A lot of the frustration here about Democrats is fair—especially the push to stop the spread of socialism and the DSA, which is a real and growing threat. But if the goal is actually winning bigger and locking in 2028 so that threat can keep getting beaten back, the easiest expansion path is sitting right in front of the party and doesn’t require rewriting the agenda.
The groups that already shifted hardest toward Trump in 2024—and that respond to the current message on jobs, borders, crime, and anti-woke reality—were working-class Hispanic men, younger black men, and young men in general. Those voters didn’t need a softer social platform or bigger government. They needed someone who talked straight about costs, safety, and opportunity.
One practical option worth considering: a 2028 nominee who can speak directly to the Hispanic piece of that coalition without changing a single major policy. Someone like Rubio brings the language, the immigrant-family story, and the Florida track record that makes the existing message land harder with exactly the voters who are already moving. It doesn’t water anything down. It just makes the same product easier to sell to people who are open to it.
That kind of choice also gives the party a clean chance to drop the “Party of White Men” image that still sticks in a lot of people’s heads. I’m an NPA voter in Florida and one of those people: I’ll vote for any Democrat over Vance this time…so to speak. The perception is real, and a nominee who visibly broadens the face of the ticket helps kill it without apologizing for the agenda. (The fact that someone here already said an NPA has “no skin in the game” only proves how restrictive the brand can feel to people who are otherwise open to the message.)
Same expansion also reduces the risk of fragmentation. If parts of the base start peeling off toward independent voices (Tucker Carlson?) or protest options, adding working-class Hispanic and young male voters gives the party more total numbers and less dependence on any single media lane. Keep the agenda tight, target the groups that already like it, pick a messenger who can reach the ones still on the fence, and use the opportunity to update the brand. That’s the lowest-effort way to grow instead of just holding what is already there—and the strongest way to keep socialism and the DSA from gaining more ground.
Sebastian Haffner, who came of age in Germany between the wars, wrote an outstanding memoir in which he addressed the question: How does an advanced and civilized nation turn into “a pack of hunting hounds directed against humans?”
This week seemed like a good time to update and re-post my review:
Apple got an estimated $2.2 billion tariff refund last quarter. Amazon got $600 million. Nike got $300 million. But American consumers who paid higher prices as President Donald Trump’s tariffs filtered through the economy are getting almost nothing back.
Internal squabbles erupted in the Senate Republican Conference on Wednesday as GOP senators battled each other and the White House over a variety of issues, prompting Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to warn that his colleagues face a potential legislative “train wreck.”
I had fresh cashews in Brazil. Not the nut, but the fruit. It was very delicious, but the fruit is fragile and hard to store and ship, so you won’t find it in the produce section at your local store. Too bad, it was really tasty.
For BenDavid,
I still don’t need smelling salts vis Iran. And yes, I still think Trump is being played. He seemed to understand that a little more than a week ago, but has now reverted to form. A couple of people seen to agree:
Fascinating cashew story. It’s my favorite nut too.
In graduate school we took a course on Agriculture in the Ancient Near East. It was an experimental course that had some funding from a government grant.
A point that came up repeatedly was “how on earth did they figure that out?” Some agricultural product that is harmful and poisonous, but if they use some complicated process, then it becomes edible (or potable) and even delicious.
How many people became sick or died before ancient civilizations figured out these steps? And why did they keep trying again before they got it right?
So many good things in today’s WSJ I couldn’t get through them all on the train this morning.
First, we need to celebrate our few successes, and the Success Academy is one. They are opening a 2,400 student K-12 school in the Bronx.
It’s a culture of expectations. “Our middle-schoolers take four years of biology, chemistry and physics,” Ms. Moskowitz says. “When they get to high school, they take AP Calc, AP Bio, AP Chem and AP Physics. All of them, 100% of them.” Not everybody aces every Advanced Placement exam, though overwhelmingly they pass the state’s standardized tests, and according to Success Academy every graduate in recent years has been accepted to a four-year college.
Worth reading the whole thing. Some telling admissions from democrats on the crap that passes for public education in the cities, not that they’ll ever do anything about it.
The science minded here, of which there are many, probably took note of headlines recently announcing from on high that climate change has now been linked to specific extreme weather events. Like me you probably shook your head despondently and wondered, “Why now? Where did this come from?” Well, here you go.
Essentially a handful of people wrote it, nearly none with any real credentials – only one of whom is a member of the National Academy, yes, you read that right – figured out how to game the system to get the National Academy of Science stamp of approval on it, it never went out broadly before release, and yet “journalists” ran with, quotes like, “represents the position of the National Academies.” What’s that quip about a lie traveling half way around the world?
