Obama: If GOPers can’t handle CNBC moderators, they can’t handle Putin. Watch.
After yesterday’s joint agreement among Republican presidential candidates to negotiate the terms of future debates with right-wing cable networks, it seemed like the biggest breakthrough for collective bargaining in the GOP in half a century. But now it looks like the whole effort is breaking down. First, Trump, striver, says he’ll negotiate directly with the networks. Now Fiorina, Kasich, and Christie each say they won’t sign either.
So now we’re left with, who’s actually going to sign? And can the Syndicate survive at all? Or is it just Ben Carson, Jeb and guys who can’t get over 1%?
With the news of the demise of the Keystone Pipeline, I wanted to flag some new Insight survey data on fracking. (No, not directly connected; but both centered on energy policy and the environment.) In our question, we asked “Which best fits your opinion about the drilling process calling hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”?
TransCanada asks US to suspend approval request for Keystone Pipeline.
There’s an interesting side note to this battle. And this is not remotely to understate the work of activists who fought for years to scuttle the project. As things ground on over the last two years, a reality came to the surface: the fight over the pipeline had become deeply enmeshed in the nation’s partisan battles. But historically low oil prices were at the same time undercutting the economic rationale for the entire project. I remember thinking earlier this year that there seemed to be more enthusiasm for the project on the part of US Republicans – largely to score political points – than there was on the part of the people trying to build it. In any case, with a formal Obama administration rejection apparently in the offing, years of activism and the collapse of oil prices appear to have conspired together to kill the Keystone Pipeline.
Marshall E. Leonard, of Tupelo, Mississippi, a prominent supporter of the Confederate Flag has been arrested for allegedly bombing a Wal-Mart after the chain stopped selling the Confederate Flag.
I’m confused about whether “Jeb can fix it” is about his own campaign or about the country. And if about the latter, is he getting ahead of himself?
Politico asks ‘Has Obama Set Loose A New Willie Horton?’
Donald Trump has just announced that he won’t be joining or signing the letter put together by the other Republican candidates trying to set the terms for future debates. Trump says he’ll be negotiating directly with the networks on his own. On its face it makes perfect sense: banding together with other candidates in single digits to demand niceness and fairness is not at all in line with Trump’s brand. But more than that, the Syndicate’s aims seem heavily focused on propping up or getting more time for Hucks and Bushes in the race who are struggles to crest over 5% support anywhere.
I would say Jeb Bush’s latest attempt to prove how tough he is is somewhat counterproductive.
As the epic, historic post-debate drama unfolded and RNC Chair Reince Priebus wrote NBC out of the RNC book of life/debates last week, one of our readers made a pretty obvious point. If this were a matter of the President or the White House or Congress or the Democrats axing Fox News, not only would there be a chorus of whining from Fox (understandable enough) but all the other networks would almost certainly be coming together to support Fox on free press grounds.