Editorial: Latest Reports from the Washington Posts ‘Right Turn’

Hillary Clinton goes on offense on foreign policy

Only with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as her primary opponent and Donald Trump waiting in the wings could Hillary Clinton, carrying the baggage of nearly eight years of President Obama’s foreign policy failures, go on offense successfully. That is exactly what she is doing in advance of tonight’s Democratic debate. Instead of ideology, Clinton’s foreign […]

What sort of running mate does Cruz need?

At the town hall on CNN Wednesday night, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) let on that he’s beginning the VP selection process. Of course he is; anyone with a well-organized campaign would start early, make his list, begin to vet and spend time with potential running mates. Failure to do so would be, well, as sloppy […]

The GOP delegates have leverage — and should use it

Focus on the expected contested convention has centered on what Donald Trump might do to pressure delegates. He and his flunkies have been crying foul and hinting at violence. Others have speculated that Trump might have a bag full of goodies (jobs, donations, etc.) to toss around. CNN observed: There are federal and state laws […]

Trump demonstrates the right’s electoral blindness

Since the 2012 election, the myth of the “missing” white voter found wide acceptance on the right. Although subsequently disproved again and again, those determined to advance anti-immigration and anti-internationalist foreign policies clung to the notion that the GOP could narrow-cast a populist message to working-class and middle-class whites, ignore the growing diversity of the electorate and double down […]

Morning Bits

Working hard and organizing pay off. Donald Trump should try it. “A year of planning is paying off for [Sen. Ted] Cruz as his campaign racks up delegates from Virginia to Louisiana to Colorado, cutting into Trump’s once-formidable lead and threatening the businessman’s ability to secure a first-ballot win at the July convention in Cleveland.” Sen. Bernie Sanders […]

Mr. Priebus, this is not going to ‘blow over’

As we have noted before, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has walked on egg-shells so as not to annoy Donald Trump. He’s bent over backwards to declare him one of many “outstanding” candidates and to pledge the party’s “100 percent” support if Trump is the nominee. Predictably, Priebus’s efforts have been fruitless and Trump is […]

Wall Street’s dilemma reflects Cruz’s challenge

Politico reports on the difficult time Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is having wooing Wall Street donors: Given the formidable stakes, many on Wall Street are paying attention to Cruz’s overtures. Some say they dislike both Cruz and [Donald] Trump, but will come to the aid of Cruz as the lesser evil. Others find Cruz’s anti-Wall […]

Five reasons Trump shouldn’t give policy speeches

Donald Trump, according to news reports, is intending to give a series of policy speeches. The idea is that this will make him seem presidential and lure conservatives. Bad idea. For one thing, no one thinks these are Trump’s ideas or that he has a command of policy. He’s flubbed up too many times in […]

The GOP convention in Cleveland will be Trump’s Waterloo

The Associated Press reports on Donald Trump’s incompetence in the crucial delegate-selection process: Trump’s shortcomings in this behind-the-scenes campaign, which hasn’t played much of a role in selecting the GOP nominee in decades, could doom his presidential candidacy if he is unable to win the nomination in the initial voting at this summer’s national convention in […]

Sanders is playing Trump’s game

Stuart Rothenberg points out: Bernie Sanders’ uncompromising anti-business rhetoric and agenda, combined with the energy of “progressive” forces in the Democratic coalition, reflect a significant turn to the left by a party that once stood for pragmatic change, not “revolution.” . . . . [Donald] Trump bases his wild assertions that he’ll destroy ISIS quickly, […]

Trump’s ‘best’ people are seriously flawed

When you find out that the late senator Joseph McCarthy’s henchman, Roy Cohn, was Donald Trump’s mentor and fixer, Trump’s campaign missteps and current predicament begin to make sense. Politico recently reported: Over a 13-year-period, ending shortly before Cohn’s death in 1986, Cohn brought his say-anything, win-at-all-costs style to all of Trump’s most notable legal […]

Morning Bits

Cry me a river, Gov. Christie. “The [Donald Trump] endorsement may have done more to hurt Christie than to help Trump. The governor has seen his poll numbers at home take a hit because of the endorsement. He’s been asked regularly to answer for Trump’s rhetorical provocations and missteps. New Jersey Republicans who normally reflexively follow […]

Paul Ryan’s dose of reality

Tuesday, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) accomplished two things, although political media, entirely focused on the GOP primary, paid attention to only the first. Yes, Ryan made headlines when he splashed cold water on the notion that he would save the Republican Party from itself. “If no candidate has a majority on the first ballot, I […]

Reince Priebus squeaks up

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, momentarily roused from his stupor, decided to defend the party he is supposed to be leading. Politico reports: Priebus said that while most states have primaries or caucuses, a few states like Colorado have convention systems, “and that’s perfectly OK,” he told conservative radio host Mike Gallagher. . . […]

Enough sanctimony, Gov. Kasich

Excuse us for not swooning over Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s speech today portraying his opponents as offering a “path to darkness.” There is a lot wrong with his speech, including: 1. He equates truly noxious and unconstitutional ideas with simply bad ones. “We have heard proposals to drop out of NATO, abandon Europe to Russia, possibly use […]