The "red wave" did happen; it just didn't win many seats. Republicans won six million more votes nationwide than Democrats, roughly the same margin as in the Tea Party wave of 2010, when the GOP won 63 seats in a landslide.
However, in this election, the map was different. In 2010, Republicans were largely claiming back seats they had lost in 2006, under that old map. In 2022, Republicans were looking to flip what were rather Democratic districts.
The Senate is a disappointment: the Republicans held onto everything they had, but lost the open seat in Pennsylvania. Debate will rage for years as to why that happened, most of it about Donald Trump's role in endorsing Dr. Oz.
We don't know the final result yet: the fate of the Senate is yet to be decided, as is the fate of Los Angeles. Though it's just a local election, a win by Rick Caruso locally could indicate a nationwide sense of voters' dissatisfaction.
Overall, I share the Republicans' disappointment, but I am hopeful. Voters seem to have culled the most extreme candidates on both sides, and the 2024 race for the White House is wide open. Trump is not a lock, and that's a good thing.
If Trump wants to be the GOP nominee, he has to earn it by showing he can unite the party, and by making the case that he can win again despite his polarizing persona. There will be a contest. That's good for everyone involved.
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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