UP: Brit Hume replacing Greta Van Susteren DOWN: Matt Lauer UP: Queasiness about Donald Trump’s man crush on Vladimir Putin DOWN: Gen. (Ret.) Mike Flynn UP: Senate Republican candidates in battleground states DOWN: Trump “rewriting” the electoral map UP: Calls to investigate the Trump-Pam Bondi scandal DOWN: Telling a female presidential candidate to smile […]
Trump is the best witness against Trump
If the media narrative suggested that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had equally poor performance at NBC’s Commander-in-Chief Forum on Wednesday — the phony stance of equivalence at the expense of accuracy — it became crystal clear how firmly, perhaps irretrievably, Trump had cemented his reputation as an ignoramus and lap dog for […]
Sunday wrap
Who said it? 1. “I remember one of [the firefighters] so indelibly dragging his ax. And it was as close to a depiction of hell that I’ve ever personally seen.” 2. “We had people who were safe out into the lobby who went back up to help other people. . . . When you knowingly […]
‘Deplorables’: Can the media ever get it right?
Hillary Clinton’s remarks at a fundraiser Friday calling half of Donald Trump’s supporters “deplorables” were not entirely new. The story was straightforward, yet members of the media managed once more to show themselves flummoxed when conveying facts accurately and in context. Clinton said that half of Trump followers were deplorables and half are sympathetic victims […]
Distinguished persons of the week
Conservatives have long looked upon two of Ronald Reagan’s children, Patti and Ron, with suspicion. Just a couple of liberals treading on their father’s name, the critics sniff. But say this about them — and Michael Reagan as well. They’ve done what few Republicans have done: defended Reagan’s legacy by denouncing Donald Trump. The Clinton […]
Clinton’s impressive appeal to Christians
On Thursday, we suggested Hillary Clinton would do wise to share something about her personal faith when speaking to the largest organization of African American Baptists later that day. The extent to which she did so — and demonstrated her comfort with the language of faith — was among the most impressive things she has […]
Hillary Clinton is another Colin Powell victim
Suspicion falls on a high-level administration official. Colin Powell, who cultivates a saintlike image as a man above politics, knows that the accused is blameless. He nevertheless remains silent so as not to besmirch his own image. The accused twists in the wind and suffers personal and professional calamities, which largely could have been avoided […]
Republican Senate candidates do much better than Trump with Hispanics
Last week, America’s Voice, a pro-immigration group, released the results of a national survey of more than 3,700 Hispanic voters. By an astounding 70 percent to 19 percent, they favor Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump is viewed unfavorably by 74 percent of Hispanics. Today, it has put out data on seven battleground states — Arizona, Colorado, […]
Morning Bits
Like father, like son. “Donald Trump Jr. promotes conspiracy theory on Clinton earpiece.” Good grief. You may not like the result, but not every sleazy act is criminal. “Federal prosecutors will not attempt to retry former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, on corruption charges, ending a years long saga that rocked […]
This week’s Baghdad Bob
It’s Friday and time for our “Baghdad Bob” award, named in honor of Saddam Hussein’s information minister who spouted hilarious and totally false tales of success at the onset of the Iraq War. This week’s award — for the most cringe-worthy spin on behalf of Donald Trump — goes to Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus. […]
The political landscape has changed, but the GOP hasn’t
Observers following the minutiae of electoral politics can easily forget how radically political fortunes can change. The GOP suffered one of its worst presidential defeats in 1964; it won the presidency in 1968. The South used to be solidly Democratic; after the Civil Rights movement that changed dramatically. There used to be moderate GOP senators […]
Evan McMullin: More professional than professional pols
It is hard to remember that the “real” candidates are supposedly a vitriolic real estate mogul and a woman whose ethical radar is permanently on the fritz. It is, however, the guy who got into the race just four weeks ago with no political experience and no experience in pay-to-play malfeasance who is composed, thoughtful […]
Morning Bits
Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation tout a nearly $100 million fundraising haul. “Donors, skeptical of Donald Trump and increasingly convinced he will lose in November, are turning away from the presidential race in an effort to save their legislative firewall on Capitol Hill.” Republicans boast that their party is serious about national security. This certainly […]
Renewed optimism on GOP Senate races
Politico reports that outside groups have raised $100 million for GOP Senate candidates. The Democrats seem to have given up on Ohio, where Sen. Rob Portman (R) is comfortably ahead and running well above Donald Trump’s numbers at the top of the ticket. There is also growing confidence that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will hold […]
Trump flunks the commander-in-chief test
Hillary Clinton did not have a great night at NBC’s Commander-in-Chief Forum on Wednesday. Donald Trump had a horrendous one. It was in that sense a microcosm of the race: Only against Trump could Clinton seem far and away the most responsible contender. Clinton started off playing defense on — what else? — her emails. […]
What Hillary Clinton should say to the Baptists
Later today in Kansas City, Hillary Clinton will address the National Baptist Convention, the nation’s oldest and largest African American religious organization. Clinton is already wiping the floor with Donald Trump when it comes to African Americans. This, however, gives her a chance to speak specifically to a faith-based group. She shouldn’t miss the chance to send […]
Someone should pin down Pence on Trump’s outrageous views
The job of a vice-presidential nominee is to help the top of the ticket articulate and defend his positions as well as attack the opposition. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is doing a credible job of the latter — it’s hardly a difficult task to get Republican audiences riled up about Hillary Clinton. He is not, […]
It won’t be so easy to skate by in the debate
As it is, Donald Trump’s performance in the commander-in-chief forum Wednesday night is getting panned. Hillary Clinton was so anxious to criticize him she actually held a news conference. (Republicans, by the way, should be on the lookout. “Every Republican holding or seeking office in this country should be asked if they agree with Donald Trump about […]
Another 50-state poll shows big trouble for Trump
Morning Consult is out with a new 50-state poll of more than 18,000 voters, which differs only slightly from The Post’s survey released earlier in the week. The Post survey has Hillary Clinton with 244 electoral votes; Morning Consult’s poll puts her at 258 (with close states, that goes up to 321.) In neither survey […]
Why isn’t Trump facing a bribery investigation?
