If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man.
-Ric Flair
We didn't anticipate starting off today's column with a quote from professional wrestling icon Ric Flair, but this is how Chuck Todd assessed the Republican race despite its devolution into a name-calling challenge. Conservative standard bearer, RedState's Erick Erickson called the performances at Thursday night's Republican debate "childish." But here we stand with Donald Trump in the clear lead to win the Republican party nomination for president - an unmitigated disaster for the party establishment who will stay home, according to Mr. Erickson, if Mr. Trump is in fact the nominee.
Senators Rubio and Cruz have had to get waist-deep in the mud with Mr. Trump in a last ditch effort to stop his momentum, which as Mr. Todd described as unsuccessful. Not surprising for Senator Cruz as anyone can rationalize that it was just a matter of time before that happened, and by natural extension Mr. Cruz contributed more today by saying that Mr. Trump has done business with the mafia in his development dealings. A serious charge that at this point just comes across as just another inflammatory remark thrown into the circus-like mix of rhetoric. However, for Senator Rubio, going to this level debases his candidacy and will ultimately be his downfall. He has wrongly been advised that to win, Mr. Rubio has to play Mr. Trump's game, but here's the problem with that: It's Trump's game, and as a casino owner will tell you, "The house always wins." If Senator Rubio really wants to win, he has to change the game entirely, which he seems unable to do.
Andrea Mitchell said that a Democratic woman would have trouble in a debate against a candidate like Mr. Trump, but especially Hillary Clinton who is vulnerable on the e-mail issue and on political Benghazi attacks. However, looking at the field, it may be that only a Democratic woman could change the game and beat Mr. Trump. Senator Rubio, the establishment's hope, is going to lose - period, hard stop.
Given that, it's either an open convention, which would turn a fracture into a clean break of the Republican party or it's a Trump nomination where the establishment, and its money, will stay home. Either way, it doesn't look good for the Republican Party headed into Super Tuesday, for which Mr. Todd outlined a number of scenarios in which either Mr. Rubio or Mr. Cruz could emerge as the legitimate number 2 candidate for the nomination. However, none of it matters because after Tuesday, if the polls are projecting even somewhat accurately Mr. Trump is going to be too far ahead for them to catch up.
Charles Cook explained today how Mr. Trump is held to a lower standard than the other candidates by the press as he is never asked what policies he would put in place, only offering that for what ever it is it will be bigger and better if Mr. Trump is president. One, this is true, and two, it will change during the general election when the press gangs up on him with the realization that he could actually take the office.
However, it's also a matter of leadership, which wasn't discussed today and we're referring to the leadership that should be coming from the party itself, meaning Reince Preibus the Republican National Committee chair. He has been absent during this campaign and under his leadership, he has allowed the Republican race to become a "farce," as Erick Erickson described it. Mr. Preibus seems to believe that even Donald Trump, under the moniker of the Republicans, winning the presidency would be a good thing for his party, which is so misguided that it is a wonder he's still the chairman of the party.
Helping Mr. Preibus' delusion is the fact that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorsed Mr. Trump for president this week, something that the entire panel assessed as naked political opportunism, which it most certainly is. The endorsement is completely disingenuous, sure, but let's face it, Gov. Christie is going to need a job. If Trump wins, Christie's in the cabinet. If Mr. Trump loses, at least for his loyalty, Mr. Christie will have a job with Mr. Trump doing something somewhere. Well played Mr. Christie.
And speaking of endorsements, Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) came on today's "Meet The Press" to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders for president. For the Democrats the debate has been much more civil by comparison and productive to the voters - there's substance there. We like the fact that Sec. Clinton has had the strong challenge from the left courtesy of Senator Sanders because otherwise, the Democratic voters wouldn't have had a say in the positions that the eventual nominee with advocate for in the general election, the point made by Heather McGhee of Demos Action. However, in Rep. Gabbard's reasons endorsement of Senator Sanders, she explained the he has a military mindset and would be strong on foreign policy. Maybe he will be strong in that area, but a 'military mindset' is something Senator Sanders has yet to show.
