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From The Reporter’s Notebook
As TPM’s Tierney Sneed reported, the reasons why Arizona voters faced long lines at last week’s presidential primaries are more complicated than they appear. In addition to switching over to vote centers, Arizona has a confusing system for who can vote in the presidential primaries and with its high rate of mail-in voting, officials underestimated how many people would show up at the polls.
Agree or Disagree?
Josh Marshall: “Consider Trump’s infamous and ridiculous US-Mexico border wall – that Mexico is going to pay for. This is such a nonsensical proposition on so many fronts that few look at it seriously. But here’s the thing: Mexico paying for the wall isn’t a matter of cost-saving or fairness or equity; it’s a symbol of humiliation. Argue and he’ll make it ten feet taller, as he’s said in debate after debate. It’s the geopolitical analog to the classic scene in Godfather II where Michael tells Sen. Geary that not only will he not pay the bribe he demands for the Nevada gaming license but that he expects Geary to pay for the Corleone family’s license out of his own pocket. ‘Senator? You can have my answer now, if you like. My final offer is this: nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally.’ It’s akin to a punitive war indemnity, only we haven’t had a war.”
BUZZING: Today in the Hive
From a TPM Prime member: “Though I think much, much more should have been done, the fact is that Obama inherited The Great Recession and three wars (two on countries and one on the idea of terror). On the economic front, especially given the idiotic opposition to common sense stimulus in a time of crisis, he managed to avert a Depression, enter a period of prolonged slow growth and get us to a pre-crisis unemployment rate. It should have been done faster and the jobs created should have been better, but Congress really didn’t allow it. Had the Republicans not forced austerity and the S&P downgrade in 2011, we’d have had a more rapid and better distributed result. Still, objections aside, Obama clearly succeeded on the economic front and, had to bought an index fund when he was elected and held it until now, you’d be a happy camper. On wars: progress was slow on the two invasions he inherited, but at least it was progress! On the “terror” part of the war, he was in office for 8 years and managed to invade no other country at all. Sure, we intervened (Libya) and there have been drones (all over) and nothing is ever perfect, but… He’s been a good president for a country that was sick of wars when he was elected. Finally, in the face of the current election… well, I’ll exempt the Democrats from this. Were I Obama, I’d look at Hillary and Bernie with equal pride. The two have conducted themselves admirably and have run truly sportsmanlike campaigns. But against the Republican field? Obama looks like somebody who should have won a Nobel Prize by now. Oh, wait… he did. They should give him another. For being cool.”
Related: Obama’s approval ratings hit almost a 3-year high.
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