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 seems to come up here a lot. You might be interested in a new book out simply called 1453 by Anthony Kaldellis. Here’s a review:
And for the baseball minded – yes, the WSJ does have an eclectic sports section. Most here are old enough to still care about batting average. Luis Arraez may well win his fourth batting title this year which would put him in very elite company. So why is he with his fifth team in five years? And why did the Phillies, who just acquired him, bat him in the cleanup spot? Baseball has changed a lot since I was a kid.
“Government officials have a certain level of immunity in their official capacities, but if Fauci personally profited off of the ‘guidance’ he issued, that very well could have broken Florida law,” Uthmeier said.
I had fresh cashews in Brazil. Not the nut, but the fruit. It was very delicious
The video is a bit confusing. It claims the fruit and nut are toxic even to touch, but shows a lot of workers handling them with bare hands. Not sure how the fruit is edible based on that, maybe it has to be processed in some way.
Cashews are tasty, but supposedly not as healthy as other nuts (high carb content).
According to comrade AI:
The “cashew apple” is completely safe, edible, and non-toxic. However, the outer shell of the attached nut contains urushiol, a toxic resin identical to the irritant found in poison ivy, which causes severe skin rashes and chemical burns.
– The Cashew Apple (Safe)
The false fruit (the swollen stem) is juicy, sweet, and tangy.
It is eaten fresh or made into juices, jams, and local drinks where it grows.
It spoils too fast to ship fresh to other countries.
– The Cashew Shell and Seed (Toxic)
The grey kidney-shaped shell holds the nut and a caustic oil (anacardic acid and urushiol).
Touching the raw shell causes painful blisters and skin inflammation.
Eating true raw seeds with the oil still on them can cause severe internal reactions.
– How They Become Safe
Nuts are never sold in their shells.
Factories steam, boil, or roast the nuts to burn off and destroy the toxic oil.
Store-bought “raw” cashews are already heat-treated to remove this danger.
If you are planning to handle fresh cashew fruits or process them yourself, let me know so I can share safety tips for handling the toxic resin.
I still think Trump is being played.
The difficulty isn’t Iran, it is Saudi Arabia. SA sees itself as vulnerable to Iran and its proxies.
David Foster–I read Haffner’s book in 2021.–sobering. A history we shouldn’t be reliving.
Rick67, excellent questions.
Mike Plaiss, the ‘climate change’ scam must be perpetuated, no matter what the cost!
• The Iran War, the Epstein files and even the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have prompted fierce debate on Capitol Hill since Donald Trump’s return to the White House … But there was one topic that even Washington’s political class probably didn’t expect to cause a storm among Republicans this week: the humble burrito.
humble me — 😉
• .. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA … he wrote: “One of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability. A burrito shouldn’t cost $20” … He added: “Yeah, a lot of this is a hangover from Covid and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: it just feels like basic things cost too much.”
humble me — Yeah, some ‘Thangs seem too expensive in Walmart’s grocery sections now…heck, even Dollar General is cheaper than Walmart on many items. Back to burritos — ‘standard in-store burritos at places like Chipotle or local spots generally cost $9 to $14, delivery fees, taxes, and tips can easily push the total to $20.’ Read where Taco Bell has them under $4 but I dunno. Eating out is definitely too expensive for humble me!
• The post landed at a difficult time for Republicans. In June, data showed that inflation had risen to 4.2 per cent, its third consecutive monthly increase and the highest level in three years, fuelling concerns that rising prices could undermine the party’s hopes of keeping control of congress in November’s midterm elections.
• Marc Thiessen, a former George W Bush speechwriter and Washington Post columnist, dismissed the comment. “Cry me a river,” he wrote on X. “The burritos in the college cafeteria are included in your meal plan.”
• Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator, was equally scathing, arguing that if young people were paying $20 for a burrito, they are “doing life wrong” … “I hear that young people are upset about $20 burritos. Okay, young people: a burrito does not cost $20,” he wrote … “If you’re paying $20 for a burrito and you’re not independently wealthy, you’re doing life wrong. We have enough problems as a country without insane expectations that the government is going to provide us gourmet-quality burritos.”
• JD Vance, the US vice-president, then inserted himself into the debate, mocking Mr Thiessen’s eating habits … “I’m surprised to hear Mark say this. If you’ve ever met him in person, it’s quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito,” Mr Vance posted, misspelling Mr Thiessen’s first name.
humble me — !? Give me AOC over JD “Bootlicker” Vance!
