SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

SANDERS SKIPS OUT – FROM HEATSTREET:   The nomination was barely sealed up at the Democratic National Convention before Bernie Sanders, who had campaigned against Hillary Clinton for the party’s nod, went back to being an Independent.  Sanders, who considers himself, officially, an Independent in Congress because his views lean further left than the Democratic party’s platform, caucuses with Democrats. But until declaring an intention to run for the presidency in 2015, he had rarely, if ever, identified as a member of the Democratic Party (he’s been in politics since 1979).  And now, despite pleading with his base to support Hillary, even though they’re concerned that she’s too moderate, Sanders will return to Vermont and to his seat in the Senate, and he’ll do it with no official party affiliation.  What's going on?  What kind of political process do we wherein a guy can come in, rent a major political party, almost wreck it, and then leave?  This is a very unstable situation.  Both parties must tighten their rules.  They are private organizations and can establish their own standards for candidates. 

GOOD POINT – FROM AP:  Fox News' Tucker Carlson was bothered by Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine occasionally using Spanish phrases in his speech; time spent in Honduras made Kaine fluent in the language. Carlson said Kaine was, in effect, endorsing bilingualism. "I think this is symbolically important and something we should think about," he said.  We should think a great deal about it.  We are an English-speaking nation.  We make provisions for people who are not yet fully functional in English, but we have limits.  A major leader's speech should be in English.  Translations can be provided.  Of course, I'll be accused of bigotry and cultural oppression for writing this, and I don't really care.

OH NO! – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   Donald Trump confused Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, with former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, accusing one of them Wednesday of hiking taxes."Her running mate Tim Kaine, who by the way did a terrible job in New Jersey — first act he did in New Jersey was ask for a $4 billion tax increase and he was not very popular in New Jersey and he still isn’t,” Trump told a press conference in Doral, Fla.  Reporters corrected him and Trump acknowledged the gaffe.  “What? I mean Virginia,” Trump said.  This kind of thing can't go on.  Every time Trump holds a news conference, he makes some kind of embarrassing mistake.  He has to understand that the press is a Hillary press, and is out to sink him.  Unfortunately, he cooperates.

July 27, 2016