BOB’S HAILSTONE (7‑16‑25)
Courts, Coalitions, and Gotham Gambits
🧊 BOB’S HAILSTONE (7‑16‑25)
Subtitle: Courts, Coalitions, and Gotham Gambits
By Jim Reynolds – www.reynolds.com
Grook:
He who hides behind the law,
May find the robe becomes a flaw.
For justice blind may still be swayed,
By whispers wealth and power made.
Note: All stories referenced here come from the RealClearPolitics Morning Edition feed. For full articles and original context, visit www.realclearpolitics.com.
Intro
The tide rolls one way—then snaps the other. Today’s Hailstone spins with America’s longing for stability, accountability on Epstein’s stage, and the rise of a new Gotham figure drawing Wall Street’s eye. That’s before we hit Chicago’s caution flag, Jerome’s mansion envy, and a study saying Congress just isn’t listening. 35 headlines later? It still boils down to power, money, and the stories we tell ourselves.
1. Trump Gave Americans a Choice, Not an Echo
Daniel McCarthy, The American Mind
McCarthy argues that Trump offered a substantive alternative—no magic mirror or populist echo chamber—but rather real options on policy and direction. It’s not identity-diversion; it’s ideological tension.
Bob: A choice is less comfy than an echo—but more honest.
Leans: Alternative Reality Anchor
2. Working‑Class Abundance
John Halpin, The Liberal Patriot
Halpin suggests economic optimism still exists among working families—particularly small-town America, where self-sufficiency trumps urban liberal gloom. Policies on the ground, not elite pronouncements, are fueling the mood.
Bob: Prosperity doesn’t tweet—it grinds.
Leans: Populist Growth Groove
3. 'No Kings' in America – Unless They Answer to ‘Your Honor’
Samantha Flom, RCP
Flom explores how America’s founders rejected monarchs—yet willingly crown unelected officials with near-kingly power via courts. How far does judicial authority extend before it tramples democratic will?
Bob: Loyalty oath: I swear by thee, Who sits so high in robes.
Leans: Judicial Power Juggle
4. Democrats Smart To Seize on Epstein Files Fiasco
Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC
Aleem says Democrats found political gold in renewed scrutiny of powerful figures tied to Epstein, using it to spotlight hypocrisy and demand tougher oversight—not just revenge-centered flash.
Bob: Scandal isn’t strategy; it’s pressure-cooker politics.
Leans: Accountability Coalition
5. The Real Scoop on Jeffrey Epstein
Alan Dershowitz, Wall Street Journal
Dershowitz pushes back on the image of Epstein’s prosecutions as solely conspiracy-driven, arguing we need nuance between innocence claims and systemic injustice.
Bob: Defending due process—even when the gallery’s roaring.
Leans: Legal Labyrinth Logic
6. Democrats: The No (Intellectual) Growth Party
Joe Klein, Substack
Klein critiques Democrats for embracing messaging over innovation—favoring slogans instead of solutions, consequences over commitments. He wants intellectual engagement, not emotional branding.
Bob: Clever quips don’t build bridges—or policies.
Leans: Debate Deficit Drill
7. Rise of Mamdani Has Wall Street Giving Up on Gotham
Charles Gasparino, NY Post
Gasparino claims New York’s far-left borough politicians are spooking financiers—Wall Street fears radical policy changes might derail real estate and capital flows.
Bob: When radicals roam Manhattan, markets flash red.
Leans: Gotham Gamble Grid
8. Chicago Has a Warning for Mamdani
Davis Giangiulio, The American Prospect
Giangiulio points to Chicago’s recent spiral—political dysfunction, rising crime, and business exodus—as a cautionary tale for radical newcomers in other major cities.
Bob: See Wrecked Windy City before splashy radical schemes.
Leans: Urban Experiment X‑Ray
9. Jerome’s House Is a Very, Very, Very Fine House
Beege Welborn, Hot Air
Welborn zeroes in on Fed Chair Powell’s suburban home—a luxurious estate built before his central-bank fame. Critics question optics, aspiration, and elitism.
Bob: Slap a central-bank logo on a mansion—ethics meltdown ensues.
Leans: Mansion Money Marker
10. Trump’s 50‑Day Shift on Ukraine Is a Big Deal
Stephen Collinson, CNN
Collinson reports Trump’s position on Ukraine pivoted, with strategic timing ahead of critical midterms—a shift with potential ripple effects on foreign support and alliance coherence.
Bob: Foreign policy tango: step left, then 50 days later—step right.
Leans: Pivot Pulse Probe
End Note
That’s today’s front‑porch storm: choices feel less comfy than echoes, kitchens keep humming, and courts still act like kings. The Epstein dust-up reaches back into power’s trenches while borough radicals, urban hindsight, and Fed mansions tighten the lens. Power’s redefined—not just in Washington, but in living rooms from Chicago to Manhattan.
And now, something extra.
Interior – LAPD Squad Room. Afternoon light slants across the blinds. Joe Friday sits at his desk, tie straight, eyes on a folder. Bill Gannon paces with a newspaper, gesturing like he’s directing traffic.]
BILL:
Joe, this city’s gone sideways. A Fed chairman with a mansion bigger than City Hall, radicals in New York trying to turn Manhattan into Marxhattan, and the Epstein files spilling names like a broken gumball machine.
JOE:
Just the facts, Bill.
BILL:
Facts? Okay—fact: Zohran Mamdani makes Che Guevara look like a tax accountant. Wall Street’s packing up like it’s hurricane season.
JOE:
Wall Street always runs when the winds change. They’ll be back—unless the taxes get there first.
BILL:
And this Epstein mess, Joe... One side wants to burn every name, the other wants due process. Meanwhile, Dershowitz is writing op-eds like he’s auditioning for “Matlock: The Miami Years.”
JOE:
The only thing worse than a cover-up is using a scandal as a campaign prop.
BILL:
And Trump—he’s done a 180 on Ukraine so fast, I got whiplash just reading it. Fifty days out from the convention and suddenly he’s speaking NATO-ish?
JOE:
Elections don’t follow morals, Bill. They follow momentum.
BILL:
Speaking of momentum, Jerome Powell’s got a house so nice, the Monopoly guy’s jealous. How do you sell interest hikes to broke families while sipping Merlot in a marble tub?
JOE:
Optics, Bill. Like fingerprints. They’re small—but they get you caught.
BILL:
And the Dems—no new ideas, no growth, just slogans in high-gloss font. Joe Klein says they’re running on vibes. You ever catch a perp with a vibe?
JOE:
No, but I’ve seen plenty try to confess with one.
BILL:
At least Main Street’s doing alright. Halpin says working folks are making it work—no handouts, just hammers and heat.
JOE:
That’s the real America, Bill. The one that votes in silence and builds while the cameras roll elsewhere.
BILL:
You think we’ll ever get back to normal?
JOE:
Define normal.
BILL:
Less radical chic, more radio static.
JOE:
We’re cops, Bill. We don’t do normal. We do aftermath.
[They both sip coffee. The blinds cut the light into thin gray stripes. Somewhere, a file drops into a cabinet. Fade to black.]