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From The Reporter’s Notebook
Agree or Disagree?
John Judis: “When the pundits on television comment on Trump’s speeches, they always focus on the outrageous statements he makes about women or immigrants or Muslims. Last night it was about his saying that Hillary Clinton would only get five percent of the vote if she were a man. That’s fine. But when I hear Trump, he often begins by talking about American corporations that are moving jobs to Mexico or overseas. He talked about Carrier moving 1400 jobs from Indianapolis to Mexico and promised that if he is president, he will save these jobs. Clinton, it seems to me, is preparing to run a campaign based on some version of identity politics. I take her theme of inclusion to imply that. She could very well win the election on that basis, but I wouldn’t underestimate the extent to which Trump’s focus on jobs and trade and runaway shops – echoed incidentally by Bernie Sanders – is going to be important to voters. Not, perhaps, the post-grads, but certainly the working class voters that Democrats need to attract to be a viable majority party in America.”
Say What?!
“A third-party candidate could build on death-by-drones by outlining the type of modern weapons, troops and war powers needed to keep America safe. And make plain when he or she will use said power. Do it with very muscular language—there is no market for nuance in the terror debate.”
– Ex-Politico CEO Jim VandeHei wrote a bizarre op-ed about usurping the order of “Establishment America.” Yikes…
BUZZING: Today in the Hive
From a TPM Prime member: “I’m not enough of a strategist to game it completely out, but I can’t help wondering if Koch & Co. wouldn’t mind ditching Trump’s crowd (along with Cruz’s nutters) and retooling the platform. Stay with low taxes and low regulation policies, which is all they care about, and then support the more liberal social message (as mentioned upthread: pro-gay marriage, pot legalization, etc.), thereby pulling some of the urban Republicans who went to Obama back into the fold. If they can get enough of those, would that then tempt Democrats to extend an olive branch to working-class whites on social issues? But since I don’t know how those numbers would play out, this could be completely off the mark. The Kochs started out as Libertarians. They believe in using their money and influence to utterly destroy any small-timers who get in their way (read Jane Mayer’s recent book, “Dark Money”), and they are the type of obscenely rich people who can’t fathom how close a lot of Americans live to the brink of disaster (one layoff and a six-month string of bad luck after unemployment benefits expire would just about do it), but the alliance with social conservatives has always been a game. In any case, it might be safe to envision that, in light of the Trump/Cruz debacle, Koch & Co. are moving some hypothetical pieces around on the board, giving special mention to mazuma.”
Related: Disenchanted Koch Brothers are skipping the GOP convention.
Have something to add? Become a Prime member and join the discussion here.
What We’re Reading
How Tiger Woods lost his way. (ESPN)
The painful reality of marriage after Alzheimer’s. (Narratively)
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