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Winners & Losers | So Far, So Good — Or So Far, So Bad
A running tally of cowards, grifters, and the few who still bother to lead.
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We’ve been keeping score for two months now, and the list is long, ugly, and occasionally inspiring. From popes to power-grabbers, from tragic enablers to the quiet adults in the room, it’s been a wild ride through the grifters, cowards, and unlikely heroes shaping our collapsing republic. Before we name the next batch, let’s take stock of who’s stood out so far — and who’s dragged us all down with them.
Week of May 12 — The New Pope & the Old Dope
We kicked off by crowning Pope Leo XIV our first Winner, for signaling he may carry forward the worker-centered, justice-minded legacy of Pope Leo XIII — and even clapping back at J.D. Vance on Twitter. Too early to say if he’s A Winner long-term, but at least he started strong. Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth sank to the depths as The Loser, proving that blind loyalty to Trumpism can’t hide his gross incompetence as Defense Secretary — jets in the sea, chaos at the Pentagon, and a reminder that qualifications still matter.
Week of May 19 — AOC Will not Yield & Mike Lee Should Just Sit Down
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez earned Winner status by embodying quiet, unflinching defiance, refusing to “yield to disrespectful men” during a Medicaid hearing. Her clarity and composure were a masterclass in fighting misogyny and authoritarian creep in real time. In contrast, Sen. Mike Lee served up an Orwellian nightmare disguised as moral panic with his “Interstate Obscenity Definition Act,” trying to criminalize whatever makes him uncomfortable. His catastrophic arrogance reminded us just how fragile our freedoms really are.
Week of May 26 — Hassan Dismantles Noem with One Question
Sen. Maggie Hassan shone as A Winner by calmly dismantling DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s pathetic misunderstanding of habeas corpus, exposing Noem’s Instagram-level grasp of governance. Hassan showed what preparedness and substance look like in the age of cosplay politics. Noem, on the other hand, embodied the tragic Loser — a woman who’s mistaken trending for leading, and who’s become a cautionary tale for our daughters, and our country.
Week of June 2 — The Inquisitor & the Imposter
CNBC’s Megan Cassella won that week by asking the one question that rattled Trump, calling him out with guts and humor while risking his wrath. It was a small but vital reminder that calling him out, over and over, still matters. The Loser? Ed Martin, who keeps failing upward as a Trump lackey now weaponizing the DOJ and doling out pardons like candy to cronies. A clear example of how the worst people thrive in a broken system.
Week of June 9 — The Puppet Master & the Woman who Saw Through him
Rep. Rosa DeLauro was crowned The Winner for naming the real danger lurking behind Trump and Musk’s slapfight: Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025 and the quiet destroyer of the federal government. Vought’s smug stonewalling at a budget hearing showed his vision of chaos and control is chillingly intentional. DeLauro called it what it is — a plan to annihilate democracy — while Vought cemented himself as The Loser pulling the strings.
Week of July 7 — Building Courage & Folding Under Pressure
Most recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom took a political risk and actually delivered by gutting NIMBY red tape to tackle California’s housing crisis — proving Democrats can still show courage and make life better when they choose to. That made him a clear Winner. Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski ran her usual coward’s playbook: hand-wringing, performative concern, then folding yet again to authoritarians. Her brand of moderation is just a more polite form of complicity, and it’s killing democracy by degrees.
That’s our scorecard so far — but we know there are plenty more names to name. Who’s a Winner or Loser in your book? Who did something worth shouting from the rooftops, or sinking to the depths of shame? Reply in the comments and tell us who we missed and why, and we’ll feature the best reader submissions in our next edition.
The game isn’t over — and we’re all keeping score.
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