Bob’s Hailstone Chronicles 7-11-25 AM
Bob’s Hailstone Chronicles
Friday, July 11, 2025 AM
By Jim Reynolds
Grook: “Security Clearance”
The men who stage the phantom coup
Still brief the press and run the crew.
They lost the thread—but not the mic.
And laugh when justice takes a hike.
All stories referenced here come from the RealClearPolitics homepage. For full articles and original context, visit www.realclearpolitics.com.
Intro:
What do you get when the ruling class loses the plot, the markets lose their nerve, and the media loses its pants? Friday.
Today’s lineup is a parade of evasions, corrections, frayed illusions, and desperate rebrands. The debt hawks are circling again, AI is serenading the nerds, and Democrats are hoping nobody noticed what just exploded behind them. Meanwhile, Bob’s got a front-row seat and a side-eye sharp enough to shave Jerome Powell’s mustache.
Let’s get to it.
1. Messaging Malaise
Troubling Signs for Democrats on Priorities and Messaging – Amie Parnes, The Hill
What If the Political Pendulum Doesn't Swing Back? – Michael Brenes, The New Republic
Democrats are polling poorly on nearly every issue they once claimed to own: economy, education, crime, immigration. They’re losing independents, working-class voters, and increasingly, their own base. And while The Hill cites “messaging,” Brenes admits the deeper fear—what if the country’s just done with them?
Bob: “If the message is bad, maybe stop shouting it louder.”
Jim: “If they weren’t responsible for so much damage, I’d feel sorry for them.”
Leans: Catastrophe disguised as consultation
2. Spy Games, Still Playing
Brennan, MSNBC Can't Stop Lying – Matt Taibbi, Racket News
Analysts Behind Fake Russia Assessment Still at CIA – Margot Cleveland, The Federalist
The Russiagate architects haven’t vanished—they’ve been promoted, platformed, or rebranded. Brennan still lectures the public from MSNBC. The CIA still employs the same analysts who signed off on fiction. No shame. No firings. No consequences.
Bob: “The Deep State doesn’t retire. It syndicates.”
Jim: “This story apparently has legs. Let’s hope it walks the plank.”
Leans: Permanent disinformation
3. Market Nerves and Missed Notes
Signs of Confusion in the Markets – Gillian Tett, Financial Times
Chairman Jerome Powell Has Grossly Mismanaged the Fed – Russ Vought, OMB
Volatility is rising, liquidity is thinning, and rate policy resembles a game of darts in a hurricane. Tett reports confusion. Vought calls it malpractice. Either way, the Fed has veered from inflation-fighter to fiscal arsonist, lighting fuses in every sector.
Bob: “They’re printing fire and calling it rain.”
Jim: “Russ joins the ‘I hate Jerome’ club.”
Leans: Rate roulette
4. Trump Ascendant, Again
Trump's OBBB Success Is Even Bigger Than It Appears – J.T. Young, RealClearPolitics
Operation Bring Back the Boom is real. Deregulation, tax reform 2.0, and trade leverage are working. Markets know it. Consumers feel it. Even quiet Dems are tiptoeing around it. Young paints the numbers. Trump owns the scoreboard.
Bob: “If it walks like growth and talks like growth, it’s probably not Biden.”
Jim: “A tale two BBBs: Build Back Better versus Big Beautiful Bill. Guess which one was an empty campaign slogan.”
Leans: Momentum, MAGA style
5. Budget Boomerang
Democrats Should Prepare for Return of Debt Politics – Bill Scher, Washington Monthly
Scher warns his own party: the era of blank checks is over. With debt interest crowding out programs and GOP hawks resurgent, Democrats may have to relearn words like ‘restraint.’ Or pretend to.
Bob: “Fiscal discipline: now available in limited-edition campaign packaging.”
Jim: “Problem is, Barney only had one bullet in his belt. It’s gone.”
Leans: Panic in the budget suite
6. Party Fractures and Political Exiles
Mamdani Is a Grave Threat, Detrimental for Democratic Party – Dean Phillips, CNN
ICE, Antifa and the Democratic Party – Byron York, Washington Examiner
The Democrats’ left flank is becoming the center. Mamdani wants open borders and socialism by decree. Antifa? Never condemned, still tacitly backed. Phillips sounds alarms. York sees the results.
Bob: “When the inmates design the prison, expect more exits than walls.”
Jim: “Unfortunately, the exits lead to alligators.”
Leans: Implosion with diversity bonuses
7. Epstein Echo Chamber
The Idiocy of the Epstein Mythology – Michael Tracey, Compact
Why Trump Didn't Release the Epstein List – Victor Davis Hanson, BlazeTV
Tracey says conspiracies distract from the rot. Hanson says Trump played it smart—he didn’t touch the list because the list implicates everyone, not just enemies. Truth is, no one wants it released.
Bob: “The silence isn’t evidence. It’s a guilty plea.”
Jim: “Let’s speculate about speculation. That’s all we got.”
Leans: Universal blackmail
8. Infrastructure, Cracked Again
Transit Funding Crisis Unfolds in Pennsylvania – Gabrielle Gurley, American Prospect
Philly’s transit system is underfunded, underused, and heading for collapse. Billions spent. Results crumbling. Riders fleeing. But hey—planners are hosting community engagement forums.
Bob: “You can’t ride a press release to work.”
Jim: “They need to talk to a man with experience. Hair Gel.”
Leans: Potholes and platitudes
9. Cultural Whiplash
Divorce Bombshell Rocks Texas Senate Race – Taiyler Mitchell, HuffPost
Memes Are Legal Again: Justice for Douglass Mackey – Shane Harris, AMAC
The Texas bombshell may flip a Senate race. Meanwhile, Mackey’s conviction—once hailed as necessary for democracy—is overturned. Memes are speech again.
Bob: “In politics, the personal is weaponized. In culture, the truth just meme’d.”
Leans: Collision course
10. AI’s Siren Song
Why AI's Siren Song Is So Hard To Resist – Peder Zane, RealClearPolitics
AI is fast, seductive, and tuned to flatter the lazy. Zane asks: is the danger its power—or our eagerness to outsource judgment?
Bob: “The smarter it gets, the dumber we act.”
Jim: “It’s a tool, like a Milwaukee battery-powered drill. Don’t let the tool tell you how to think.”
Leans: Silicon hypnosis
End Notes:
They can say whatever they want. Issue white papers. Build blue-ribbon panels. Fund think tank reboots.
But the reality?
The old order is cracking. The new one is learning how to stand.
The markets notice. The voters whisper. And Bob? He sees it all from the curb, kazoo in hand.
You’ve got the whole story, told straight.
We’ll be here tomorrow. If you dare.