Torch & Crow Quick Takes – 07.25.25
Torch & Crow Quick Takes – 07.25.25
By Jim Reynolds | www.reynolds.com
🕯️ Grook of the Day:
They call it news, / but bring no proof.
They change the terms, / then call that truth.
They autopsy lies / and name them fate—
But Bob remembers / who sealed the crate.
🔥 Introducing: Torch & Crow Quick Takes
From the afternoon crow’s perch, a little perspective before dusk.
Think of this as the sunset sibling to our daily Hailstones — lighter in touch, sharper in instinct, and built for the PM brain. Torch & Crow Quick Takes drops three times a week, offering a breezier glide through the late-day stories lighting up RealClearPolitics.
Bob takes the helm with a fresh filter, calling out the spin, the dodge, the well-dressed lie—wherever it flaps. He’s not here to rant. He’s here to clarify—to give you one clean paragraph per story that lands with a smirk, a jab, or a headshake.
Yes, he still growls at bad faith and empty suits. But it’s late. The coffee buzz has faded. He’s scanning the headlines on the drive home, window cracked, radio low. Torch in one claw. Steering wheel in the other.
If the day’s been long, this will land light. If the news feels foggy, this will cut through. And if it stings a little? That means it’s working.
🪶 The Crows Are Flying Off to Roost for the Evening
Twelve stories, twelve signs the establishment still thinks you're the problem. But Bob reads through their smokescreen like it’s thin rice paper. Below, you’ll find each story lanced, labeled, and left leaking the real narrative. If it stings, it should.
Full articles at RealClearPolitics.com. Titles below are irreverent reconstructions. Blame Bob.
1. The Autopsy That Forgot the Knife
Author: Kimberley Strassel | Wall Street Journal
Bob’s Take:
Democrats ran an "autopsy" on why they lost Latino and Black voters, but somehow forgot to mention crime, inflation, or the nonstop cultural weirdness. The actual corpse is trust. Instead of examining their own ideological rot, they blamed bad messaging—again. Apparently, voters just don't appreciate being told they're racist, broke, and irrelevant. Go figure.
Leans: Right – Gloriously unrepentant vivisection from inside the morgue.
2. Tulsi Hits Obama—MSNBC Calls Security
Author: Zeeshan Aleem | MSNBC
Bob’s Take:
Tulsi Gabbard dared to suggest that Obama contributed to the chaos in foreign policy and surveillance. MSNBC reacted like she’d kicked their golden retriever. Aleem's column is less a rebuttal than a pearl-clutching defense of legacy worship. The Obamacrats can bomb weddings and spy on journalists, but you can’t say it out loud. Not unless you're ready for exile.
Leans: Left – House organ panic in key of high moral umbrage.
3. The Dam Breaks, and the Rats Can’t Swim
Author: Paul Sperry | Vince Coglianese Show
Bob’s Take:
Finally, some dam cracks. Names, dates, and documents are surfacing on who orchestrated the pandemic psyops, DOJ cover-ups, and collusion theater. But don't expect arrests. Expect more whistleblowers disappearing into early retirement and committees “looking into it.” Bob’s rule: when liars start flipping, the truth isn’t close—it’s already in the building.
Leans: Right – Righteously furious and long overdue.
4. Evers Finds His Spine, 14 Years Late
Author: John Nichols | The Nation
Bob’s Take:
Tony Evers vetoed a bill banning trans athletes from women's sports. Nichols hails him as a hero, but forgets to mention the women. Once again, “courage” means telling biological truth to go screw itself. The Left’s new feminism: Men in wigs deserve trophies more than your daughters deserve fairness.
Leans: Left – Proudly progressive, but biologically bankrupt.
5. One Woman, One Pickup Truck, One Red County at a Time
Author: Salena Zito | DC Examiner
Bob’s Take:
Zito profiles a Pennsylvania grassroots warrior who flipped blue turf by showing up, listening, and refusing to condescend. She didn’t bring slogans. She brought facts, questions, and pie. Turns out, decency still matters in places where they fix their own cars and bury their own dead. Democrats, take notes—or don’t.
Leans: Right – Ground-truth reporting with quiet grit.
6. Dems 2028: New Wine, Same Jug?
Author: Dustin Guastella | The Guardian
Bob’s Take:
Guastella warns Democrats that blaming voters or Donald Trump won’t cut it in 2028. Good insight—but he still treats "economic messaging" as magic sauce, not the main course. Until Democrats unhook from the woke-industrial complex and remember who actually fixes pipes and drives trucks, they’ll keep selling tofu in a barbecue town.
Leans: Center-Left – Reflective but still blinkered.
7. DEI or DIE (Literally?)
Authors: Christopher Rufo & Brad Thorpe | City Journal
Bob’s Take:
Did Marathon Petroleum’s DEI obsession help trigger the explosion in Louisiana? Rufo and Thorpe think so, and they bring receipts. When HR ideology outweighs engineering rigor, everyone loses—especially blue-collar workers who just want to survive their shift. Diversity may be our strength, but physics is undefeated.
Leans: Right – Incendiary in all the right ways.
8. Trump’s Cheeseburger Diplomacy
Author: Ashlie Stevens | Salon
Bob’s Take:
Trump eats fast food. A lot. And apparently, that’s a national crisis worthy of 1,400 Salon words. Stevens paints it as a cultural rot symbol, missing the point: Trump eats what his voters eat. They see authenticity. Elites see cholesterol. Bob sees a press corps grasping at ketchup packets for moral clarity.
Leans: Left – Condescending with a side of smug fries.
9. Skydance Buys CBS—Promises Not to Panic at Free Speech
Author: John Nolte | Breitbart
Bob’s Take:
New owners of CBS say they’re bringing “viewpoint diversity.” Nolte’s skeptical, and rightly so. Hollywood talks tolerance, but once you say two genders or question Fauci, you’re out faster than a Weinstein assistant. We’ll believe in diversity at CBS when they hire someone who voted for DeSantis.
Leans: Right – Guardedly hopeful, but not buying the popcorn yet.
10. Palestine to Dust: One Man’s Endgame
Author: Ryan Cooper | American Prospect
Bob’s Take:
Cooper accuses Israel of genocide, with all the righteous fury a keyboard can muster. His take is that war crimes are policy, not consequence. No gray allowed, no history reviewed. Just maximalist slogans and maximalist blame. It’s moral clarity without moral complexity—and that’s always dangerous.
Leans: Hard Left – Seething, selective outrage with blinders on.
11. Gaza: No Genocide, Just War
Author: John Spencer | X (formerly Twitter)
Bob’s Take:
Spencer dismantles the genocide claim, brick by brick. He’s not soft on Israel—but he insists on definitions, timelines, and facts. For that, he’ll be called an apologist by people who confuse proportionality with popularity. This is a lesson in moral patience—and the courage to stand when nuance is banned.
Leans: Center-Right – Tactical clarity, strategic backbone.
12. Trump Approval: Ceiling, Floor, or Springboard?
Compiled from WSJ, Trafalgar, Emerson
Bob’s Take:
Three polls peg Trump between 46–50%—which in today’s rigged-media environment is like scoring 60% without the curve. He’s not invincible, but he’s not falling either. The numbers whisper a truth the press won’t print: people remember $2 gas, peace deals, and borders that worked.
Leans: Center-Right – Math that’s too steady to spin.
👣 Roost Well, My Friends
The crow’s not done. He circled the ruins, cataloged the spin, and left a few claw marks on the marble. Tomorrow he’ll fly again—with fresh ink, fresh bile, and one eye on the people who still think no one’s watching.