Box Score of the Week

Chicago White Sox at Washington Nationals - September 6, 1933.

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On assignment

I have obligations to fulfill for my day job, so former MN State Senator Dave Osmek has been called on to fill in on today's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour barn burner (how Osmek is promoting it) will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics Dave plans on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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These aren't your grandparents' Dems (or even your parents')

Many Democrats of the Civil Rights era would stage sit-ins in areas where black people were not allowed to be present. Today's Dems (specifically elected Minnesota DFLers) also prefer to participate in such activities, but this time to *undermine* civil liberties. 

Minnesota Democrats continued to stage a sit-in on Friday in the House chamber to protest the lack of a vote on gun control measures.

On Thursday night, a procedural motion to force a vote on a gun control package passed by the state Senate earlier this month failed along party lines following hours of debate. Republican Speaker Lisa Demuth then adjourned the House until noon Saturday.

House Republican leaders called for Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, to be removed as the Democratic co-chair of the tax committee after a verbal altercation with Rep. Elliot Engen, R-Lino Lakes, that Republicans claim included threatening language.

Rep. Engen verified this via his Twitter account. 

 

Can confirm.

Didn’t have multiple Democrat colleagues yelling at me to “go f’ing shoot myself” on my bingo card… https://t.co/veol1CXzxT

— Elliott Engen (@elliottengenMN) May 15, 2026

In the aftermath of legislative colleagues Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman (as well as their spouses) being shot by a crazed gunman last year, Minnesota legislators of all stripes made a vow to be more unified and tamp down divisive rhetoric in the aftermath of such horrific incidents. Sadly, I wasn't terribly optimistic those sentiments would be sustained. And, as always, these people lived up to my low expectations. 

The 2026 session officially ends Sunday night, which isn't nearly soon enough. 

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Quick Hits: Volume CDXI

- It doesn't require keen insights to ascertain that Los Angeles, CA is becoming a hell hole. And the fact the city (and state where it's located) is run by vapid progressives played no small part in a once vibrant area essentially cratering. 

Spencer Pratt, whose family's home was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfires last year, is running a dynamic campaign to unseat incumbent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. One of the visuals he's put forth is how he lives in an airstream trailer on the property where his house was located before it's fiery demise. But Pratt is taking on the Democrat machine, so it's obvious they're looking to undermine his story as well as destroy his credibility. And they sure thought they had him with this. 

😳 EXCLUSIVE: Spencer Pratt is staying at the Bel Air hotel, not his airstream trailer.

Details: https://t.co/aMYI685oaT pic.twitter.com/r8VXLhiG9F

— TMZ (@TMZ) May 13, 2026

Sooooo......why exactly is he living in a hotel (albeit a swanky establishment) as opposed to his home? Have these brilliant opposition researchers asked themselves that question? I'm guessing not, because if they had they would've realized this isn't quite the epic "gotcha" as they would seem to believe. 

Democrats will burn your house down with incompetence, not issue the permits to rebuild it, and raise your taxes in the meantime, while attacking you for having to go live in a hotel.

You can't imagine how depraved that is. pic.twitter.com/KxinQo4XuS

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) May 13, 2026

Indeed.

 

- I'm obviously not on any of the dating apps, so I wouldn't have been able to advise this young lady as brilliantly as the gentleman who replied to her "wish." 

I dunno about her dating apps, but she at least followed this directive for her Instagram bio. 

- It isn't exactly a new development that elected Democrats are demonizing billionaires for merely existing. But do they realize that a few high profile ones have large platforms dedicated to helping them attain power? 

 

It never ceases to amaze how utterly awful today's Dems are at politics. 

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Box Score of the Week

St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves - May 25, 1967.

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Cardinals star Lou Brock became the first player in MLB history to record at least 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases before playing the 40th game of a season. Since then, Eric Davis (1987 season) and Oneil Cruz (2026) joined that exclusive club.