Senator Sanders is running a strong campaign, but Sec. Clinton with a blow out win in South Carolina and favored heavily in most Super Tuesday primary states, the party seems to be running its most predicable course. The Republican primary, on the other hand, has come close to reaching its full potential of volatility, in which the culmination of these smaller rhetorical explosions on the campaign trail could result in a political nuke being set off at the Republican convention in Cleveland. So much potential that it makes the 'predictability' of the Democratic race translate into 'stability.'
Panel: Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Charles Cook, The Cook Political Report; Heather McGhee, President of Demos Action; Erick Erickson, RedState.com
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
2.21.16: Hugh Hewlitt's Lost Logic and Harry's Solid For Hillary
After last night's South Carolina primary, it's clear from today's "Meet The Press" that Hugh Hewlitt's logic writ large on the Republican race has been knocked off its moorings. Mr. Hewlitt is still sticking to the line of thinking that Marco Rubio has a chance to win in Nevada and will win Florida, his home state, to which the rest of the panel all scoffed. The go-to for Nevada politics, Jon Ralston, said that Trump would win easily in Nevada, given his financial ties. Mr. Hewlitt hasn't come to the reality that Joy-Ann Reid sharply put into focus for him which is that winning the establishment vote as Marco Rubio is doing isn't winning the nomination. That goes to someone who actually comes in first and that's Donald Trump. When Chuck Todd posed to Mr. Hewlitt that if the front runner were anyone else besides Donald Trump, the nomination would already be sewn up, to which he replied, because "This is the last war." The time between now and the March 1st super Tuesday, 14-state primary will be make or break for a 'traditional' Republican candidate.
When he commented on the Democratic race, he was no more sound. His general premise always has been the Hillary Clinton is a 'tremendously flawed' candidate. Never mind that in terms of flaws, the Republicans candidate are on the same playing field. That aside, he went on to explain that voters are sophisticated and will realize this. But who was he referring to, exactly?
Was he talking about voters in general or just Democratic voters as they relate to Hillary Clinton's campaign. We dissect this because obviously he doesn't think that Republican voters are sophisticated because they're voting for Donald Trump so he must be referring to Democrats who by extension are smarter voters?
If that wasn't enough, at the end of the program, Mr. Hewlitt stated that he'd rather lose the election than lose the Supreme Court, to which Chuck Todd pointed out that Republicans lose the election, they do in fact lose the Supreme Court. To save face, Mr. Hewlitt clarified as a general premise. But what is he talking about? Who ever wins the next election that person could be confirming three new justices who will all most probably serve for the remainder of his lifetime.
This is the general state of denial that the establishment is experiencing. As for the Republican talk-radio establishment, they're not fairing any better getting behind Ted Cruz. In his interview today, Sen. Cruz talked about how real conservatives were uniting around his campaign, building momentum. Chuck Todd had to take him down, and did. Below is the full clip, beginning with Mr. Cruz calling last night, "an incredible evening."
Senator Cruz finished third as Mr. Todd bluntly [read: rightly] pointed out, in the most evangelical state so far. If in South Carolina they deem your campaign the most dishonest, you know you have to be scraping the bottom of people's favorability lists. On this first Super Tuesday, Texas and Tennessee will be key indicator states for both Senators Cruz and Rubio respectively. The panel didn't seem bullish on the prospect of Senator Cruz carrying his own state and in Tennessee where establishment candidates go to become whole again, Senator Rubio's chances are iffy at best. Senator Rubio said that 70 percent of Republicans [nationally] are against Mr. Trump and those are the people who will eventually back him, but don't believe the hype on that because there will be 5 candidates in the race, most probably, through the March 15th primary that features Florida and Ohio. This is the day that John Kasich gets out. He'll carry his home state but lose big overall yet be ready for the VP choice if the nominee isn't Trump. Rubio, as we are now obligated to point out to Hugh Hewlitt and others, hasn't won any state contests yet.
