The Ass-Kissing Olympics Are Underway

<div>The 2026 midterms are already coming into focus, and Republicans should be nervous. This week, Rick Wilson looks at what California and Iowa are telling us about November: voters care about the economy, affordability, and real-life issues—not the culture-war nonsense that dominates cable news. If Democrats can stay focused and resist the urge to wander off-message, they have a genuine opportunity to reshape the political map. Meanwhile, the MAGA movement is entering its succession-war phase. Trump's elevation of Bill Pulte is a flashing warning sign that the loyalist bench is running thin, while JD Vance and Marco Rubio battle to become heir to the MAGA throne. What follows when an authoritarian movement runs out of talent? Infighting, chaos, and a race to see who can flatter Dear Leader the hardest. The 2028 campaign has already begun—and the clown car is leaking oil.<br />•<br />•<br />•<br />•<br />•<br />Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at <a href="http://therickwilson.substack.com">therickwilson.substack.com</a>. You can check out more of LP's work at <a href="http://www.lincolnproject.us">www.lincolnproject.us</a> and on X at @ProjectLincoln.</div>