Copyright Newsweek
Originally a staple of Newsweek's print edition, Conventional Wisdom used arrows to track whose stock was rising or falling in the political circus. We're reviving it in the digital age because the problem it lampooned—hyperbole and partisan certainty masquerading as insight—has only intensified. CW assigns arrows—up, down or sideways—to the figures and forces shaping current events. The arrows don't predict the future or claim special insight. They capture the prevailing winds of the moment, uncluttered by tribal howling. In an era when partisan media reinforces rather than questions assumptions, CW operates from the center—skeptical of left and right alike, committed to puncturing inflated reputations and recognizing overlooked truths. In this edition, CW looks at Tuesday's election results. Female Candidates ⬆ Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill win as moderate women running on competence, not identity. After a year of Democratic handwringing over whether former Vice President Kamala Harris lost because she's a woman, it turns out the problem was the candidate. Donald Trump ⬇ Threatened to defund NYC, withhold SNAP benefits and stiff furloughed federal workers—all to scare blue states before Election Day. Result: a Democratic off-year election sweep. The president is still less scary than he thinks. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ⬆ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn't say who he voted for. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spent Election Day in Virginia rather than his home district in Brooklyn. With fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in City Hall, Ocasio-Cortez is the power center of New York City Democratic politics now. Gen Z ⬆ After toppling governments in Nepal and Bangladesh, a generational wave delivered NYC, the capital of capitalism, to a democratic socialist. Andrew Cuomo won New Yorkers 45 and older by double-digits. Mamdani trounced him three-to-one with everyone younger. US Naval Academy ⬇ With class of ’94 grad Sherrill headed for Trenton, it means four more years of scrutiny of its midshipmen cheating scandal. The academy's most distinguished alumna is also its most complicated. Civility ⬇ Virginia's Jay Jones sent texts fantasizing about shooting a Republican opponent, then won his race for attorney general. Turns out the price for violent political rhetoric in 2025 is a closer-than-expected margin.
