Democrats do not have a strong candidate against Marco Rubio this Fall. But Marco Rubio isn’t a strong candidate either. After all he spent most of last year explaining that he didn’t like being a senator. Today he hedged on whether he’d even stay in the Senate for a full six years if he’s elected. So he’s mainly running against to queue up a 2020 run, I guess there’s some wisdom in not making an unequivocal promise. But it’s stuff like this that makes me think the Dems are still in the hunt in Florida.
We’ve discussed in several different contexts whether Trumpism will survive Trump. By and large, I think it will. But it’s a more complicated question what exactly Trumpism will be without Trump. But here’s some interesting data for the question.
These remarks have gotten very little attention. But they’re quite remarkable. In his interview with NBC News, Dr. Harold Bornstein, Donald Trump’s freakshow doctor, pretty clearly implies that he’s had improper access to Hillary Clinton’s medical records and says her health history is “really not so good.”
We have news tonight that tomorrow, in advance of his big immigration speech in Arizona, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. This is such an outlandish idea it is not easy to make sense of it or predict its outcome. But a few key points are worth bearing in mind.
Last night I wrote up my initial thoughts on Trump’s hastily planned trip to Mexico City. With the arrival of a new day, I would say I pretty much stick with all the points I made last night: Trump is embarking on an event over which he will exercise little if any control and cede almost all control to someone whose every interest and desire is to damage him. That violates every rule in the political book. It’s such a self-destructive move that it is extremely tempting to posit some unknown factor, wisdom, knowledge … anything that makes it not seem as stupid as it looks. But Trump’s Razor counsels against this.
All that said, the morning brings some new factual developments worth taking note of.
As we reinforce the TPM space capsule for first contact with the afternoon Mexico City to Phoenix Trump shit show, there will be precious little time for me to harangue you about signing up for Prime. We’re six weeks into our 2016 annual sign up drive. We’re at 1175 signups for August. We’d really like to finish the month with 1200. You can help us get there and reap the glory of being number 2012. More, seriously, it matters. If you need TPM, we need you. We really do. Can you take a moment right now – not this afternoon or tonight but right now – to sign up for Prime? You’ll be really glad you did. I promise.
In January 2015, in the wake of the Republican sweep in the 2014 elections, I wrote an article for National Journal on “The Emerging Republican Advantage.” I predicted that because of their growing support not only among the white working class, but among voters with college but not advanced degrees (who tend to be mid-level white collar) and among senior citizens, Republicans could tilt the playing field in their favor over the next few elections. But I offered several conditions, and one was if they ran a presidential candidate in 2016 who like George W. Bush in 2000 ran close to the center rather than the right. (Remember “compassionate conservatism.”) I never dreamed the Republicans would nominate someone like Donald Trump.
Supreme Court refuses to grant stay of lower court ruling that blocked most of North Carolina’s new voting restrictions. Everything going on here: crucial voting rights case … key swing state … tied 8-justice Supreme Court … controversial voting restrictions blocked two months before Election Day. Tierney Sneed has the details.
Welcome to the cloudy, shadowy, foreboding glen where like Dante the Hillary campaign permanently resides — according to The New York Times. Seriously, it’s awesome. Check it out.