Your BRIGHT Week in Review

Plus: Dinner and a Movie

Photo of the Week

All About Susie

It’s gratifying that one of President Trump’s first staff announcements was naming campaign advisor Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff. There’s no question that her appointment was to check a special interest box. There is no question about whether she got the job because she’s a woman. When a person is competent, all the other things don’t need to be mentioned.

So, who is Susie Wiles? She is a longtime figure in Florida politics, who according to Politico, is known for her disciplined, organized campaign management. She transformed Trump’s traditionally “chaotic” political operations into a more professional setup, helping him regain political momentum post-2020. With a background in lobbying and decades of campaign experience, Wiles has worked with a range of Republicans, including Jack Kemp, Rob DeSantis, Mitt Romney and Rick Scott. Despite being a Washington outsider, she has earned Trump’s respect for her ability to manage his impulses and focus his messaging.

On the personal side, she is the daughter of famed sportscaster Pat Summerall. Politico noted, “Summerall, an alcoholic, credited Wiles with his decision to get sober and into the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment. In his memoir, he wrote, ‘I hadn’t been there much for my kids, but Susan’s letter made it clear that I’d hurt them even in my absence.’ When he died in Dallas in 2013, Wiles described her father as ‘an extraordinary man and a wonderful father.’”

RELATED: Trump’s Cabinet picks so far (Fox News)

Trump’s Appeal to the Working Class

I’ve never been a fan of the phrase “working class” because it implies those out of a certain income bracket don’t work. However, it is better than “blue collar” and a useful phrase for examining election trends. Donald Trump won the 2024 election, largely by appealing to working-class voters drawn to the MAGA and America First message. The Epoch Times noted that a key indicator was Fall River, Massachusetts, a working-class city that voted Republican for the first time in a century. Trump secured strong support from non-college-educated and middle-income voters, particularly Latino men focused on economic concerns. Meanwhile, Vice President Harris performed better among high- and low-income households. Analysts like Bernie Sanders continue to argue that Democrats lost touch with the working class.

Whether Democrats change their tone is questionable. Political strategist Chris Barron wrote at Newsmax:

They won’t for one simple reason: the leadership of the Democratic Party is filled with individuals who would rather see their party burn if they could be king or queen of the ashes.

The vast majority of elected Democrats have placed the blame for Tuesday’s loss on everything but their own policies.

They've blamed President Joe Biden for not dropping out sooner, they've blamed Vice President Kamala Harris for picking the wrong running mate; they've blamed social media, while accusing accused voters of being the problem.

Translation?

They've accused Americans of being misogynistic, racist, and bigoted.

Even the handful of Democrats who have pointed to policy failures – like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. – are advocating that the Democrats move even further left.
…
They continue to advocate for wildly unpopular and damaging policies for one reason: these policies reflect the values of their base.

The next Democratic leader will not reject the policy positions that alienated so many Americans because playing to the base is the fastest and easiest way to get ahead in Democratic politics today.

Can You Spare 5 Minutes?

A new study from University College London showed that adding just five minutes of exercise daily can reduce blood pressure, potentially lowering risks for heart disease and stroke. HealthDay reported that after analyzing data from nearly 15,000 adults with activity trackers, researchers found that replacing sedentary time with even brief, intense activity—such as cycling or stair climbing—could decrease systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 0.68 mmHg and 0.54 mmHg, respectively. These effects are stronger with vigorous exercise but there are still benefits just from walking. The article also noted that incorporating 10-20 minutes of exercise daily could yield a 10% lower risk of heart disease, according to the study published in Circulation. I say the key is to spend that five (or 10 or 20) minutes doing something you enjoy doing to make it a habit. For me, it has been yoga and dog walks.

What I’m Reading This Week

This week I’m starting a book I got for my birthday. Thanks, Brett 😘

From the description of Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means:

Our ability to prevent and reverse these conditions - and feel incredible today -  is under our control and simpler than we think. The key is our metabolic function - the most important and least understood factor in our overall health. As Dr. Casey Means explains in this groundbreaking book, nearly every health problem we face can be explained by how well the cells in our body create and use energy. To live free from frustrating symptoms and life-threatening disease, we need our cells to be optimally powered so that they can create “good energy,” the essential fuel that impacts every aspect of our physical and mental wellbeing.
   If you are battling minor signals of “bad energy” inside your body, it is often a warning sign that more life-threatening illness may emerge later in life. But here’s the good news: for the first time ever, we can monitor our metabolic health in great detail and learn how to improve it ourselves.

By the way, if you want to get a head start on Christmas shopping, Amazon is having a “get three for the price of two” sale that includes many bestsellers like Good Energy, Melania, The Women, and lots of children’s books.

Dinner and a Movie

My guy is telling me that I can’t continue working on my next book until I watch Fletch.

For dinner, I’m perusing Ree Drummond’s The New Frontier, a birthday gift from my sister. Btw, it is part of the 3 for the price of 2 sale mentioned above!