From the right: Conservatives’ Pipe Dreams

National Review’s Jim Geraghty notes that “a large contingent of conservatives on Twitter really wants to believe” that whoever has been sending explosive devices to Democrats and other targets “is someone on the left who is trying to make Trump supporters look bad.” That can’t be ruled out, he says, but “it’s rather bizarre to hear the absolute, adamant insistence that this could not possibly be a bomber who identifies himself as being on the right or as a supporter of the president.” After all, “there are idiots and nut jobs all across the political spectrum and quite a few who don’t fit neatly on it.” Bottom line: “We live in a world that is unpredictable, scary and often doesn’t make much sense.”

Conservative: Dem Silence on Caravans Implies Consent

The approach of thousands of desperate migrants from Central America “has energized Republicans” just ahead of the midterms, suggests the Chicago Tribune’s John Kass, as President Trump vows they will not be allowed to cross the border. Democrats “call this fear-mongering,” but among many on the left “it has caused political paralysis, a self-destructive institutional passivity. Democratic leaders want their members to stay silent.” Leaders like Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have “found a nice pile of warm sand and stuck their heads in there.” Yet, as the maxim goes, silence suggests consent. Just a few months ago, he recalls, Democrats “made it clear that border enforcement, by its nature, was racist and lacked compassion.” Now they’re trying to ignore what they’re seeing on their TV screens.

Foreign desk: Arab States Fear Regional Instability

Many in the Arab world have long worried about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “ambition and perceived arrogance,” say Karen DeYoung and Souad Mekhennet at The Washington Post. But what worries them most now is the potential fallout from the Jamal Khashoggi murder: “the danger to their own stability and security should Saudi Arabia’s status — and its close ties with the United States — be seriously undermined.” Because “Trump’s determination to crack down on Iran, after what was seen as the Obama administration’s soft stance toward their regional rival, has been greeted with relief. And, for better or worse, Trump has chosen Saudi Arabia as the United States’ main interlocutor and leading Arab ally in confronting Tehran.” Frankly, “the only country likely to be happy about the still-unfolding Khashoggi crisis is Iran.”

Urban critic: Midterm Wave’s Real Color Is Green

News coverage of the midterms has largely focused on cultural issues, such as race, gender and immigration. But Joel Kotkin at City Journal asserts that “what the media have missed are deep socioeconomic trends driving parts of the country in divergent political directions.” Indeed, President Trump “has overseen a significant transformation in the geography of the nation’s growth and prosperity.” But instead of clustering along the deep-blue coasts, economic expansion is “increasingly benefiting red states, notably in the southeast, Texas and the intermountain West.” In fact, “income growth is strongest in pro-Trump states,” while “the same urban areas that benefited most under President Obama’s tepid recovery now show signs of languishing.” So “despite the media’s national obsession with gender and race, American politics continues to follow broad geographic and economic lines.”

From the left: MTA Must Reform Its Contracting Process

Everyone knows the MTA needs money, concedes Ross Barkan at City State, but “few appreciate that it also needs to dramatically reform how it spends money, so as to stop wasting it.” Fact is, “inefficient spending has led the MTA to blow far more money on construction projects than any other transit agency in the world.” And Gov. Cuomo, “consumed with pretending he doesn’t really control the MTA, has offered few solutions.” But “until spending practices are rectified, New Yorkers will rightfully have little faith that any new revenue sent to the MTA will be spent effectively.” And that means “forcing reform on the MTA, particularly on competitive bidding,” by mandating “more bids” and bringing “some accountability to the process.” This is not just fiscal prudence — “it’s about sustainability and survival.”

— Compiled by Eric Fettmann