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The NARN Closer's playlist (Saturday edition) - 5/9/2026

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Too high or too low, there ain't no in-betweens................

My friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg and I are switching broadcasts this weekend, so I will be in the Patriot bunker today for the weekly airing of my radio show. The 2-hour blitz will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

In the first hour, we'll discuss the latest in the 2026 midterm election cycle, specifically how the Democrat party has an extremism problem. I will also weigh in on the DFL-controlled Minnesota State Senate passing a major gun control bill. Will it get through a tied House? 

At 2:00, Miss Twin Cities 2026/journalism student/activist Anna Brennan will join the broadcast to discuss her testimony before a MN Senate Committee on legislation addressing kids' social media usage. 

Finally at 2:30, longtime friend of the broadcast Sen. Karin Housley (R-Stillwater) will check in with an end of session update. She will also discuss her recently announced reelection campaign. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Extremities

In midterm election cycles, trends typically favor the opposite party of the current U.S. President. And if said POTUS is in his second term, the wave can often resemble a proverbial tsunami. As I write this, President Donald Trump's approval ratings are cratering in almost every area, including what many deem his greatest strength -  border security (he's barely above water). 

All those factors would indicate that Democrats are a shoo-in to take control of the U.S. House (the Republicans have a razor-thin majority as it is) with a legit shot to seize the Senate (GOP has a 53-47 majority). With all those advantages, it would appear the Dems merely have to stay out of their own way the next six months for a "blue wave" to come to fruition. 

But as Josh Kraushaar notes, Democrats just may not be able to help themselves due to their extremism problem. 

Indeed, a new poll commissioned by The Argument magazine finds that the generic ballot shows Democrats have been stuck with a six-point lead for a while even as Trump’s job approval has declined precipitously in the last several months. They’re voting to put a check on the GOP’s dominance of Washington, without endorsing the direction of the Democratic party.

“Democrats still have tangible policy misalignments with many voters who dislike Trump,” The Argument concluded in its polling analysis.

All told, the question becomes: Will the anticipated Democratic wave closely resemble the Democrats’ version of the GOP Tea Party election of 2010? In that election, Republicans swept into power in the House but far-right and extreme Senate candidates in key races blew golden opportunities, costing Republicans the upper chamber.

That dynamic repeated itself in 2022, when many experts anticipated a Republican wave election, but the party’s nomination of hard-line MAGA candidates in battleground contests led to a marked underperformance.

The alternative outcome is that partisanship and tribalism now run so deeply that an individual candidate’s flaws — even seemingly disqualifying ones — don’t mean what they used to. Right now, Democratic primary voters look like they’re ignoring personal baggage in favor of candidates that are the most ideologically progressive, personally authentic and who are burning hot with rage against Trump and the leadership class.

Earlier this week, you had Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank (from his death bed) warning his fellow Democrats about the consequences of lurching too far left. 

Not to be outdone, leftist CNN commentator Van Jones lamented the continued efforts to put moderate Democrats out to pasture. 

Van Jones on Democrats not supporting John Fetterman being a "moderate"

“That should not be illegal in this party. My god you have to agree on 100% of 100% of the Berkeley California agenda to be a Democrat?”

“It just shows you how nutty things have gotten that someone who… pic.twitter.com/52YPAht2SA

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) May 6, 2026

There is this old mantra that if your opponent is making a mistake, just get outta their way. However, even if Dems put forth extreme left wing candidates in a handful of these Congressional races, there's a nonzero chance they still win in the general election due to anti-Trump sentiment reaching a fever pitch. That and the fact too many Trump supporters typically don't vote when Trump himself is not on the ballot makes the environment ripe for leftist kooks in swings states (i.e. Maine, Michigan and Minnesota) to be elected to the Senate. 

This once again underscores the left's utter hypocrisy as well as complete lack of standards: they decry constantly that Trump is fascist in nature yet have no issue with advancing candidates who are, at best, sympathetic to such tendencies. 

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