Politics enters the "bing bong" era

Crash Course subscribers can join the conversation. Click the speech bubble icon to leave a comment. Tap the heart if you liked what you read.

The news, in brief …

• Nancy Pelosi announces retirement from Congress after nearly 40 years in the House

  Pelosi said she will serve her last year "with a grateful heart." Read more.

• Supreme Court revives Trump admin ban on transgender, nonbinary passport identification

  The executive order barring self-identification had been stayed by a lower court. Read more.

• Arizona city proposes memorial to “national treasure” Charlie Kirk

  Scottsdale is the third city in the Phoenix area to propose a memorial to the slain podcaster. Read more.

• Stewart blames Trump’s “No Kings” dump for GOP election beatdown

  The comedian argued that an AI Trump dropping excrement on protestors may have swung the elections this week. Read more.

• “Indict first, investigate later”: Judge criticizes Comey case, orders DOJ to hand over evidence

  “We’re going to fix that and we’re going to fix that today,” a judge said about DOJ's handling of the case. Read more.

• Layoffs hit highest point in over two decades: report

  October was the worst month for layoffs in 22 years. Read more.

• “Mass chaos”: FAA to cut flights at 40 major airports as shutdown strains aviation system

  The FAA will scale back flights nationwide starting Friday. Read more.

Make me smarter …

“It could have killed us”: Inside the Burning Man art collapse that injured two people

After a woman broke her collarbone this year, attendees are calling for stronger safety measures. Read more.

Scoreboard!

The first NFL game I saw in person was an absolute blowout.

Decked out in a suitably ‘90s shade of teal, I watched the nascent Jacksonville Jaguars dismantle the New York Jets in a retooled stadium that people were still struggling not to call the Gator Bowl. The shiny new team hadn’t built up much in the way of traditions and chants – the ever-present drone of “Duuuuuvaaaaaallll” wouldn’t be lifted out of the setlists of local rap radio DJs for another few years – so we sang the chorus of “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” at departing, dejected Jets fans. My father and several other men on the aisles of the nosebleeds took to jangling their keys at the groups dribbling out in twos and fours. He passed the keys to me and gave me a turn to gloat. I stepped out to see a father with a son my age. Barring the green and white jerseys, they were our near-perfect mirror, down to the dad’s ballcap hiding a rapidly receding hairline. I grinned in their faces and sang louder, shaking the keys above my head.

That formative game cemented two spiritually harmful beliefs in me. One: I would be a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars until death. Two: Winning is fine, but rubbing it in is better.

In his former life as a catty Queens socialite, President Donald Trump understood that no victory was complete without spiking the football. It wasn’t enough to own opulent hotels and finally gain acceptance into exclusive Manhattan parties; he had to know that the parties of ex-Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter were also failing. He rode this spiteful impulse to the highest office, realizing before anyone else that people would vote to see their enemies punished, even if it did nothing to improve their own lives.

While Trump is often talked about as a sui generis force, he can’t take credit for this trademark gloating. It’s spiritually tied to his hometown of New York. Night after night, fans of the hapless New York Knicks gather outside the Trump-beloved Madison Square Garden to brag about barely beating teams made up of janitors. In this crucible, the ultimate bit of braggadocio was forged, a boast that melts the very idea of taunting down to two essential nonsense syllables: bing bong.

Delivered in the same cadence as a Nelson Muntz-ian “ha ha,” it gets across a multitude of put-downs. A reminder that you just lost to the New York Knicks is its top note, but breathing it in deeper reveals more mean-spirited undertones. You blew so much money traveling to New York just to see your team lose. You’ve wasted your life on a team that could even possibly lose to the Knicks. Considering the sound’s similarity to the New York subway’s closing door chime, it shouldn’t surprise you that a base note of New York superiority undergirds the whole thing. Your typical “bing bong” shouter is reveling in the knowledge that you’re leaving the “greatest city in da world (baybee)” to head back to some third-rate pigtown.

Zohran Mamdani is more than familiar with this bedrock insult. He’s been spotted outside Madison Square Garden in orange and blue, chanting and leaping along with the masses. A Queens kid, like Trump, Mamdani showed he wasn’t above a petty celebration in his victory speech. After a nasty campaign, Mamdani quoted his opponent’s own father before attempting to strike him from the record.

“But let tonight be the final time I utter [Andrew Cuomo’s] name as we turn the page on the politics that abandon the many and answers only to the few,” he said.

After decades of prim Democrats wheezing about decorum, this is a three-pump endzone dance. It’s running down the court while miming juggling boulders. If his challenge to ICE at his first post-victory presser didn’t make it clear, Mamdani is feeling himself. And the upstart Democrats trying to ape his campaign show the rest of the country is feeling him, too. The GOP might just start losing. And to the Democrats, no less. Bing bong.

What do you think? Should Democrats be a little less gracious in victory? Click the speech bubble to let us know how you (really) feel in the comments.

Before you go …

The National Guardsman who won’t take orders from Trump

Dylan Blaha, an Illinois congressional candidate, says “I was just following orders” is no excuse. Read more.

ALSO FROM SALON

In partnership with

The Daily Newsletter for Intellectually Curious Readers

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Join for free today!