Despite insistence by some to the contrary, there is a clear front runner is both races. While to understate the convoluted nature of the Republican race, on the Democratic side, the case for Hillary Clinton is becoming ever stronger, and despite what Mr. Hewlitt would tell you, she is the most electable candidate on either side of the aisle. The panel touched on a point that is going to start resonating louder and louder and that is that the proposals that Senator Sanders has been advocating for are going to be insanely expensive, as high as $31 Trillion over ten years. Once moderate Democrats and Independents start thinking about that number seriously, Sec. Clinton will solidify her advantage and her argument that it's just not realistic to reshape the economy so drastically as Senator Sanders proposes.
That's the argument but as Joy-Ann Reid expertly pointed out, it will be African-Americans who will control Hillary Clinton's fate and ultimately who is nominated. Ms. Reid also explained that it would specifically be African-Americans over 50, which is one of the key groups that we would argue knows best the pulse of the Democratic heart. Growing up as teenagers in neglected cities of the seventies, you remember the people who came and stood up for you the longest because at this point, this group of people has seen it all when it comes to the system being stacked in another direction, admitting what they know it is: institutional racism. Thank you, Ms. Reid for this point.
That fact, along with Harry Reid making a few phone calls (not everything that happens in Vegas stays there), carried the state of Nevada for Sec. Clinton. How about that?
As Jon Ralston explained, Senator Harry Reid - the guy even many Democrats love to hate - is still the most powerful pugilist in Nevada politics and on his way out changed the direction of the race, giving Hillary Clinton a vital up, the line she needed to climb to the nomination. And he did one more solid for a guy he is rather fond of, President Barack Obama. One must acknowledge that Senator Reid fought some ugly fights on behalf of the president and was motivated to protect his legacy by getting people out to the polls ultimately for the person who's openly still advocating for the president's policies.
And if, in fact, the momentum from Sec. Clinton's win in Nevada propels her to the nomination and then she goes on to indeed win the presidency, she will appoint those judges and that will be the legacy of Senator Harry Reid.
Mr. Hewlitt's worst nightmare.
Panel: Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Joy-Ann Reid, NBC News; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Jon Ralston, Reno Gazette-Journal
A few more things:
Mr. Hewlitt explained that Jeb Bush was the wrong man for the wrong time. Perhaps. However, unfortunately for Jeb Bush, the real irony perhaps is that following his older brother's presidency there never was nor would there be a right time. Will Gov. Bush's legacy be rewritten as Ms. Reid described, to which Mr. Todd agreed that he benefited from the Clinton economy in the 90's when he was in office and then got out before his brother became established in his office? Maybe, but we would speculate, unlikely.
And lastly, as I always like to do - a shout out to our veterans, no matter what generation. I took this photo yesterday in lower Manhattan, The Korean War Memorial. Note the background, specifically through the soldiers left leg.
click on photo to enlarge
When he commented on the Democratic race, he was no more sound. His general premise always has been the Hillary Clinton is a 'tremendously flawed' candidate. Never mind that in terms of flaws, the Republicans candidate are on the same playing field. That aside, he went on to explain that voters are sophisticated and will realize this. But who was he referring to, exactly?
Was he talking about voters in general or just Democratic voters as they relate to Hillary Clinton's campaign. We dissect this because obviously he doesn't think that Republican voters are sophisticated because they're voting for Donald Trump so he must be referring to Democrats who by extension are smarter voters?
If that wasn't enough, at the end of the program, Mr. Hewlitt stated that he'd rather lose the election than lose the Supreme Court, to which Chuck Todd pointed out that Republicans lose the election, they do in fact lose the Supreme Court. To save face, Mr. Hewlitt clarified as a general premise. But what is he talking about? Who ever wins the next election that person could be confirming three new justices who will all most probably serve for the remainder of his lifetime.