• the debate reflects the rise of “common good conservatism” – the belief that the government should actively pursue policies which strengthen family life and improve living standards. It marks a departure from the Reagan-era ideology of low taxes, small government and market liberalism … “The old philosophy was: stay out of my business. The government’s role is just to keep the lights on, not to tip the scales in any direction,” she said. “That is fundamentally not what the next generation of Republicans believe, JD Vance among them” … “It’s this idea that there is a role for the government in shaping day to day life and the debate on the right is: to what extent is that actually ok?”
humble me – 38 years older than ‘Bootlicker’ so m-a-y-b-e he appears as a whippersnapper to me…
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A lot of the frustration here about Democrats is fair—especially the push to stop the spread of socialism and the DSA, which is a real and growing threat. But if the goal is actually winning bigger and locking in 2028 so that threat can keep getting beaten back, the easiest expansion path is sitting right in front of the party and doesn’t require rewriting the agenda.
The groups that already shifted hardest toward Trump in 2024—and that respond to the current message on jobs, borders, crime, and anti-woke reality—were working-class Hispanic men, younger black men, and young men in general. Those voters didn’t need a softer social platform or bigger government. They needed someone who talked straight about costs, safety, and opportunity.
One practical option worth considering: a 2028 nominee who can speak directly to the Hispanic piece of that coalition without changing a single major policy. Someone like Rubio brings the language, the immigrant-family story, and the Florida track record that makes the existing message land harder with exactly the voters who are already moving. It doesn’t water anything down. It just makes the same product easier to sell to people who are open to it.
That kind of choice also gives the party a clean chance to drop the “Party of White Men” image that still sticks in a lot of people’s heads. I’m an NPA voter in Florida and one of those people: I’ll vote for any Democrat over Vance this time…so to speak. The perception is real, and a nominee who visibly broadens the face of the ticket helps kill it without apologizing for the agenda. (The fact that someone here already said an NPA has “no skin in the game” only proves how restrictive the brand can feel to people who are otherwise open to the message.)
Same expansion also reduces the risk of fragmentation. If parts of the base start peeling off toward independent voices (Tucker Carlson?) or protest options, adding working-class Hispanic and young male voters gives the party more total numbers and less dependence on any single media lane. Keep the agenda tight, target the groups that already like it, pick a messenger who can reach the ones still on the fence, and use the opportunity to update the brand. That’s the lowest-effort way to grow instead of just holding what is already there—and the strongest way to keep socialism and the DSA from gaining more ground.
Sebastian Haffner, who came of age in Germany between the wars, wrote an outstanding memoir in which he addressed the question: How does an advanced and civilized nation turn into “a pack of hunting hounds directed against humans?”
This week seemed like a good time to update and re-post my review:
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/77428.html
Corporate America got billions of dollars in tariff refunds. Where’s your cut?
GOP infighting erupts as Thune warns of legislative ‘train wreck’
Tucker Carlson unveils 10-point manifesto amid third-party speculation
I had fresh cashews in Brazil. Not the nut, but the fruit. It was very delicious, but the fruit is fragile and hard to store and ship, so you won’t find it in the produce section at your local store. Too bad, it was really tasty.
For BenDavid,
I still don’t need smelling salts vis Iran. And yes, I still think Trump is being played. He seemed to understand that a little more than a week ago, but has now reverted to form. A couple of people seen to agree:
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/08/06/win-the-war-already-n2680691
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/the-art-of-the-deal-is-doomed-to-fail-in-iran/
Fascinating cashew story. It’s my favorite nut too.
In graduate school we took a course on Agriculture in the Ancient Near East. It was an experimental course that had some funding from a government grant.
A point that came up repeatedly was “how on earth did they figure that out?” Some agricultural product that is harmful and poisonous, but if they use some complicated process, then it becomes edible (or potable) and even delicious.
How many people became sick or died before ancient civilizations figured out these steps? And why did they keep trying again before they got it right?
So many good things in today’s WSJ I couldn’t get through them all on the train this morning.
First, we need to celebrate our few successes, and the Success Academy is one. They are opening a 2,400 student K-12 school in the Bronx.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/success-builds-in-the-south-bronx-8b971734?st=CMDKuW
Worth reading the whole thing. Some telling admissions from democrats on the crap that passes for public education in the cities, not that they’ll ever do anything about it.
The science minded here, of which there are many, probably took note of headlines recently announcing from on high that climate change has now been linked to specific extreme weather events. Like me you probably shook your head despondently and wondered, “Why now? Where did this come from?” Well, here you go.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/false-unanimity-at-the-national-academies-8b11e800?st=fGaT52
Essentially a handful of people wrote it, nearly none with any real credentials – only one of whom is a member of the National Academy, yes, you read that right – figured out how to game the system to get the National Academy of Science stamp of approval on it, it never went out broadly before release, and yet “journalists” ran with, quotes like, “represents the position of the National Academies.” What’s that quip about a lie traveling half way around the world?
