Quick Hits: Volume CDXXII

 - When prog political candidates are heavily supported by plutocrats such as George Soros, Michael Bloomberg and Alida Rockefeller Messinger, it elicits a collective yawn from the media lapdogs. But if a prominent GOP candidate garners even a fraction of that support? It gets put on blast. 

The November election is just over eight weeks away and one of the marquee races in Minnesota is the race for governor.

Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth now faces DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November election.

Klobuchar is way ahead in fundraising with $3.44 million cash on hand to Demuth's $544,000, but Demuth has closed some of the gap with the help of outside money. Records show an outside Super PAC called Restore Sanity has given $2.8 million from at least 26 separate donations to support Demuth's campaign, most of it going to advertising.

The Restore Sanity PAC is funded by Wisconsin billionaire Richard Uihlein, a top donor to President Trump.

In contrast, Klobuchar's campaign has received $5,000 of outside money from two Minnesota PACs.

Yeah, but has Klobee always been that scrupulous when running for U.S. Senate or President? (Spoiler: no).

Let's be real though. It's not the money that bothers the left and their media allies so much. It's the fact Demuth is within striking distance in this race. If Klobee had her normal 15-20 point lead in the polls, this race would be summarily ignored even if Demuth brought in a semblance of that kind of outside money. Sounds to me it's more the effective messaging than it is campaign cash that is fueling Demuth's competitiveness. 

- Speaking of the Minnesota gubernatorial race, I'm highly skeptical an in-depth piece such as this would have been allowed in the Star Tribune had Gov. Tim Walz not suspended his bid for a third term. 

Four takeaways from our deep dive into the Walz administration’s fraud response https://t.co/eUpNORPinl

— The Minnesota Star Tribune (@StarTribune) September 14, 2026

The sub headline in the story: Key figures in and around the administration and more than 1,000 pages of newly public testimony transcripts revealed a theme of delegation and missed warnings.

One of those figures who could be aptly characterized as being "in and around" the Walz administration? Why, that would be Lt. Gov. (and current US Senate candidate) Peggy Flanagan, who, conveniently, is not mentioned by name in the article. Despite that, this issue will continue to dog her. 

This certainly has the potential to be an in-kind contribution to Peg's opponent, Michele Tafoya. 

- Conservative commentator Erick Erickson has uncovered some disturbing allegations about certain elements looking to hijack the conservative movement. 

For the last month, I've been working on tying together the white nationalists, Christian nationalists, and neo-Nazis rising on the right. They not only have common sources of funding, but they are taking over portions of the conservative movement. Finally hitting "publish" in…

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) September 16, 2026

The piece is long, but it is an essential read. 

To put it mildly, I will have absolute zero involvement with any faction which chooses hate to achieve its end goals. Any credible conservative would be wise to call this out for what it is, and in much the same manner Erick has. 

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Box Score of the Week

Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers - August 19, 1921

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Detroit's Ty Cobb collected his 3,000th career hit this game. At age 34 years and 243 days, Cobb is the youngest players to reach that milestone. 

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The NARN Closer's playlist - 9/13/2026

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Talkin' 'bout your troubles and you never learn.................

Happy first Sunday of the NFL season! Since the Vikings game doesn't start until 3:25, I'll be locked in on today's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour blitz begins at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

Right at 1:00, MN State Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) will join us to discuss his reelection campaign in Senate District 35 (Anoka, most of Coon Rapids, southern Andover). 

At 2:30, National Taxpayers Union President Pete Sepp will join the broadcast to weigh in on President Trump's proposed $5,000 "dividend payment." 

In the non-guest segments, I will discuss two somber anniversaries from this past week. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Telling young people about 9/11

It's hard to fathom that it's been a literal quarter century since four hijacked planes killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil. 

The American young people comprised of Gen Z (as well as a good number of Millennials) don't remember a world without prolific metal detectors at airports, stadiums and arenas, nor can they comprehend something occurring in America which actually unites the citizenry. 

For my money, National Review writer Jim Geraghty's piece on 9/11 is worth your time. He essentially shares his perspective with a mythical kid on how they couldn't possibly understand the apocalyptic vibe surrounding that second Tuesday in September 2001. 

You kids born later, you’ve seen some troubles. The Great Recession. Covid. Way too many mass shootings. But thankfully, you’ve never experienced anything like autumn of 2001, where you turned on the television news and wondered what terrible thing had happened since you last tuned in. “Doomscrolling” hadn’t been invented yet, but we had the dread of the CNN “Breaking News” chyron and sound. If they were interrupting regular coverage, it meant something unexpected had happened, almost certainly bad news.

Still, looking back on that day 25 years ago, there was that silver lining of just about everybody putting their American flags out. That was the “united” part of that time. For all we knew, we were all the next target, together. Al-Qaeda didn’t give a damn about what color your skin was, or what nationality you were, or, when it came down to it, even what religion you were. We weren’t like them, so they wanted to kill us. It made all our differences look small.

