Jasmine Crockett is more than a little disappointed and she is not exerting any energy to hide it. Ms. Crockett is a two term Congresswoman from Texas. Attractive, smart, and incredibly quick-witted, she was a frequent guest on the national news and political shows. It appeared that she was destined to have a lengthy career, if she chose her fights carefully. She did not. Whether by design or because of the Trump ordered Texas Congressional mid-decade redistricting, Jasmine Crockett declared herself a candidate for the US Senate on December 8, 2025. Unfortunately for her, James Talarico, a member of the Texas House since 2018, had already declared three months earlier. She was positive that she could beat Talarico and then take down the sitting Republican Senator, John Cornyn. Talarico won easily with over 52% of the vote. Congresswoman Crockett has officially endorsed her opponent, but she is not campaigning for him. She is working for down ballot candidates. It may seem a touch petty, since she really doesn’t have many legislative differences with Talarico. However, this is her right. And we, you and I, also have the right to pick and choose who we support.
The distance from my house to my friend Howard’s is about 700 miles. Our politics are just as close. We have been friends for over 30 years. One thing we do share is our concern about candidate quality. If Howard lived here in Ohio, I am certain that he would have no problem voting for Senator Jon Husted. I proudly support Husted’s opponent, Sherrod Brown, who I first met in 1991. But I can’t imagine Howard willingly voting for the vile Ken Paxton, if he lived in Texas. And right now I’m really happy that I don’t live in Michigan where working for down ballot candidates may become a popular activity.
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I had State Farm for over 40 years. The key word in that sentence was had. I dropped them last month. The problem wasn’t the insurance company, per se. I have had a few claims over the years with little to no issue. The problem occurred when I got a new car (next section) and the rate looked a little high. I called the office to talk to the agent. His gatekeepers insisted that I could only talk to them. When I specifically asked to talk to their employer, I was told that he “doesn’t know anything about rates. I take care of this”. I have a little experience as an insurance agent. I wanted to talk to my agent. I said to his employee, “Stop talking over me. Just have him call me.” She hung up on me! I sent the agent an email and he responded with useful information the next day. Too late. I couldn’t fire his office workers, so I fired him instead.
I have a number of great P&C agents for clients. They have sent their clients to me and I have referred my clients to them. I’ve known Mike Lambert since the early 1990’s. No gatekeepers. He answers his phone himself. He is now my agent. And though it felt odd changing companies, the hundreds of dollars I saved helped to assuage my disappointment.
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The woman from Lincoln Financial and I were playing phone tag. I had received one last survey from Lincoln and I gave them 5’s on a scale of 1 to 10. Lincoln needed to know why. In truth, if their system cross-referenced all of our communications from the last 2 ½ years, they would have thought that my 5’s were generous.
Sally and I had had six Ford/Lincoln vehicles. She had three Ford Fiestas in a row. I had had three Lincolns, one sedan and two SUV’s. We got rid of Sally’s Ford right after the dealership attempted to talk us into $3,500 of unnecessary repairs. My last Lincoln was a disaster from the moment I dealt with the double-talking sales manager, through the service issues, to the day I dumped it with six months left on the lease. At one point in 2024 I got what passes as an apology, a $250 gift card and a worthless long-term warranty. I expected better from a luxury car line and the dealerships allowed to market their cars. I was wrong. It turns out that the Lincoln dealership is allowed to tack on extra fees when they take back a leased car. Lots of fees. Can’t stop them. Turns out I am allowed to make sure that everyone I know hears how foolish it is to lease a Lincoln. Funny how it works that way.
Sally now has a Nissan Sentra and I just got a 2027 Kia Sportage.
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Our lives may have their share of disappointments, large and small. But we can acknowledge the setbacks without letting them rule our lives. I spent this morning at a Bris. I met the beaming father 30+ years ago at his Bris. I’ve known the grandparents even longer. There must have been over fifty people including the out-of-state relatives. It was a celebration of continuation. Governments come and go. Politics, corporations, fads and fashions are of the moment. We fret about them now, these important things that will soon be forgotten. But in a quiet, peaceful suburban back yard we celebrated a tradition that is thousands of years old.
I hope that you, too, have a moment of joy this week.
Dave
Picture – Sally and I Visiting the Trump Reflecting Pool In The Cleveland Metroparks – David L Cunix