Republicans seem to have lost the big lead they had on the generic congressional ballot earlier in the summer, and the situation looks even worse when one examines individual Senate races; the GOP is losing key contests.
What is going on?
1. Democrats are mad: the Dobbs decision reversing Roe v. Wade has energized female voters; the Uvalde decision is motivating gun control enthusiasts; and some Republicans are proposing some weird policies.
2. Biden is doing better: the Al-Zawahiri killing; the falling gas prices; the new spending bill; modest gun reforms; and good jobs reports are all adding up to a fairly good summer for Biden, even with two quarters of economic contraction.
3. Trump is the issue: Democrats have used the January 6 Committee and other investigations to keep Trump in the headlines. That has rallied the GOP (see the Mar-a-Lago raid), but it has also rallied wavering Democrats.
4. Republicans aren't talking about issues: the GOP is stuck on Trump, too, and can't find a credible message on inflation. Meanwhile, as Tucker Carlson notes, they aren't talking about the border crisis or crime or "woke" education.
5. Individual candidates: This is the Mitch McConnell excuse, but it's got some legs. The GOP has some lemons: in Pennsylvania, Dr. Oz is losing to a guy who is basically an extremist (and a racist) and who is not healthy enough to serve.
It's still early yet, but without determined leadership from Republicans, a good opportunity to take the Senate is going to slip away, and gains in the House may also disappear. It's like the Tea Party year of 2010 all over again.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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