Bob’s Hailstone – 08-08-25
Bob’s Hailstone – 08-08-25
By Jim Reynolds | www.reynolds.com
Grook
The scoreboard’s lit, the bench is bare,
One team’s winning, the other’s… where?
Deals get signed, maps get torn,
Hope gets faint, resolve gets worn.
Intro
This morning, it’s like watching a prize fight where one corner keeps landing shots and the other can’t find its mouthguard. Trump’s stacking trade wins, the White House is circling Putin, and Democrats are tripping over their own maps. The only coalition talk is about rebuilding—never a good sign when you’re still mid-season.
As Deadline Comes Due, WH Preps Possible Summit With Putin
Kevin Liptak, CNN
With a key diplomatic deadline looming, Trump’s White House is signaling readiness for a direct sit-down with Vladimir Putin—likely the first such meeting of his second term. The agenda is heavy: Ukraine’s front lines, arms control updates, cyber warfare boundaries, and a sanctions structure that’s biting but still negotiable. Aides say Trump’s goal is to test Putin face-to-face, probing for concessions while projecting U.S. strength. Critics warn Putin will play for time; supporters argue Trump is the one leader who can push him off script.
Lean: Left-leaning skepticism.
Bob: Putin’s a chess player, Trump’s a dealmaker—this summit could end with a handshake or a table flip.
Jim: Trump walks in knowing leverage is the language Putin speaks; the real question is who leaves with more of it.
Larry: I… I want to believe this could work, even if my side’s not driving.
Trump Scoring Trade Deals Highly Favorable to U.S.
Nicole Russell, USA Today
Trump’s trade team keeps racking up terms that tilt heavily toward U.S. industry and ag. Critics mutter about “long-term risks,” but the scoreboard says “advantage: America.”
Lean: Right-leaning triumphalism.
Bob: So much for the tariff apocalypse.
Jim: Leverage done right makes the other side blink first. Another right-leaning USA Today report? What’s going on over there?
Larry: Some of these numbers… they do look good.
Redistricting Showdown Is About To Get Even Messier
Rameswaram & Klibanoff, Vox
Courts, chaos, and cartographers—states are still drawing battle lines for 2026. Both sides call it democracy; both mean “our maps.”
Lean: Left with alarmist framing.
Bob: Funny how cheating only happens when the other side does it.
Jim: If you have the majority of the population you would be a fool not to put your finger on the scale. Politics at its most basic.
Larry: This one hurts.
Democrats' Gerrymander Flub
Kimberley Strassel, Wall Street Journal
Overreach, bad legal prep, and hubris—Strassel says Democrats handed GOP wins on a silver platter. Out of the frying pan an into the fire of gerrymandering nirvana.
Lean: Right-leaning glee.
Bob: Brought checkers to a chess match. Lost the marbles.
Jim: Power grabs without skill and forethought end in autopsies like this.
Larry: Wish the courts saw it differently.
How To Rebuild the Democratic Coalition
Justin Vassallo, Substack
Blueprint: reconnect with working class, drop elitism, avoid cultural overreach. Reality: half the list would alienate the base.
Lean: Left with strategic self-critique.
Bob: Rehab’s easy on paper.
Jim: Like telling an addict “just drink less.” At least they are talking about it.
Larry: I… still have hope.
How a Beltway Brain Trust Sells Oligarchy to Liberals
Matt Stoller, Substack
Policy shops wrap pro-oligarch policies in progressive slogans and sell them to the faithful. Stoller calls it intellectual laundering.
Lean: Left with populist suspicion.
Bob: Never underestimate a grifter with a thesaurus.
Jim: Is the faithful getting smaller? Or just less faithful?
Larry: Yeah… this one’s unsettling.
Flimsy Research Behind Native American Mascot Bans
Arnold & Gorman, City Journal
Studies pushing mascot bans crumble under scrutiny—weak methods, cherry-picked data, activist funding.
Lean: Right-leaning cultural critique.
Bob: Politics in a lab coat.
Jim: I graduated high school as a Rebel. The school is still there but the Rebels are long gone. I am sure the name change enriched thousands of lives – not.
Larry: I’d like to see better research.
The Hidden Forces Ruining Youth Sports
Anna North, Vox
High costs and prestige-chasing parents are killing kids’ sports. Solution: cheaper, more local, less insane.
Lean: Left-leaning social analysis.
Bob: Maybe let kids play without résumés.
Jim: We weren’t as good but probably had more fun.
Larry: She’s right about the costs.
End Note
From Moscow to middle school gyms, today’s through-line is the same: one side’s making plays, the other’s writing self-help manuals. Larry’s still here, still polite, but you can see him eyeing the scoreboard like he’s not sure the clock works anymore.
Source Note: All stories from the RealClearPolitics homepage. For full articles and original context, visit www.realclearpolitics.com.
Optional Extra:
Postscript: Mayberry Skit – Friday, August 8
Scene:
It’s a warm Friday afternoon in Mayberry. The barber pole spins lazily outside Floyd’s shop, cicadas hum in the distance, and the whole town seems to be moving at half-speed. Andy’s leaning against the doorway with his hat pushed back, Barney’s pacing with a rolled-up newspaper, Gomer’s perched on the bench like he’s ready for story time, and Floyd’s fussing over a stubborn spot on his barber chair.
Andy: Well now, I see the paper says the President’s fixin’ to meet with Putin.
Barney: That’s risky business, Andy! You gotta watch a fella like that. If it were me, I’d lean right in, give him the “lawman stare,” maybe slap my handcuffs on the table. Works every time.
Gomer: Gaaawww-lee, you can just ask him to stop startin’ trouble?
Floyd: Ohhh, I heard from a fella whose cousin was stationed over there—Putin likes them long tables. Very long.
Andy: Long or short, it’s what’s said that counts. Sometimes a good talk’s better than a bad fight.
Barney: Yeah, but you gotta make sure you’re the one doin’ most of the talkin’.
Gomer: Or else you’re just sittin’ there listenin’ to a whole bunch o’ Russian.
Andy: Says here, too, that them trade deals are comin’ in real favorable for us.
Barney: I could make a deal like that! I once swapped my lunch pail for a Swiss Army knife. Great trade… well, except I went hungry that day.
Gomer: Sounds like we’re gettin’ a lot for not much!
Floyd: Ohhh, but sometimes you just want a nice imported cheese, you know?
Andy: Nothin’ wrong with a fair bargain, long as both sides walk away shakin’ hands.
Barney: And these maps—hoo boy, Andy—whole states fightin’ over where to draw lines.
Andy: Fair’s fair, no matter whose pencil you use.
Barney: If I was in charge, every street would be its own district. Easier to keep track.
Gomer: Gaaawww-lee, that’d be a heap o’ ballots to count.
Floyd: Ohhh, I knew a councilman once couldn’t even find his own district on a map. Spent the whole campaign in the wrong county.
Andy: Well, let’s just hope folks remember that good neighbors matter more than good boundaries.