This is the general state of denial that the establishment is experiencing. As for the Republican talk-radio establishment, they're not fairing any better getting behind Ted Cruz. In his interview today, Sen. Cruz talked about how real conservatives were uniting around his campaign, building momentum. Chuck Todd had to take him down, and did. Below is the full clip, beginning with Mr. Cruz calling last night, "an incredible evening."
Senator Cruz finished third as Mr. Todd bluntly [read: rightly] pointed out, in the most evangelical state so far. If in South Carolina they deem your campaign the most dishonest, you know you have to be scraping the bottom of people's favorability lists. On this first Super Tuesday, Texas and Tennessee will be key indicator states for both Senators Cruz and Rubio respectively. The panel didn't seem bullish on the prospect of Senator Cruz carrying his own state and in Tennessee where establishment candidates go to become whole again, Senator Rubio's chances are iffy at best. Senator Rubio said that 70 percent of Republicans [nationally] are against Mr. Trump and those are the people who will eventually back him, but don't believe the hype on that because there will be 5 candidates in the race, most probably, through the March 15th primary that features Florida and Ohio. This is the day that John Kasich gets out. He'll carry his home state but lose big overall yet be ready for the VP choice if the nominee isn't Trump. Rubio, as we are now obligated to point out to Hugh Hewlitt and others, hasn't won any state contests yet.
Despite insistence by some to the contrary, there is a clear front runner is both races. While to understate the convoluted nature of the Republican race, on the Democratic side, the case for Hillary Clinton is becoming ever stronger, and despite what Mr. Hewlitt would tell you, she is the most electable candidate on either side of the aisle. The panel touched on a point that is going to start resonating louder and louder and that is that the proposals that Senator Sanders has been advocating for are going to be insanely expensive, as high as $31 Trillion over ten years. Once moderate Democrats and Independents start thinking about that number seriously, Sec. Clinton will solidify her advantage and her argument that it's just not realistic to reshape the economy so drastically as Senator Sanders proposes.
That's the argument but as Joy-Ann Reid expertly pointed out, it will be African-Americans who will control Hillary Clinton's fate and ultimately who is nominated. Ms. Reid also explained that it would specifically be African-Americans over 50, which is one of the key groups that we would argue knows best the pulse of the Democratic heart. Growing up as teenagers in neglected cities of the seventies, you remember the people who came and stood up for you the longest because at this point, this group of people has seen it all when it comes to the system being stacked in another direction, admitting what they know it is: institutional racism. Thank you, Ms. Reid for this point.
That fact, along with Harry Reid making a few phone calls (not everything that happens in Vegas stays there), carried the state of Nevada for Sec. Clinton. How about that?
As Jon Ralston explained, Senator Harry Reid - the guy even many Democrats love to hate - is still the most powerful pugilist in Nevada politics and on his way out changed the direction of the race, giving Hillary Clinton a vital up, the line she needed to climb to the nomination. And he did one more solid for a guy he is rather fond of, President Barack Obama. One must acknowledge that Senator Reid fought some ugly fights on behalf of the president and was motivated to protect his legacy by getting people out to the polls ultimately for the person who's openly still advocating for the president's policies.
And if, in fact, the momentum from Sec. Clinton's win in Nevada propels her to the nomination and then she goes on to indeed win the presidency, she will appoint those judges and that will be the legacy of Senator Harry Reid.
Mr. Hewlitt's worst nightmare.
Panel: Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Joy-Ann Reid, NBC News; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Jon Ralston, Reno Gazette-Journal
A few more things:
Mr. Hewlitt explained that Jeb Bush was the wrong man for the wrong time. Perhaps. However, unfortunately for Jeb Bush, the real irony perhaps is that following his older brother's presidency there never was nor would there be a right time. Will Gov. Bush's legacy be rewritten as Ms. Reid described, to which Mr. Todd agreed that he benefited from the Clinton economy in the 90's when he was in office and then got out before his brother became established in his office? Maybe, but we would speculate, unlikely.