I’m not so sure we’d react the same way today, if, God forbid, someone hit us like that again.

Unfortunately, Jim, I am sure we would not react that same way today. Alas. 

Come, Lord Jesus.

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Charlie Kirk: one year later

On the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I wish I could say that I'm shocked how cold, callous and flat out evil some people have behaved in reacting to his death and legacy. Unfortunately, I'm almost numb to the derangement which permeates our political and social discourse. 

Charlie's good friend Frank Turek, in a recent chat with Jeremy Boreing, talked a little bit about that fateful day and what he's witnessed since. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeremy Boreing (@jeremyboreing)

The "Candace" they're referring to in this clip is Candace Owens, who has made it her personal mission in life to vilify Charlie's widow Erika for reasons I can't comprehend. I can't say I've gained intimate knowledge regarding Candace's belief on who or what killed Charlie, but somehow his wife and/or Israel were involved, I guess. 

Indeed, there was a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit in the aftermath of Charlie's death on 9/10/2025, particularly the outpouring witnessed at his celebration of life service a week-and-a-half later. Obviously the enemy Satan, whose sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy, is at work in the lives of others who look to co-opt Charlie's legacy. 

.@benshapiro says that three things SHOULD have happened after Charlie’s death (but didn’t):

1.) Political unification on the right around core principles

2.) United opposition to left wing violence

3.) Religious revival

These were thwarted by grifters and opportunists.… pic.twitter.com/RQNYYcA3GQ

— Jackie Chea ⚖️ (@Fair_and_Biased) September 10, 2026

While I was a frequent critic of Charlie's, specifically his fealty to anything Donald Trump, I always gave him his props for giving young people an opportunity to be exposed to different ideas. But what really brought out my respect was his being unabashed about his faith in Jesus Christ. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Turning Point USA (@turningpointusa)

Charlie's bold proclamation of faith inspires me to resist the urge to lash out at those who literally celebrate his death, knowing that they, like me, have fallen short of God's glory. We all need deliverance and grace. 

Charlie is no longer physically here, but we can not allow his legacy to be tarnished by those who have succumbed to evil. 

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Quick Hits: CDXXI

- Since the George W. Bush administration, the Republican party has been drifting further and further away from fiscal conservatism. This latest proposal gives the impression they're trying to challenge the left on expansion of government. 

NYT: Trump Officials Draft Plan to Pay At-Home Parents, Using Funds for Working Ones

The Trump administration is moving to allow married couples with a stay-at-home spouse to collect child care subsidies, a policy championed by Vice President JD Vance, using funds from a federal program intended to assist working parents, according to people familiar with the discussions.

If this somehow were to get through under Republican governance, it would be the ultimate permission structure for Democrats to escalate once they regain power. Erick Erickson painted a sobering portrait.

My biggest concern with this plan for families from the GOP is that you can never outbid the Left. So the GOP offers up a welfare benefit for a stay at home parent. The Dems will come back with the government covering the cost of pregnancy, child healthcare, etc. etc. etc. The GOP offers this benefit; the Democrats offer a multitude more.

The U.S. recently surpassed $40 trillion in its National Debt. All talk of expanding government programs at this juncture is utterly reckless and irresponsible. 

- My Minnesota Vikings traded up to the #10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select what they thought was their franchise quarterback in J.J. McCarthy. Less than 2-1/2 years later, he's relegated to being the third string QB on the depth chart for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. 

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell announced Carson Wentz will be the No. 2 backup QB on Sunday vs. the Packers and J.J. McCarthy will be QB3.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2026

Perhaps the most humiliating aspect for a young man who last year self-promoted his intense alter ego "Nine?" The official demotion occurred on Wednesday.......on the date 9/9.

- Late night talk shows on network TV are passe. Add to that the fact they've become little more than therapy sessions for those constantly triggered by a Donald Trump presidency, it should be no surprise that Stephen Colbert's CBS show finally assumed room temperature earlier this year. Well, it was slightly surprising in that the deranged Jimmy Kimmel didn't go first. 

But alas, it appears Jimbo's number has finally been called, 

Next season of ABC’s late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will be the last, Page Six is told.

“His contract is not getting extended,” a source familiar with the situation explained.

The season begins Tuesday and would wrap up, after 24 years on the air, in May 2027.

A spokesperson for ABC Entertainment has denied this report, so I guess we'll see. 

Bottom line is these shows have been unsustainable business models for quite some time. Why these networks have been addicted to hemorrhaging money is beyond me. 

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Box Score of the Week

Pittsburgh Pirates at St Louis Cardinals - June 27. 2021.

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Pirates' starting pitcher Max Kranick pitched five perfect innings in his MLB debut. That is the longest outing for a pitcher who allowed no baserunners in his first major league appearance. 

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