apple decided to run as an independent. His reasoning was unclear: “I have always put New York’s people before politics and party – and I always will. I am running for mayor in the general election because our city needs independent leadership that understands working people,” he said in a post on X. “There isn’t a liberal or conservative way to fix New York.”
Georgia man Ed Graham isn’t buying what Adams is selling: “He can call himself an Oompa-Loompa, but he’s still an ultra-left liberal, and NYC’s condition is proof of the failure of his policies.” Oof, a direct hit.
“More than 25,000 New Yorkers signed my Democratic primary petition, but the dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me,” Adams said in his announcement.
In South St Paul, MN, Michael Dreyling only heard “Democratic” as Adams spoke: “JUST WOW... already showing he is NOT faithful to the cause of 'Making America Great Again.'”
Mr. Mayor may have just signed a Do Not Resuscitate as the election is November 4, 2025, and the Democratic Party has all the money. It would be ridiculous to say the conservative faction of the state would embrace him. Perhaps his actions will split the party vote. Stranger things have happened under the big top.
Not everyone is capable of a comeback like the Donald. And then there is this guy lurking in the political weeds and waiting to pounce: former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was forced to resign in 2021 over sexual harassment allegations.
“I am not saying this is going to be easy. It won’t be easy, but I know we can turn the city around, and I believe I can help,” Cuomo said to anyone who would listen in a 17-minute video announcement.
Bernard Newcomer in Ashland, KY, reminded people of Cuomo’s record as Governor, saying, “Hard to believe NYC would vote for Cuomo after his killing seniors during COVID-19 and having to resign from being Governor. The corruption is there; now, don't honor this evil man by making him mayor.”
“There is a right way and a wrong way," Adams claimed, "and true leaders don’t just know the right path; they have the guts to take it.” But does he have a shot?
Tariffs? Si Es Bueno
Argentinian President Javier Milei, during a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, said without rancor that his country will adjust and meet the current demands of President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals. Milei, an economist by trade, is also the world’s first and only libertarian president. He’s interesting, to say the least. “We have already complied with 9 of the 16 necessary requirements, and I have instructed my country’s Foreign Ministry and the Secretary of Commerce to move forward in complying with the remaining requirements,” he continued. “As you will see, we make policy with deeds, not mere words, and in that, we agree with President Trump.”
The Milei factor had folks praising his leadership and talking economics. Bradley Petitt in Spencer, WV, was on it: “Which is what everyone is going to have to do. Once everyone knows the rules of this new economic structure, they will adjust their marketing strategies," explained Petitt. “The short-term pain will result in long-term gain. The old liberal path was unsustainable and, if allowed to continue, would have resulted in an economic collapse in America.”
Retired Aerospace project manager Drew Urbassik chimed in from Rosharon, TX, with sage advice: “I think we all need to take a chill pill and see how the end result materializes. Knee-jerk reactions and bombastic rhetoric solve nothing. Take the time to assess the situation as it pertains to yourself and rationally plan for the future, with or without the tariffs. You will be in a far better position to succeed.”
A Different Kind of Alamo
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) could not break ground on a Muslim-only community due to legal issues.
EPIC wants to build a Muslim "city" on 402 acres of land in the Lone Star State, and some folks are twitchy. The proposed city would have over 1,000 homes, a school based on Islamic teachings, a college (same curriculum), a mosque, and retail operations – a complete and self-sustaining Muslim city.
The EPIC idea has not gone over well in most of Texas, and Americans from all over question the sanity of such isolation of culture. Razorback Vicky Soucy Melton was aghast at the prospect of such an autonomous place: “We've got to protect our country from what Europe has allowed to happen.”
But there are two sides of the same dinar: “To me, as someone who is a sixth-generation Texan, it reads that I’m not welcome here,” said William White, director of the Houston branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.
Beekeeping outfits and burkas aside, it’s Sharia law – or Islamic law derived from the Quran – that gives mainstream Americans the willies. But Abbott addressed that: “To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are ‘no go zones’ which this project seems to imply,” he wrote.
In Weatherford, TX, Patricia Bradford Averitte wasn’t a happy camper whatsoever: “It never should have gotten this far in the first place.”
But the Governor held strong and continued the explanation at hand: “And Sharia law is outlawed in Texas under a law I signed in 2017. Texas is investigating EPIC City for many allegations, including attempts to circumvent that law. All entities in Texas must follow state law, not Sharia law,” Abbott said on his X account.
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