Torch & Crow Quick Takes – 08.07.25

Torch & Crow Quick Takes – 08.07.25

By Jim Reynolds | www.reynolds.com

Grook
The truth gets lost inside the maze,
Where headlines dance and talking sways.
But torch in hand, we find our way—
And laugh at lies that fade by day.

Jim’s Note:
Hey out there—my home base is here on Substack, but I’m heading over to X for a little fishing trip. We’ll see how that goes.

Hope you enjoyed the two pieces on Nixon, Watergate, and Russiagate. The parallels between how Nixon and Trump were treated by the so-called mainstream press—aka the Left-wing press—are hard to miss. Same outfit, different suits.

Since everyone’s spewing nonsense about gerrymandering lately, I’m thinking of writing a short, clear piece that finally settles it. Spoiler: both sides do it. Why? Because it’s human nature. Duh. Stop posturing, jerks.

Still, watching Democrats camp out in the gerrymandering capital of the world is... priceless.

Intro

Some unions are fed up, some governors are jumping ship, and the Fed is once again playing hide-and-seek with its compass. Washington’s fog machine is running on overdrive, but the outlines are showing. Today's lineup mixes the real with the ridiculous—with Bob poking holes in the helium.

The Autoworkers Want Their Union Back

Frannie Block, The Free Press
Bob’s Take: It turns out when the union forgets the workers, the workers remember. Autoworkers are staging a quiet rebellion against UAW leadership, accusing them of focusing more on progressive politics than actual job protection.
• Lean: Disaffected-Left meets Working-Class Realist

This Chapter of Left-Wing 'Debanking' Is Coming to an End

Larry Kudlow, NY Sun
Bob’s Take: Financial censorship dressed up as virtue is getting a long-overdue audit. Kudlow signals a tide-turn: the public’s tolerance for ideological bank meddling has hit the limit.
• Lean: Free-Market Right

Surveillance at the Border

James Baratta, American Prospect
Bob’s Take: Progressives rediscover civil liberties—just in time to worry about immigrant facial scans. The article raises concerns over digital monitoring while ignoring who let the border collapse in the first place.
• Lean: Privacy-Left with Blind Spots

Reversing the EPA's Climate Overreach

Judge Glock, City Journal
Bob’s Take: A clean-up job at the EPA that doesn’t involve solar panels. Glock makes the case for restoring legal limits after years of regulatory freelancing dressed in green robes.
• Lean: Rule-of-Law Right

Don't Forget About Biden's Policy Successes

Bill Scher, Washington Monthly
Bob’s Take: When your wins need reminders, they probably weren’t wins. This is a greatest-hits mixtape for a president still polling under 40%.
• Lean: Loyalist-Left with Memory Lane Delusion

Voters Want To See Accountability for Russiagate Crimes

M.D. Kittle, The Federalist
Bob’s Take: The dream of justice lives—barely. Kittle argues that public demand for answers on Russiagate hasn't gone away, even if the DOJ wishes it would.
• Lean: Justice-Hungry Right

Gov. Polis Joins RFK's Overhaul of Federal Food Benefits

Arthur Delaney, HuffPost
Bob’s Take: When Colorado's blue governor joins RFK Jr., eyebrows go up and bureaucrats get nervous. Expect a smoothie of good intentions, odd coalitions, and avocado-laced policy.
• Lean: Quirk-Left meets Populist Fringe

Big Pharma Loomers Over Washington

Aaron Everitt, Substack
Bob’s Take: The more you stare at DC, the more you see pill bottles in every pocket. Everitt outlines how pharma profits entangle politicians in a trillion-dollar slow dance.
• Lean: Cross-Partisan Corruption Watch

The Fed Has Gone Adrift

Jon Hartley, Civitas Outlook
Bob’s Take: The compass is broken, the lifeboats are missing, and Powell’s holding a press conference on deck. Hartley accuses the Fed of losing policy clarity amid global uncertainty.
• Lean: Market-Critical Center

The Curse of America's High-Speed Rail

Hill & Kimmelman, Vox
Bob’s Take: America’s bullet train dreams keep derailing in a fog of red tape and cash burns. Somehow, Japan figured it out in 1964—but we have better excuses.
• Lean: Techno-Frustrated Left

Pritzker's Presidential Ambitions Are Sinking Him at Home

Mark Batinick, RCP
Bob’s Take: Illinois voters can smell a national campaign—and they don’t like the scent. The piece explores how ambition is crowding out local leadership.
• Lean: Realpolitik Center

U.S. Economy Will Thrive in Spite of Trumponomics

Nouriel Roubini, Project Syndicate
Bob’s Take: Roubini bets on resilience while sneering at Trump. It’s the economic version of “I hope the plane flies but hate the pilot.”
• Lean: Globalist Skeptic Left

A Path to Greatness Not Seen Since Lincoln, Washington

Newt Gingrich, FOX News
Bob’s Take: Newt rolls out the Mount Rushmore comparisons early. Expect fireworks, reverence, and the scent of a 2028 preview.
• Lean: Romantic-Right Pomp

Redistricting War Scrambles Loyalties

Susan Crabtree, RealClearPolitics
Bob’s Take: When the map changes, so do friendships. Crabtree shows how redistricting is pitting party insiders against each other in a high-stakes territorial shuffle.
• Lean: Strategic-Center Tension

Inside the DoD's Secretive Imagery Agency

Frank Whitworth, Catherine Herridge Reports
Bob’s Take: Black budgets, satellites, and a name you’re not supposed to say aloud. Welcome to the NGA—where war meets geospatial cartography.
• Lean: Security-Curious Neutral

War on Government Waste Deserves Bipartisan Support

Dan Lips, Financial Times
Bob’s Take: Cutting waste sounds great—until it means your cousin’s grant gets axed. Lips pleads for common sense amid trillion-dollar bloat.
• Lean: Fiscal-Pragmatic Right

Trump Is Right—Lawless D.C. Should Be Under Federal Control

Shane Harris, AMAC
Bob’s Take: This is the federalist version of “dad’s coming home.” Harris argues for taking back control from a rogue capital where laws are optional.
• Lean: Order-Restoring Right

👣 Roost Well, My Friends

Some stories can only be told when the smoke clears. But today, we’re taking notes while it’s still swirling. From broken railroads to bank ideologues, from cartoon greatness to real accountability—truth peeks out from every corner. Torch lit. Crow perched.

Source Note: Titles are Bob-ified reconstructions from the RealClearPolitics homepage. For full articles and context, visit www.realclearpolitics.com.