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 seems to come up here a lot. You might be interested in a new book out simply called 1453 by Anthony Kaldellis. Here’s a review:
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/1453-review-a-siege-reconsidered-21ed9d35?st=Hi3iMA
And for the baseball minded – yes, the WSJ does have an eclectic sports section. Most here are old enough to still care about batting average. Luis Arraez may well win his fourth batting title this year which would put him in very elite company. So why is he with his fifth team in five years? And why did the Phillies, who just acquired him, bat him in the cleanup spot? Baseball has changed a lot since I was a kid.
https://www.wsj.com/sports/baseball/luis-arraez-phillies-trade-deadline-09eaa31f?st=oYuXPW
Maybe Luis Arráez is not a good teammate.
Three state attorneys general subpoena Anthony Fauci over Covid guidance
I had fresh cashews in Brazil. Not the nut, but the fruit. It was very delicious
The video is a bit confusing. It claims the fruit and nut are toxic even to touch, but shows a lot of workers handling them with bare hands. Not sure how the fruit is edible based on that, maybe it has to be processed in some way.
Cashews are tasty, but supposedly not as healthy as other nuts (high carb content).
According to comrade AI:
I still think Trump is being played.
The difficulty isn’t Iran, it is Saudi Arabia. SA sees itself as vulnerable to Iran and its proxies.
David Foster–I read Haffner’s book in 2021.–sobering. A history we shouldn’t be reliving.
Rick67, excellent questions.
Mike Plaiss, the ‘climate change’ scam must be perpetuated, no matter what the cost!
How burritos are tearing apart the Republican Party – Snippets ‘n humble me:
• The Iran War, the Epstein files and even the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have prompted fierce debate on Capitol Hill since Donald Trump’s return to the White House … But there was one topic that even Washington’s political class probably didn’t expect to cause a storm among Republicans this week: the humble burrito.
humble me — 😉
• .. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA … he wrote: “One of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability. A burrito shouldn’t cost $20” … He added: “Yeah, a lot of this is a hangover from Covid and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: it just feels like basic things cost too much.”
humble me — Yeah, some ‘Thangs seem too expensive in Walmart’s grocery sections now…heck, even Dollar General is cheaper than Walmart on many items. Back to burritos — ‘standard in-store burritos at places like Chipotle or local spots generally cost $9 to $14, delivery fees, taxes, and tips can easily push the total to $20.’ Read where Taco Bell has them under $4 but I dunno. Eating out is definitely too expensive for humble me!
• The post landed at a difficult time for Republicans. In June, data showed that inflation had risen to 4.2 per cent, its third consecutive monthly increase and the highest level in three years, fuelling concerns that rising prices could undermine the party’s hopes of keeping control of congress in November’s midterm elections.
• Marc Thiessen, a former George W Bush speechwriter and Washington Post columnist, dismissed the comment. “Cry me a river,” he wrote on X. “The burritos in the college cafeteria are included in your meal plan.”
• Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator, was equally scathing, arguing that if young people were paying $20 for a burrito, they are “doing life wrong” … “I hear that young people are upset about $20 burritos. Okay, young people: a burrito does not cost $20,” he wrote … “If you’re paying $20 for a burrito and you’re not independently wealthy, you’re doing life wrong. We have enough problems as a country without insane expectations that the government is going to provide us gourmet-quality burritos.”
• JD Vance, the US vice-president, then inserted himself into the debate, mocking Mr Thiessen’s eating habits … “I’m surprised to hear Mark say this. If you’ve ever met him in person, it’s quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito,” Mr Vance posted, misspelling Mr Thiessen’s first name.
humble me — !? Give me AOC over JD “Bootlicker” Vance!
• the debate reflects the rise of “common good conservatism” – the belief that the government should actively pursue policies which strengthen family life and improve living standards. It marks a departure from the Reagan-era ideology of low taxes, small government and market liberalism … “The old philosophy was: stay out of my business. The government’s role is just to keep the lights on, not to tip the scales in any direction,” she said. “That is fundamentally not what the next generation of Republicans believe, JD Vance among them” … “It’s this idea that there is a role for the government in shaping day to day life and the debate on the right is: to what extent is that actually ok?”
humble me – 38 years older than ‘Bootlicker’ so m-a-y-b-e he appears as a whippersnapper to me…