And lastly, as I always like to do - a shout out to our veterans, no matter what generation. I took this photo yesterday in lower Manhattan, The Korean War Memorial. Note the background, specifically through the soldiers left leg.
click on photo to enlarge
Sunday, February 14, 2016
2.14.16: More Trouble For Republicans and The Bernie Referendum
As if it couldn't get any worse for Republicans, it just did.
With the unfortunate, untimely death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, this throws all three branches of government hip deep into the muddy race for the executive. It's also sad when The National Journal's Ron Fournier says that with a call, it had already turned political 20 minutes after he passed. However, those are the terms in which justice are put because of the life time appointment. People spend years calculating the day one passes and hence who will get to make the appointment.
Speaking of which, President Obama will put forward a nominee, of course. However, let's be clear, President Obama should put forth a nominee. As John Kasich said during today's interview, it's the president's prerogative. Just because the circumstance hasn't happened in 80 years does mean that the president should not conduct the business of the office even in his last year; another way of saying that we agree with the premise of Chuck Todd's question today to the Republican candidates of the 'three-year term' for the president? That's not the way it should be for either side - the the luck of the dice when it comes to life time appointments. The Republican-controlled Senate, lead by Mitch McConnell (R-KY) can then certainly delay the process and complain, but it will be at the peril of a Republican candidate winning the White House, certainly. The image of a Republican Senate unable to get anything done will come into sharp focus and hover over the election affecting the down ballot, especially if their nominee is Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.
This will become even more difficult in the general election on the heels of this what likely is to go down as the presidential primary with the nastiest character assassination rhetoric in at least the last century, because of the direct nature of the attacks - to your face, on national television. Donald Trump called the presidency of George Bush a 'reign.' He also called Senator Cruz the 'single biggest liar' on the stage, implying that there were others. Mr. Cruz, for his part, confronted Senator Rubio in Spanish after he said that Mr. Cruz didn't know how. Bottom line: It was ugly.
This begs the question of how the Republican nominee is going to come out at the end of this fight. No matter who wins the Republican nomination, there is going to be a large contingent of unhappy and vocal people at the convention.
As for the Democratic nominees, the panel discussed the notion of the Clinton campaign being able to turn the primary race into a referendum on her opponent, Bernie Sanders, specifically on his record concerning issues important to black voters; his record of championing for their rights.
However, given today's panel discussion, the referendum on Senator Sanders has already begun, at least in the press.
The panel made the point that Senator Sanders rarely addresses blacks specifically, always opting to frame things within the larger economically argument that theoretically transcends race. But in lieu of that, this is where Senator Sanders is at a disadvantage to Sec. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, has a long record of supporting causes important to the African-American community. Then the questions of how Senator Sanders intends to pay for his proposals compounds the argument against his candidacy.
If you're a left of center Democrat, the primary is going pretty much how you want it because Senator Sanders is pulling Hillary Clinton to the left but the sight on the horizon seems to be that Sec. Clinton will prevail, the 'establishment' candidate. Okay, what ever.
For the Republicans, it's a completely different story - there is no consensus candidate and the one with the most positive message (John Kasich) has the least amount of support. (And with all due respect to Dr. Carson, we'll put it kindly that he'd be doing his brand well by suspending his candidacy.) Kathleen Parker described Jeb Bush as 'desperate' - Laura Bush is now making appearances on Jeb's behalf as well as George in South Carolina this week. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are wildcards at best. That's why it's easy to see how many in the establishment like Marco Rubio - he can be molded. We know that his rhetoric is tightly scripted and memorized with discipline. However, Senator Rubio should be careful what he wishes for because it has been proven that one-on-one he has folded, and Sec. Clinton is a strong debater. If it even gets to that point, which is doubtful.
Chris Cillizza described Donald Trump as 'off the rails' at last night's debate. It's safe to extrapolate that sentiment out over the entire Republican primary.
Panel: Gwen Ifill, PBS News Hour; Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post; Ron Fournier, The National Journal; Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post.
