Tell Us Your Political Hopes, Dreams, Fears, and Hot Takes in This Week’s Post-Election Open Thread

Not since a Na'vi gestured goodbye to me have I thought so much about a "blue wave."*

But that's the political reality this week, as Democratic midterm candidates across the country trounced Republicans to overtake the U.S. House and Senate. Closer to home, DFLers dominated every statewide race, extending the party's GOP-snuffing hot streak to 21 years.

With the horse-race punditry smoke clearing, we turn to the question of: what now?

Locally, we've already begun to speculate wildly about who future Gov. Amy Klobuchar will appoint to fill her soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat. The DFL flipped control of the state House while maintaining its hold on the Senate and Governor's Mansion—how will this trifecta differ from the historic 2023-24 sessions? Will self-appointed, extremely online MN GOP insider Dustin Grage ever acknowledge how badly he ate shit, predictions-wise? And will future U.S. Sen. Peggy Flanagan accept our request to come on RacketCast next week to discuss, among other topics, her fandom of Gwar and skepticism of party boss Chuck Schumer?

Nationally, how do Democrats advance a legislative agenda with a crooked, fascist, brain-rotted lame duck sitting in the Oval Office? Is Ken Martin, the center-left DNC chief from Minnesota, vindicated after getting dunked on for years by members of the press, GOP, and his own party? Is this the party of Hasan Piker, Rachel Maddow, Matt Yglesias, or some constantly bickering mutation of all three?

And screw it, while we're achieving full prognostication, who should run for president in 2028?

That's a looooooong-winded way of asking you, the politically adroit Racket reader, what you'd like to see happen in the next two years. What did Tuesday mean, and what are your hopes, dreams, fears, and hot takes for what comes next?

Me, personally? Color me millennial lefty stereotypical, but I'm intrigued by Sen. Bernie Sanders's piledriver push for Medicare for All below (see below), and I'm heartened by the populist revolt against AI.

Anyway, take it away! This is your forum to debate the immediate-term future of politics in Minnesota and beyond. As always feel free to ignore this prompt and talk about whatever you want. This is your Open Thread after all.

*Sorry, one last prompt: Did you like my Na'vi lede? Racket's Keith Harris did not.