Hamden Politics: Sunny Side Up

09/05/2026

They hate cameras, they hate flock, they hate black HFD Chiefs, they hate HPD black Chiefs, they hate HPD Chiefs wearing civilian clothes, they hate that legacy and white only advancement at the HFD is in the rear view mirror. My God those MAGA’s hate everything Hamden.

09/05/2026

THIS IS SHOCKING: Republicans are openly admitting how toxic Donald Trump really is.

Some Republican candidates are doing something that would have been almost unthinkable during their primaries:

They’re making Donald Trump LESS visible.

In Texas, Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz’s website once introduced him in giant letters as a “TRUMP CONSERVATIVE.”

That’s gone.

His homepage now describes him as a “PROVEN CONSERVATIVE” instead.

Another Texas Republican, Eric Flores, previously featured “SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AGENDA” prominently on his campaign website.

That message was replaced with:

“LOWER THE COST OF LIVING.”

In Kentucky, Republican Ralph Alvarado removed Trump references and a photograph with Trump from his homepage after the primary, shifting his branding from “AMERICA FIRST FIGHTER” toward “INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP.”

And this isn’t happening in a vacuum.

Reuters reported months ago that Republican strategists were developing a midterm strategy emphasizing Trump-era policies while making Trump himself less central to campaigns.

Now Axios reports that some Republican strategists are openly worried about Trump making the midterms a referendum on himself, even as the president insists on campaigning aggressively across roughly 35 races.

Here’s the fascinating contradiction:

Once the primaries ended and the general election began?

Some candidates quietly changed the packaging.

Less “Trump Conservative.”

More “lower the cost of living.”

Less “America First Fighter.”

More “independent leadership.”

That doesn’t tell us what will happen in November.

But with fewer than two months until Election Day, it does say how terrified Republicans are to associate with Donald Trump.

09/05/2026

MAGA has Texas all F’d up

Texas’ education debate is getting louder: the state is strong in fourth-grade math, but struggling badly in reading.

In the 2024 NAEP results, Texas ranked 37th in fourth-grade reading, 44th in eighth-grade reading, 8th in fourth-grade math, and 34th in eighth-grade math. That uneven picture is now fueling a bigger argument about where the state has gone over the last three decades.

Ann Richards, who took office in 1991, was Texas’ last Democratic governor. Supporters often point to gains in reading and math during the early 1990s, and some claim Texas ranked 7th in education during her era. That claim depends heavily on which ranking system is being used, so direct comparisons across decades need caution.

What is clearer is that Texas reading performance has become a major concern. Recent reporting says only three states scored lower than Texas in 2024 when looking at fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores. In eighth-grade math, 44% of Texas students scored below NAEP Basic in 2024.

The debate goes beyond classrooms. The same discussion points to Texas’ 16.6% uninsured rate, nearly 5 million uninsured residents, a poverty rate above the national average, teacher pay below national peers, and infrastructure grades that include low marks for drinking water, wastewater, dams, broadband, levees, transit, parks, and roads.

Texas has grown massively, economically and culturally, since the 1990s. But the question being argued now is whether that growth has translated into better everyday outcomes for students and families.

What do you think is the biggest factor behind Texas’ education rankings today?

Sources: Christina Lorey, Courier Texas

09/05/2026

What an as***le. Lies like a true MAGA

09/05/2026

On the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta, we honor a saint who reminded the world that no one is forgotten in God's eyes. May we follow in Mother Teresa's example by sharing love, mercy and hope with those most in need.