Torch & Crow Quick Takes – 07.30.25
Torch & Crow Quick Takes – 07.30.25
By Jim Reynolds | www.reynolds.com
Grook:
When power lies and pundits spin,
And headlines mask the mess within,
Bob reads between the scripted takes—
And finds the truth behind the fakes.
The Crows Are Flying Off to Roost for the Evening
If you thought today might pass without at least one NYT cover-up, one MSNBC panic essay, and a public slapfight on X—think again. Bob sorted through the feathers and noise to bring you a dozen Quick Takes on the day's finest dysfunction. Sleep tight.
Washington Post Could've Avoided Russiagate Humiliation
https://chroniclesmagazine.org/washington-post-couldve-avoided-russiagate-humiliation
Mark Judge, Chronicles
Bob's Take: The WaPo now pretends Russiagate was a regrettable oopsie, when in fact they chomped on Brennan's bait like a starving carp. Judge traces how the paper's own editorial cowardice set them up for the fall—and why they still haven't learned a thing.
• Leans: Right – Sober Dissent
Susan Miller Hits Back at Gabbard: 'She Doesn't Understand'
https://theguardian.com/susan-miller-hits-back-gabbard
Robert Tait, Guardian
Bob's Take: The Guardian goes full mystic to defend their collapsing Russiagate narrative, wheeling in astrologer Susan Miller to tell Tulsi she just doesn't "get it". That checks out. Gabbard brought declassified receipts. The Left brought Jupiter in retrograde.
• Leans: Left – Woo-Curious
How Democrats Dug Themselves Into Such a Deep Hole
https://rumble.com/pbd-podcast/democrats-deep-hole
Scott Jennings, PBD Podcast
Bob's Take: Jennings lays out the DNC's self-dug crater: open borders, DEI fatigue, economy gaslighting, and nonstop Trump obsession. They built a coalition of niche complaints and wonder why nobody shows up.
• Leans: Right – Southern Strategist
David Hogg Might Be Exactly What Democrats Need
https://slate.com/david-hogg-democrats
Shirin Ali, Slate
Bob's Take: If what Democrats need is a hyper-online, slogan-spewing Twitter teen who can't win over his own classmates, then yes, Hogg is the man. Slate blesses him as the Gen Z whisperer. Bob calls him a walking eye-roll.
• Leans: Left – Earnest to a Fault
Congrats to Emil Bove, Condolences to the Fake Right
https://x.com/seandavis/emil-bove-fake-right
Sean Davis, X
Bob's Take: Davis lauds Bove, Trump’s fierce but fair attorney, while carving up the usual media lapdogs on the Right who crave MSNBC likes more than actual results. Short, brutal, and all meat.
• Leans: Right – Weaponized X
Buttigieg Is Right: Democrats Must Reinvent Government
https://nymag.com/buttigieg-democrats-reinvent
Ed Kilgore, NY Magazine
Bob's Take: Kilgore dusts off Mayor Pete for a bold new vision: hire better bureaucrats, slap new signage on the same busted model, and pretend it's innovation. That should go great.
• Leans: Left – Techno-Delusional
How To Dismantle the NGO Underground
https://joelonsdale.substack.com/p/how-to-dismantle-ngo-underground
Joe Lonsdale, Substack
Bob's Take: Lonsdale dissects the NGO-industrial complex like a surgeon with a grudge, exposing how private foundations launder activism into policy while pretending to be above politics. Bring disinfectant.
• Leans: Right – Follow the Money
Israel's Greatest Threat Is Its Own Government
https://msnbc.com/israel-greatest-threat
Anthony Fisher, MSNBC
Bob's Take: Fisher blames Bibi & Co. for hollowing democracy from within. Fair point, but from MSNBC the critique doubles as projection. Turns out, lecturing Israel about authoritarianism from Manhattan is a genre now.
• Leans: Left – Globalist Grievance
NYT's Purposeful Obfuscation To Bury Their Retraction
https://x.com/billackman/nyt-retraction-obfuscation
Bill Ackman, X
Bob's Take: Ackman brings receipts: the NYT stealth-edited its fake-campus-antisemitism story, then buried the correction like a mob hit. Apparently truth is negotiable if it threatens the narrative.
• Leans: Center-Right – Capitalist Calling Bluffs
The Boorishness of Ellen DeGeneres
https://spectator.com/ellen-degeneres-boorishness
Kara Kennedy, The Spectator
Bob's Take: DeGeneres built an empire on faux kindness, then detonated it with diva tantrums and ceramic-level self-awareness. Kennedy sweeps up the remains with a smirk.
• Leans: Center-Right – Celebrity Shredder
Most Couples Used To Meet This Way. What Happened?
https://vox.com/most-couples-used-to-meet
Allie Volpe, Vox
Bob's Take: Vox dives into the mystery of why organic meet-cutes gave way to digital doomscrolling and algorithmic loneliness. Spoiler: we traded bars for bios and wonder why no one flirts anymore.
• Leans: Left – Sociologist with Emo Hair
👣 Roost Well, My Friends
Turns out, narrative entropy is real: lies decay, alliances shift, and trust dissolves in 280 characters or less. But Bob's keeping his flashlight handy and his claws sharp. The only thing better than watching it all burn is knowing exactly who lit the match.
Note on Sources: Complete articles are available at RealClearPolitics.com. Titles are Bob-ified reconstructions.