Bob's Hailstone Chronicles (7-9-25)
Bob's Hailstone Chronicles (7-9-25)
By Jim Reynolds
Note: This is NOT Bob in the photo above. He is just a Bob stand-in.
Grook
When headlines blur and truth takes flight,
Bob reads the chaos left to right.
He charts the spin, the slant, the tease—
And finds the patterns in the breeze.
Note: All stories referenced here come from the RealClearPolitics homepage. For full articles and original context, visit www.realclearpolitics.com.
Introduction: Conspiracy Realignment Syndrome
Some days the Hailstone comes in hot and heavy. Today’s flurry of stories lands like a battering ram on the dusty fort of Official Narrative.
Criminal probes into Brennan and Comey. The CIA quietly tossing grenades under Obama’s Russiagate claims. Antifa arrests. Climate grift called out. And a new GOP playbook that—brace yourself—might actually work?
If you’re experiencing dizziness, narrative whiplash, or the sneaking suspicion that the media got everything backwards from 2016 to 2024, don’t worry. That’s just the realignment symptoms kicking in.
Bob’s here. He brought a cold compress, a smirk, and the scorecard.
Go to the RCP home page to read the full stories.
1. The Dam Breaks for Brennan & Comey
Brooke Singman (Fox News) reports that the FBI has launched criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI chief James Comey. Not process crimes—actual felonies related to Russiagate origins.
Bob: “Turns out the real coup was hiding in plain sight, behind a security clearance.”
Leans: Right Accountability Surge
2. CIA vs. Obama: Whose Lie Is It Anyway?
Paul Sperry (RCI) uncovers internal CIA memos that undercut Obama officials’ sworn testimony denying knowledge of Russiagate’s political roots.
Bob: “The CIA now confirms what your uncle with a Facebook account figured out in 2019.”
Leans: Right, with paperwork
3. The Kids Are Not Alright (Unless They’re Woke)
Brad Bannon (The Hill) celebrates a new generation of Democrats ascending. Younger, louder, and more ideologically rigid.
Bob: “Meet the new guard: same moral superiority, fewer life experiences.”
Leans: Progressive Left
4. Rage Against the Voting Machine
Byron York (Washington Examiner) notes the unsettling increase in Democratic rage-posting, violence-apologism, and burn-it-all-down rhetoric.
Bob: “When they lose, it’s fascism. When they win, it’s democracy. Heads they win, tails you're an insurrectionist.”
Leans: Right Concern
5. GOP Wins Childcare Battle Quietly
Rachel Cohen (Vox) concedes—grudgingly—that Republicans outmaneuvered Democrats by passing family policies in red states.
Bob: “Turns out kids matter, even when they’re not on TikTok.”
Leans: Left Resigned
6. Climate Policy: The Grift That Keeps on Billing
Holman Jenkins (WSJ) rips into “climate policy” as a corrupt, performative industry masquerading as virtue.
Bob: “The science isn’t settled. The funding is.”
Leans: Free-Market Right
7. Virginia Re-Enactment: MAGA as Period Drama
David Weigel (Semafor) explores how Republicans are trying to make Virginia 2021 again—less critical race theory, more parental rights.
Bob: “Coming soon to a school board near you: The Sequel to Sanity.”
Leans: Cultural Right
8. Mamdani’s Identity Games
Olivia Reingold (The Free Press) dissects New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s shape-shifting identity politics, where heritage is fluid and history is optional.
Bob: “Intersectional Scrabble: Triple score for colonial angst.”
Leans: Centrist Skepticism
9. Powell’s Fed: Blame It Again, Sam
Peter Navarro (Washington Times) reviews the Fed’s missteps and inflation blind spots—pinning most of the chaos on Powell’s dithering.
Bob: “When your only tool is interest rates, every problem looks like a rate hike.”
Leans: Economic Right
10. Buffett’s Bet Revisited
Ted Seides (Financial Times) revisits his infamous lost bet with Warren Buffett, this time arguing that private equity might yet beat the S&P—eventually.
Bob: “Every decade needs its own humbling.”
Leans: Investor Realist
11. Epstein Files: Gone in a Narrative Flash
Sophia Tesfaye (Salon) mocks MAGA frustration as Epstein docs vanish and media yawns. But Mike Cernovich (TimCast) warns: the cover-up is the story.
Bob: “Some secrets are so bipartisan, no one leaks them.”
Leans: Right Suspicion, Left Shrug
12. Sweden Bans OnlyFans—Sort Of
Addison Graham (RCP) explains Sweden’s crackdown on subscription smut, raising questions of digital morality and cross-border enforcement.
Bob: “Turns out Nordic virtue has an unsubscribe button.”
Leans: Culturally Conservative
End Notes: Pattern Recognition in Progress
Today’s Hailstone is front-loaded with institutional collapse. The Brennan/Comey/CIA trifecta isn’t just news—it’s vindication for years of “conspiracy” accusations. Add the Epstein blackout and we’re approaching narrative burn-out territory.
Also notable: a series of wins (or at least acknowledgments) for the Right—from family policy to energy sanity to woke fatigue.
Meanwhile, Left-leaning voices are alternating between generational hero worship and visible frustration. Rage is rising, but coherence is dropping.
The Hailstone pattern today? Collapse on top, clarity from the margins.
Bob sees the shape forming.
Do you?
We are starting to tighten this unprecedented form. Nobody does this. What do you think?