With the unfortunate, untimely death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, this throws all three branches of government hip deep into the muddy race for the executive. It's also sad when The National Journal's Ron Fournier says that with a call, it had already turned political 20 minutes after he passed. However, those are the terms in which justice are put because of the life time appointment. People spend years calculating the day one passes and hence who will get to make the appointment.
Speaking of which, President Obama will put forward a nominee, of course. However, let's be clear, President Obama should put forth a nominee. As John Kasich said during today's interview, it's the president's prerogative. Just because the circumstance hasn't happened in 80 years does mean that the president should not conduct the business of the office even in his last year; another way of saying that we agree with the premise of Chuck Todd's question today to the Republican candidates of the 'three-year term' for the president? That's not the way it should be for either side - the the luck of the dice when it comes to life time appointments. The Republican-controlled Senate, lead by Mitch McConnell (R-KY) can then certainly delay the process and complain, but it will be at the peril of a Republican candidate winning the White House, certainly. The image of a Republican Senate unable to get anything done will come into sharp focus and hover over the election affecting the down ballot, especially if their nominee is Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.
This will become even more difficult in the general election on the heels of this what likely is to go down as the presidential primary with the nastiest character assassination rhetoric in at least the last century, because of the direct nature of the attacks - to your face, on national television. Donald Trump called the presidency of George Bush a 'reign.' He also called Senator Cruz the 'single biggest liar' on the stage, implying that there were others. Mr. Cruz, for his part, confronted Senator Rubio in Spanish after he said that Mr. Cruz didn't know how. Bottom line: It was ugly.
This begs the question of how the Republican nominee is going to come out at the end of this fight. No matter who wins the Republican nomination, there is going to be a large contingent of unhappy and vocal people at the convention.
As for the Democratic nominees, the panel discussed the notion of the Clinton campaign being able to turn the primary race into a referendum on her opponent, Bernie Sanders, specifically on his record concerning issues important to black voters; his record of championing for their rights.
However, given today's panel discussion, the referendum on Senator Sanders has already begun, at least in the press.
The panel made the point that Senator Sanders rarely addresses blacks specifically, always opting to frame things within the larger economically argument that theoretically transcends race. But in lieu of that, this is where Senator Sanders is at a disadvantage to Sec. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, has a long record of supporting causes important to the African-American community. Then the questions of how Senator Sanders intends to pay for his proposals compounds the argument against his candidacy.
If you're a left of center Democrat, the primary is going pretty much how you want it because Senator Sanders is pulling Hillary Clinton to the left but the sight on the horizon seems to be that Sec. Clinton will prevail, the 'establishment' candidate. Okay, what ever.
For the Republicans, it's a completely different story - there is no consensus candidate and the one with the most positive message (John Kasich) has the least amount of support. (And with all due respect to Dr. Carson, we'll put it kindly that he'd be doing his brand well by suspending his candidacy.) Kathleen Parker described Jeb Bush as 'desperate' - Laura Bush is now making appearances on Jeb's behalf as well as George in South Carolina this week. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are wildcards at best. That's why it's easy to see how many in the establishment like Marco Rubio - he can be molded. We know that his rhetoric is tightly scripted and memorized with discipline. However, Senator Rubio should be careful what he wishes for because it has been proven that one-on-one he has folded, and Sec. Clinton is a strong debater. If it even gets to that point, which is doubtful.
Chris Cillizza described Donald Trump as 'off the rails' at last night's debate. It's safe to extrapolate that sentiment out over the entire Republican primary.
Panel: Gwen Ifill, PBS News Hour; Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post; Ron Fournier, The National Journal; Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post.
Sunday, February 07, 2016
2.7.16: The Republican Rumble and Democratic Mental Notes
One wouldn't really be able to comment on most of today's "Meet The Press" without having watched last night's Republican debate on ABC. So yes, since we're commenting, and hence admit that we spent our Saturday night watching it. There were also significant insights in the respective Democratic candidates' interview; more on this in a bit.
