Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot became a symbol of "progressive" misgovernance and intolerance. So when Chicago voters ousted her in the primary earlier this year, reform seemed to be in the air.
The hero: Paul Vallas, the 1990s-era CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, placed there by the corrupt but effective Mayor Richard Daley. Vallas is the latest in a long line of white liberal reformers.
Unfortunately, he was no more successful than his predecessors. He lost to Brandon Johnson -- a "defund the police" advocate and teachers' union organizer who is even further left than Lightfoot.
The city is basically done. Wealthy people and businesses, especially in real estate, are going to leave the city rather than face a slew of new taxes. The unions, which have destroyed schools, will rule.
And crime, which has skyrocketed out of control, will continue to be a terrible scourge. Millions of Chicagoans will continue to vote with their feet, as they have for two decades, moving to red states.
I used to live in the Chicago area. I left for ... California. It's run only slightly better than Illinois, and L.A. is a bit less dysfunctional. But it has weather, and a sense of freedom, even with taxes and rules.
The problem with socialism is that once it takes over a democratic system, it is nearly impossible to remove. It is the choice that ends all choices. But it is a temptation that may be impossible to resist.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
