Fast Takes: Don’t bet on DSA sinking party, Venezuelans want real change and more

Democrat: Don’t Bet on DSAers Sinking Party

Looking at “what happened in the early 2010s,” Republicans might not be “so sanguine or Democrats so concerned” about the rise of Democratic Socialists of America radicals ascendant, muses Daniel Lipinski at The Wall Street Journal — yet we should worry more “about the country’s future.” Dems in 2010 thought the Tea Party would hurt Republicans, yet the GOP scored “historic gains in the House” that year — and Tea Party Republicans then tied their party’s hands by “refusing to vote” for anything less than their full agenda, and the righties claimed victory again in 2014. So it’s “foolish” to think the DSA today will “sink Democrats” this fall: It might “not only capture the Democratic Party” but “ride it to victory” in the November. That’s not a “prediction” — but “a warning.”

Foreign desk: Venezuelans Want Real Change

Seven months after Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s removal, tyranny is “down, but not done” in Venezuela, laments Arturo McFields at The Hill, as the regime seems “willing to do anything” but take “concrete steps towards relinquishing power.” Delcy Rodriguez’s interim government is in “a new dialogue” with the opposition reps, but so far off the table National Assembly are discussions about ending opposition figure Maria Corina Machado’s exile and releasing 379 political prisoners. Only 23% of the population approves of Rodriguez’s performance; most Venezuelans “want real change, not half measures.” The Trump administration needs to “finish the job” and work towards dismantling this “repressive system,” by guaranteeing free elections and freeing all political prisoners. Venezuela needs democracy and freedom to prosper, not a “new face from an old dictatorship.”

Sports beat: The Dodgers’ Cash Advantage

The Dodgers “surged to a 40 percent chance of winning it all” after nabbing pitching ace Tarik Skubal this week, notes Reason’s Jason Russell — and while the team is well run, it sure helps to have “a lot more money to burn” thanks to the “court-ordered agreement” that shields the “from the MLB’s revenue-sharing agreements.” Yes: Before the current run of “13 straight playoff seasons,” the team was “basically out of money” in 2011. The, in a bankruptcy-court settlement, “then MLB Commissioner Bud Selig” agreed to value the Dodgers’ “next TV deal” at just $84 million a year — when the actual agreement is now “worth an average of $334 million a year, and lasts until 2038.” This is “basically a huge annual windfall for the Dodgers, more than enough to cover the salaries of a few star players.”

Conservative: Leftists Cheer Tragedy for Foes

Terminally online leftists love to “chortle” over their enemies’ “untimely death,” “dancing on their graves” before they are even dug, thunders Spiked’s Brendan O’Neill. The brutal murder of “Tory grand dame” Ann Widdecombe inspired “glee” among the “death-laughers”; Charlie Kirk’s assassination had “haters” chanting “Bye, Nazi bitch”; now the death of Brit columnist Rod Liddle has inspired “depthless narcissists” to “celebrate” the passing of a man whose offense was “saying things you disagree with” and cheering “because it means you and your piss-weak constitution will be spared his hurty words.” All this hate “is proof that university now makes you dumb,” as “a whole new generation has been trained to cherish their self-esteem above all else.”

Vance: Consequences for Fraudsters

Social programs “funded by the generosity” of the people aid “countless Americans,” observes Vice President JD Vance at The Washington Post, but the inherent “trust” that backstops these programs “is hard to sustain when a government turns a blind eye to fraud.” Team Trump’s new task force “has taken a sledgehammer to fraud,” uncovering “$230 billion in fraud across Medicare, Medicaid,” SNAP and other programs. The “mission” “is straightforward”: “Protect taxpayers,” jail “fraudsters,” and ensure that benefits “reach the Americans they were intended to help.” The Task Force to Eliminate Fraud “is restoring accountability,” with “centuries” of prison time and “billions” in forfeiture and restitution achieved.

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board