But first, boy, was it a dozzy of a debate! The whale of a take away from last night is something that we've been saying for a while now, which is another way of saying that it has been painfully obvious, that Marco Rubio is a scripted candidate that can not move off of scripted talking points. Last night, Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) verbally ran over Senator Rubio like a dear in the headlights on a Jersey back road headed home late night from the shore. Mr. Rubio had that same panicked look in his eye like when he reached for the water off-camera during his State of Union response. He didn't know what hit him. NBC's Hallie Jackson noted his new nickname - Marco Roboto... ouch.
And despite what Hugh Hewlitt said about the rest of the debate being a strong one for Mr. Rubio outside those three minutes, that's the lasting image and it will hurt him in the primary. On the other hand Donald Trump, despite being booed by the debate audience on a few occasions, did well to maintain his posture as the front runner in New Hampshire. The billionaire's toughest moment came on the issue of imminent domain, which Mr. Hewlitt pointed out, conservatives hate.
The Atlantic City property that raised the imminent domain issue for Mr. Trump.
(Aside: Mr. Trump's best moment was at the top of the debate where he essentially called out Ted Cruz for not having the guts to acknowledge to his face an attack he made of Mr. Trump on the campaign trail.)
Governor John Kasich (R-OH) and Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) were the two candidates that benefited the most and certainly presented themselves as the most reasonable in their responses. Mr. Rubio responses were reasoned, yes, but the question is if they are really his responses. For Governor Christie's part in instructively pointing this out, he really didn't advance his cause in terms of polling percentage. Mr. Bush, unfortunately for him once again did his futile best to take on Mr. Trump, dirtying himself just enough that it was Mr. Kasich's positive message that shined the best (his strongest performance), which will make a difference for his candidacy come Tuesday.
Speaking of positive messages, that brings us back to Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton, who is trailing in New Hampshire polling. Despite this, Mrs. Clinton projected the more positive demeanor of the two, which is understood to be "putting on a good face when things aren't going well," but if her campaign can convey a positive vision that while being empathetic to the Sanders protest vote, the protest answer isn't necessarily the solution.
Look, the people in politics who understand that The United States is one humongous shipped that in order to be turned, it has to be done gradually or the whole thing will tip over are the ones who last and orchestrate long-term change. If you agree with this analogy then center-right or center-left are your preferred lanes depending on how you lean. To give you names, that's Bush, Kasich, Clinton, Christie (to a lesser degree).
The other very evident observation from the two interviews is that Mr. Sanders' answers on foreign policy aren't sure-footed enough, and in our humble opinion it's a topic that has been wrongly subordinated in this election cycle, with the possible exception of ISIS, which only begs the question for us as to when the United States is going to start recognizing Boko Haram as the threat that it is. We thankfully acknowledge that Mr. Sanders' judgements in his foreign policy votes were sound, it's not enough. Conversely, Secretary Clinton has the understanding that not only ISIS constitutes a foreign policy response but that also the Zika virus, for example, requires one as well. In the context of the world bringing a crazy plethora of dangers to our door with no ability to predict them, you have to at least know who you're dealing with, at the very least.
Lastly, given our pragmatic view, calling Wall Street finance and banking industry a fraud is counter-productive. Stating that it is a fraud whether true or not is not going to change the fact that it isn't going away. We're all for heavy regulation because we understand that basic fact, and in light of that it's more productive to work for changing the industry if necessary instead of just tearing the whole thing down.
These Democratic mental notes may not manifest into strengths for Mrs. Clinton and deficits for Mr. Sanders before New Hampshire votes, but down the line they'll only begin to matter more and more heading toward a general election.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Chris Matthews, MSNBC
One more thing...
Super Bowl Sunday - an unofficial holiday. But if that's the understanding and we're indeed calling it that then we hope that this message finds you well and with family enjoying each others' company on this distinct American holiday, the same as we would on any other.
No prediction, instead, here's to family time... and a good game!
