SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE

THE SIGNS:  Add this to the long piece I patched together this morning, warning that the GOP is underperforming in preparing for the midterms.  Too confident.  Too gentlemanly.  Too negative.  As if to confirm my worries, the final Rasmussen report of the week stated that President Biden had gained about five points in approval this week, and the Republican lead in the generic Congressional ballot went from ten points to five.  We stress, as we always do, that polls are snapshots in time, and can change quickly.  But I'm seeing some other signs that the Democrats are picking up speed, taking no prisoners, and are not conceding one seat in the new Congress.  Republicans, as I said this morning, need a positive platform that lays out what they would actually do.  Criticism of Biden is wearing out its welcome. 

DEATH OF A CITY – FROM BLUE STATE CONSERVATIVE:  The 7th-most valuable NFL franchise, Da Bears of Chicago, are packing their bags and heading to greener (read: safer, more tax-friendly) pastures. It’s the perfect middle finger to woke, inept leadership personified by real-life Beetlejuice Mayor Lori Lightfoot.  Chicago has seen an astonishing 35% increase in crime, and hopelessly stupid policies from Lightfoot now prevent Chicago Police Department officers from even pursuing potential misdemeanor suspects on foot. Meanwhile, the Bears rake in $166 million annually to go toward a corrupt budget that prioritizes illicit gangbanging activities over the safety of its players, fans, and own citizens.  The only question worth asking is why they didn’t do this years ago.  Chicago is ungovernable in large measure because it is so racialized.   Race dominates everything, and the only people who seem to benefit are the black leaders.  The black citizens, especially children, don't seem to have much say, and the liberal press doesn't seem to care.   The same problems that plagued the city decades ago, when I attended the University of Chicago, plague the city today.  No real progress.

COMMON SENSE FOR A CHANGE – FROM COLLEGE FIX:    The Ivy League’s nominee for “NCAA Woman of the Year” will be Columbia University fencer Sylvie Binder, the organization announced on Monday.  Binder defeated other Ivy League competitors including University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas.  Thomas competed against men in collegiate swimming competitions before switching to female NCAA meets. The Penn swimmer took drugs to suppress testosterone for one year, clearing the NCAA bar to compete against women. “Conference offices have named 151 college athletes as their nominees for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award,” the national sports organization announced on Monday. “The nominees represent student-athletes from 17 sports spanning all three NCAA divisions.  Nothing against Lia Thomas, who still has the strength of a man and, in my view, should not be permitted to compete against women.  It is grossly unfair to those women.  Fortunately, Thomas was not selected to represent the Ivy League, so we won't have to have this debate again. 

July 28-29, 2022