Shrinkage

 

By Hubie and Bertie

We cats love this photo pair, mostly because inflatables should be banned from planet Earth. But it's also a potential metaphor for the state of the Republican Party.

Larry Sabato from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia has flagged a new Gallup poll of party identification: For the third quarter of 2026, respondents who identified with the Democratic Party led those who aligned with the GOP, 50 percent to 39 percent.

"Pay attention to this one," he says. "Plus-eleven D for party ID = largest Dem lead since early 2009 (Obama inauguration).

"Gallup is not just another poll; it’s the gold standard."

Sabato refuses, though, to predict that the midterms will wipe out the Republican Party for now and ever, which is sad, because we're convinced that the only way the country will be saved is if the GOP is destroyed and rebuilt — think 1850s-style stuff. Kind of like how colleges need to completely root out fraternities from their campuses. Just our $0.02. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.