But first, boy, was it a dozzy of a debate! The whale of a take away from last night is something that we've been saying for a while now, which is another way of saying that it has been painfully obvious, that Marco Rubio is a scripted candidate that can not move off of scripted talking points. Last night, Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) verbally ran over Senator Rubio like a dear in the headlights on a Jersey back road headed home late night from the shore. Mr. Rubio had that same panicked look in his eye like when he reached for the water off-camera during his State of Union response. He didn't know what hit him. NBC's Hallie Jackson noted his new nickname - Marco Roboto... ouch.
And despite what Hugh Hewlitt said about the rest of the debate being a strong one for Mr. Rubio outside those three minutes, that's the lasting image and it will hurt him in the primary. On the other hand Donald Trump, despite being booed by the debate audience on a few occasions, did well to maintain his posture as the front runner in New Hampshire. The billionaire's toughest moment came on the issue of imminent domain, which Mr. Hewlitt pointed out, conservatives hate.
The Atlantic City property that raised the imminent domain issue for Mr. Trump.
(Aside: Mr. Trump's best moment was at the top of the debate where he essentially called out Ted Cruz for not having the guts to acknowledge to his face an attack he made of Mr. Trump on the campaign trail.)
Governor John Kasich (R-OH) and Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) were the two candidates that benefited the most and certainly presented themselves as the most reasonable in their responses. Mr. Rubio responses were reasoned, yes, but the question is if they are really his responses. For Governor Christie's part in instructively pointing this out, he really didn't advance his cause in terms of polling percentage. Mr. Bush, unfortunately for him once again did his futile best to take on Mr. Trump, dirtying himself just enough that it was Mr. Kasich's positive message that shined the best (his strongest performance), which will make a difference for his candidacy come Tuesday.
Speaking of positive messages, that brings us back to Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton, who is trailing in New Hampshire polling. Despite this, Mrs. Clinton projected the more positive demeanor of the two, which is understood to be "putting on a good face when things aren't going well," but if her campaign can convey a positive vision that while being empathetic to the Sanders protest vote, the protest answer isn't necessarily the solution.
Look, the people in politics who understand that The United States is one humongous shipped that in order to be turned, it has to be done gradually or the whole thing will tip over are the ones who last and orchestrate long-term change. If you agree with this analogy then center-right or center-left are your preferred lanes depending on how you lean. To give you names, that's Bush, Kasich, Clinton, Christie (to a lesser degree).
The other very evident observation from the two interviews is that Mr. Sanders' answers on foreign policy aren't sure-footed enough, and in our humble opinion it's a topic that has been wrongly subordinated in this election cycle, with the possible exception of ISIS, which only begs the question for us as to when the United States is going to start recognizing Boko Haram as the threat that it is. We thankfully acknowledge that Mr. Sanders' judgements in his foreign policy votes were sound, it's not enough. Conversely, Secretary Clinton has the understanding that not only ISIS constitutes a foreign policy response but that also the Zika virus, for example, requires one as well. In the context of the world bringing a crazy plethora of dangers to our door with no ability to predict them, you have to at least know who you're dealing with, at the very least.
Lastly, given our pragmatic view, calling Wall Street finance and banking industry a fraud is counter-productive. Stating that it is a fraud whether true or not is not going to change the fact that it isn't going away. We're all for heavy regulation because we understand that basic fact, and in light of that it's more productive to work for changing the industry if necessary instead of just tearing the whole thing down.
These Democratic mental notes may not manifest into strengths for Mrs. Clinton and deficits for Mr. Sanders before New Hampshire votes, but down the line they'll only begin to matter more and more heading toward a general election.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Chris Matthews, MSNBC
One more thing...
Super Bowl Sunday - an unofficial holiday. But if that's the understanding and we're indeed calling it that then we hope that this message finds you well and with family enjoying each others' company on this distinct American holiday, the same as we would on any other.
No prediction, instead, here's to family time... and a good game!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)