Bob’s Hailstone 7-21-25
Laments Rising, Foundations Shifting
Bob’s Hailstone 7-21-25
Laments Rising, Foundations Shifting
By Jim Reynolds | www.reynolds.com
Grook
Laments echo from crumbling spires,
Foundations shift under partisan fires.
Intel forged in shadows deep,
While victories and polls make the mighty weep.
Unifying Introduction
Monday unfolds in the Trump era’s deepening groove, where left-wing laments over media oustings, policy reversals, and poll drubbings clash with conservative cheers for intel exposures, GOP triumphs, and cultural sanity checks. Contrasting takes on intel manufacturing, Epstein battles, and working-class allegiances highlight a nation polarized yet tilting toward accountability and realism. Bob calls it the left’s overdue hangover from their own excesses; I see it as the slow grind of truth eroding the facades of power, leaving room for genuine statesmanship to emerge.
Story Summaries
It’s Worse Than Politicization, It Was Manufactured Intel; Gabbard’s Lies Are Going To Get Someone Hurt
DNI Tulsi Gabbard on FOX News blasts the Russia probe as not just politicized but deliberately fabricated intel by deep-state actors, citing new docs that expose manipulations from Obama-era officials, while Rep. Jim Himes on Face the Nation counters that Gabbard’s “lies” about intel integrity endanger lives and undermine national security, urging restraint amid partisan divides. Intel wars rage —when facts fracture, everyone’s got a piece.
Leans: [Right-explosive, intel-exposing; left-defensive, harm-warning]
Bob: Manufactured? That’s polite for ‘forged in a swamp lab.‘
Jim: Gabbard’s hammer meets Himes’ shield—truth’s casualties pile up. Is Himes the new designated liar for the Left?
Trump’s Chemotherapy vs. the Biden Cancer; Six Months In, Trump Has Too Many Failures To Count
Victor Davis Hanson in American Greatness frames Trump’s aggressive reforms as “chemotherapy ” purging the “Biden cancer” of bureaucratic bloat and policy failures, celebrating wins in border security and energy independence, while David Faris in Newsweek tallies Trump’s “failures” from stalled bills to international isolation, arguing his chaos alienates allies and deepens divides. Trump’s tally — victories for some, blunders for others—voters decide the dose.
Leans: [Right-triumphant, reform-praising; left-critical, failure-counting]
Bob: Chemo hurts, but cancer kills—Trump’s the cure they can’t stomach.
Jim: Hanson’s scalpel vs. Faris’ bogus scorecard: One sees healing, the other hemorrhage. Who are you going to believe? VDH or a Newsweek hack? The hallmark of a Lib lie is to include the word “chaos” Take it to the bank.
Trump Is Racking Up GOP Wins No One Else Could; Can Trump Quell Epstein Storm? Is It Even Hurting Him? Trump Wins the Epstein Battle
Ingrid Jacques at USA Today hails Trump’s unique GOP victories in judicial picks and spending cuts that unify the party like no other could, while Stephen Collinson at CNN questions if Trump can contain the Epstein scandal’s fallout amid fresh revelations, pondering voter backlash, and Miranda Devine in the New York Post declares Trump victorious in the Epstein fray, with declassifications exposing elite cover-ups without denting his base. Epstein storm clears — revelations rain, but Trump’s umbrella holds firm.
Leans: [Right-optimistic, win-boosting; center-skeptical, storm-probing; right-victorious, battle-winning]
Bob: Racking wins while dodging storms? That’s Trump—unbreakable teflon.
Jim: From GOP gold to Epstein echoes: Trump’s playbook defies the scandals.
To Defeat Trump, the Left Must Learn From Him
Austin Sarat in The Guardian advises Democrats to emulate Trump’s populist tactics—direct messaging, base mobilization—to counter his enduring appeal, warning that ignoring his strengths dooms the opposition. Left’s lesson: Borrow the blueprint, or watch the house burn again.
Leans: [Left-strategic, learn-from-foe]
Bob: Learn from Trump? That’s like asking fire to study the arsonist.
Jim: Sarat’s mirror to the left: Reflect or repeat the defeats. But how do you emulate an original? Quick answer: you don’t. But you can try swearing a lot more. That might help. Sure.
New Poll Shows Most Voters Call Democrats ‘Too Radical’; Working Class Is More Left-Wing Than You Think
Terry Jones at I&I/TIPP reports a poll where majorities label Democrats as “too radical” on issues like borders and identity politics, signaling electoral peril, while Timothy Noah in The New Republic argues the working class leans left on economics, urging Dems to reclaim them through progressive policies over cultural wars. Working-class tug-of-war: Radical or reachable—Dems bet on the blueprint.
Leans: [Right-poll-exposing, radical-calling; left-class-courting, wing-reframing]
Bob: Too radical? Or just too out of touch with the lunch-bucket crowd.
Jim: Maybe the answer for the left is to rely on more factories in the future. More union members will translate into more power — if the left can recapture the union vote. Just spit-balling here. I see no other clear path for hapless modern democrats.