Donald Trump has demanded that Hillary Clinton be investigated, tried and convicted of bribery in connection with meetings she held as secretary of state with those who gave to her foundation. There are plenty of reasons this is silly, including the lack of evidence that Clinton met with these ex-donors — who include a Nobel […]
Trump voters should be held accountable
Donald Trump for more than a year has pitched his loathsome message to the voters’ worst instincts (bigotry, resentment) in the most vulgar terms we have witnessed in a presidential election in at least a century. He mocks the disabled. He ridicules women’s physical appearance. (First, he insulted Carly Fiorina’s face, now he says Hillary […]
Debate questions for Gary Johnson
Based on current polling, the Libertarian nominee, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is not likely to make the presidential debate, where the poll requirement is set at 15 percent. If so, that would be a shame in an election in which voters are terribly unsatisfied with the two major party contenders. Since the difference between […]
Republicans for Clinton join the fray
The group R4C16.org –Republicans for Clinton in 2016 — has been actively recruiting Republicans to announce support for Hillary Clinton and has been busy publicizing its cause. Co-founder John Stubbs tells me, “The entire focus of our voter outreach is on the 4-5 million Republican voters who won’t vote for [Donald] Trump but might still […]
Morning Bits
Here’s the latest tumult between the White House and Republicans on the defense budget. “House Speaker Paul Ryan slammed the Obama administration for plotting to derail the GOP’s defense spending legislation Tuesday, alleging the Pentagon is putting its political agenda ahead of the best interest of American troops. His comments come after a memo was leaked to Politico detailing the […]
How Trump is helping #NeverTrump
James K. Glassman, an adviser to R4C16.org (a GOP group backing Hillary Clinton) and former under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, argues that if you really think Donald Trump is a threat to the nation you have to vote for Clinton because she is the only one able to stop him. He writes, […]
Republicans’ flawed nominating system
The Republican Party has many serious problems, not the least of which is lack of a presidential nominating system that produces viable candidates. On one hand, a party — like voters in general — gets the candidates they deserve. Many would say that if Republicans are out to lunch and cannot figure out Sen. Marco […]
Looking for any Trump path
Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, insisted Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that her boss could win without Pennsylvania. She claimed Trump has “several different” paths to victory. It is hard to come up with a single one. The Post’s gigantic 50-state poll shows Clinton easily getting to 244 electoral votes. Looking at historic trends […]
For the GOP, what would a landslide look like this year?
That we are debating whether Donald Trump will lose by a landslide or only as badly as, say, Mitt Romney is evidence of how badly the election is going for the GOP. The label “landslide” has serious consequences for the post-election GOP’s future (if any) and for the Clinton 45 administration. For the GOP, it […]
How debate moderators should question Trump
We have provided a list of suggested questions for moderators to use in teasing out Hillary Clinton’s positions on issues such as Iran, entitlements and defense spending. The trick with Clinton is getting her to be explicit about ways in which she would differ from the Obama administration and be able to confront her liberal base. The […]
Clinton’s foreign policy blitz stresses Trump’s unfitness to be commander in chief
Hillary Clinton is kicking off a blitz on foreign policy with a new, stinging ad: In North Carolina today, vice-presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will give what a Clinton official calls a major foreign policy address aimed at contrasting Clinton’s temperament and judgment with Donald Trump’s unhinged rhetoric and erratic behavior. He’s expected to […]
Morning Bits
The Israelis shouldn’t expect too many accolades from the Muslim world. “France’s burkini controversy is boosting the bottom line for Israeli makers of modest women’s swimwear. The country, home to large populations of conservative Jewish and Muslim women, has cultivated a local industry of modest swimsuits, and the full-body outfits that have caused uproar in France have been a […]
Trump’s penchant for self-destruction
Donald Trump’s narcissism — his all-consuming self-involvement and need for obsequious approval — in comic and serious ways hobbles his quest for victory. This is the man who when asked about God reverts to a discussion of his own success in real estate. (“Well I say God is the ultimate. You know you look at […]
Ups and downs
UP: Hispanics’ animosity toward Donald Trump DOWN: “Softening” Trump’s immigration plan UP: Panic at the RNC DOWN: Anger at the RNC over Trump’s Arizona speech UP: FEC scrutiny of Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) DOWN: Democratic chances of picking up Florida’s Senate seat UP: Scripted Trump DOWN: Letting Trump be Trump UP: Flaky Trump surrogates DOWN: […]
Trump won’t say definitively whether he backs mass deportation
Donald Trump’s harsh speech in Arizona last week on immigration convinced many in the anti-immigrant camp that he was committed to deporting all of those here illegally. No softening! Ann Coulter was in ecstasy. So were the anti-immigrant spinners who delight in peddling phony stats. It, however, was evident Sunday that Trump was trying to […]
Morning Bits
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson snagged a big endorsement. “Johnson’s clear and consistent support for limited government, free enterprise, social tolerance and individual freedom appeals to our own philosophical leanings. . . . We found him to be knowledgeable but unscripted, reasonable and good-humored, self-assured but free from arrogance, willing and able to address every question, consistent in […]
Trump’s photo op at a black church
Donald Trump made a promise to speak at an African American church in Detroit, Mich. Then he cancelled, and instead agreed to a question and answer session with the pastor, but the script for that session, stuffed with an overabundance of platitudes, got leaked. So Trump gave a speech anyway, took no questions from the […]
Sunday wrap
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