Britain Waves White Flag to Islamization & Illegal Immigration
Melanie Phillips in the New York Post lambasts Britain’s surrender to unchecked migration and cultural shifts, framing policies as a white flag to Islamization that erodes national identity and security. Islamization white flag: Surrender signals, or just the tide turning?
Leans: [Right-alarmist, surrender-calling]
Bob: White flag? More like a welcome mat for chaos.
Jim: Britain’s borders blur—waves of change crashing unchecked. My father told me that GB was already a failing country — that was way back in the 1960s.
Making America Alone Again
Margaret MacMillan in Foreign Affairs critiques Trump’s foreign policy as isolating America, echoing “America First” into “America Alone” through alliance strains and trade wars that weaken global standing. America alone: Trump’s solo act, or a stage without scripts?
Leans: [Left-critical, isolation-warning]
Bob: Alone again? Better than shackled to fair-weather friends.
Jim: I call this take ‘ivory-tower elitism with a globalist twist.’ Always predictable and always wrong about Trump.
How Trump Dethroned the AP & Slayed America’s Media Giants
Jeff Mordock in the Washington Times details Trump’s takedowns of legacy media through defunding, lawsuits, and alternative platforms, crediting him with humbling giants like the AP amid credibility collapses. Media giants slayed: Crowns topple as the alternative rises.
Leans: [Right-triumphant, media-slaying]
Bob: Dethroned? Finally, the kings without clothes get a reality check.
Jim: Trump’s sword swings—media empires crumple like old newsprint. It’s ok to bash the media when they are always wrong for the same narrative-driven reasons.
The Cruel Joke of CBS Ousting Stephen Colbert; Colbert’s Forum for Angry Dems and Their Friends
Melanie McFarland in Salon decries CBS’s axing of Colbert as a cruel joke on progressive voices, blaming corporate cowardice amid right-wing pressures, while Joe Concha in the Washington Examiner calls the show a “forum for angry Dems,” celebrating the ousting as accountability for biased rants that alienated viewers. Colbert’s exit: Laughter fades, but the echo chamber lingers.
Leans: [Left-indignant, ousting-lament; right-mocking, forum-exposing]
Bob: Cruel joke? The real punchline was eight years of one-sided ‘comedy.‘
Jim: From Salon’s sobs to Examiner’s smirks: Colbert’s curtain call divides. Why did they pay this guy $20M to not be funny?
An Open Letter to the CEO of NPR, Katherine Maher
Sasha Stone on Substack pens an open letter blasting NPR CEO Katherine Maher for progressive biases that erode trust, demanding reforms to restore neutral journalism amid funding crises. Maher’s mirror moment, or just more static?
Leans: [Right-critiquing, bias-calling]
Bob: Open letter? More like a wake-up call to the echo chamber.
Jim: Stone’s plea pierces NPR’s veil—bias unchecked, credibility wrecked. Their final arguments — that it would endanger rural America if they went off the air — were laughable.
A Stark Reminder: Sex Differences Matter in Elite Sport
James Smoliga on Substack highlights biological sex differences in sports, arguing recent controversies underscore the need for fair policies that protect women’s categories amid transgender debates. Sex in sport: Fair play demands facing facts, not fads.
Leans: [Center-scientific, difference-reminding]
Bob: Stark reminder? Biology doesn’t care about feelings—neither should sports.
Jim: Smoliga’s science stands firm: Differences define the game. When you get way out on the curve, these immutable differences make all the difference.
End Note
As Monday wraps, left-wing cries over media falls and policy pains mingle with conservative nods to intel truths and cultural resets. The shifts expose fractures, but also paths to sanity—hold the line on accountability, question the narratives, and let the laments fade. Tuesday beckons; rise to the rumble.
Note on Sources:All stories referenced here come from the RealClearPolitics homepage. For full articles and original context, visit the site directly.
Optional Extra
[Setting: A cluttered radio booth. Bob fiddles with a vintage mic across from TG. Static crackles. Coffee steams.]
Bob: TG, welcome. Intel manufactured, media slayed—coffee or conspiracy first?
TG (smiling): Conspiracy, Bob. It’s got more kick.
Bob: Right. TG’s hammer on fabricated fogs, Himes’ harm warnings—what’s the real hurt here?
TG: It’s the truth getting buried. Manufactured intel isn’t politicization; it’s sabotage. Himes calls it lies? That’s the deflection playbook.
Bob: And Trump’s chemo vs. Biden’s cancer—VDH’s cure or Faris’ failures?
TG: Trump’s racking wins because he’s cutting the rot. The left’s lament? They’re learning the hard way—adapt or fade.
Bob: Epstein storms, Colbert’s cruel joke—media giants tumbling?
TG: Trump’s dethroning them by exposing the game. Colbert was their forum; now it’s accountability hour.
Bob: Advice for the booth crowd amid the shifts?
TG: Question everything. Hold the receipts. And remember: sanity over spin.
Bob: Thanks, TG. Folks, if that didn’t tune your dial, we’ll crank the volume next with more unfiltered static.