Businessman Donald Trump is the Republican Party's presumptive nominee for president, but can he unite the party? Now that Texas Senator Ted Cruz has suspended his campaign, can he endorse the man he called a "pathological liar" and "utterly amoral"? Now that Governor Kasich is suspending his campaign, will the party come together and enthusiastically support its standard-barer?
In his victory speech Tuesday night, Trump had nothing but praise for the man he only hours earlier called "lying" Ted Cruz. "He is one tough competitor," Trump said. "He is a smart tough guy." But Cruz did not mention Trump's name in his concession speech. Instead, he positioned himself as the leader of the conservative movement. "I am not suspending our fight to defend the Constitution, to defend the Judea-Christian values that built America," he said. "Our efforts will continue and I give you my word that I will continue this fight with all of my strength and all of my ability."
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus is going to have an enormous challenge bringing his party together. Right after Trump was declared the winner in Indiana Tuesday evening, Preibus tweeted, "@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton." However, the burden of uniting the GOP will fall heaviest on Trump, who told NBC's Today, "I am confident that I can unite much of it." But he added, "Honestly, there are some people I really don't want. I don't think it's necessary. People would be voting for me, they're not voting for the party."
Fortunately for Trump, this is politics, so even his harshest critics within the party will unashamedly put principle aside and endorse him if they believe it helps them in some way. Who better than the author of The Art of the Deal to win people over. But Trump's no holds barred campaign has burned a lot of bridges with large segments of the general population.
For instance, Trump will have to negotiate with Latinos, many of whom he has alienated with his constant attacks on Mexico. "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," he said in his presidential campaign announcement last June. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," he added.
Latino groups project at least 13.1 million Hispanics will vote this election compared to about 10 million in 2008. A record 27.3 million Latinos will be eligible to vote, up from 19.5 million eight years ago. In a recent national poll of Hispanics conducted by Latino Decisions, 79% of the respondents had a very unfavorable opinion of Trump. This result is ominous because Republican Mitt Romney received only 27% of the Latino vote in his huge loss to President Barack Obama in 2012. It is hard to believe that Trump could do as well this November as Romney did four years ago. And Trump will never reach the 37% mark that President George W. Bush received in his contested victory in 2000.
Women do not like Trump. According to a Gallup poll released last month Trump had a 70% unfavorable rating with women as compared to a 23% favorable rating. Trump has made numerous comments that have outraged women. Of then opponent Carly Fiorina, Trump said, "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?" Trump also called for women to be punished for getting abortions in an interview with MSNBC in March, but reversed his position after the firestorm he created. Overall, Trump is going to have to deal with this problem because considerably more women vote in national elections than do men. And winning only the white male blue-collar vote is not enough to win the presidency.
In his Trump tirade Tuesday, Senator Cruz pointed out that the Back to the Future character, Biff Tannen, was based on Trump, a "caricature of a braggadocious, arrogant buffoon." He concluded, "We are looking, potentially, at the Biff Tannen presidency."
You can never count anyone out, least of all Donald Trump. And November is a long way off, so anything can happen. However, if the campaign is limited to debates over woman's issues, foreign policy and actual experience with Congress and the executive branch, likely Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton will have the advantage.
But Trump is unpredictable and unconventional. And the battlefield is littered with candidates who thought they could beat him. Guess Donald Trump is no buffoon.
Showing posts with label Governor John Kasich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Governor John Kasich. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Trump and Sanders: The Odd Couple
Senator Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump each
decisively won their party's primary in New Hampshire Tuesday, a result that
seemed impossible six months ago. Now it seems possible that a self
proclaimed socialist and a former Democrat turned Republican could face off in
the presidential election this coming November.
Trump scored more than a third of those who voted Republican in the primary. “We learned a lot about ground games in one week, I can tell you,” Trump told supporters in Manchester, N.H., referring to his narrow second place finish in the Iowa Caucus. While Trump carried both independent and Republican voters, his total votes were less then both Sanders and Hillary Clinton. But Trump had more than double his nearest Republican opponent, Ohio Governor John Kasich.
Kasich bet the farm on doing well in New Hampshire, and he held more than 100 town meetings in the state. Kasich, who ran a positive campaign, greeted his supporters in Concord, N.H., with a hopeful message. “We never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical of someone else,” he said. “Maybe, just maybe, we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics because tonight the light overcame the darkness of American campaigning.” But it is hard to see how Kasich can win in South Carolina and beyond.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was energized by his competitive finish. “This campaign is not dead. We’re going on to South Carolina,” He told his supporters. But he will have to do well in the Palmetto State February 20 in order to continue with his campaign. On the other hand, Texas Senator Ted Cruz told his supporters that he had exceeded expectations in New Hampshire, a state in which he did not poll well. But Cruz has built a formidable organization in South Carolina, which has a large evangelical population. While Trump is leading in that state's polls, Cruz is well positioned to overtake him.
The big losers Tuesday were the two candidates who came to verbal blows in Saturday's GOP debate. Florida Senator Marco Rubio took responsibility for his poor primary performance, telling supporters, “I did not do well on Saturday night … that will never happen again.” New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tagged Rubio in the debate as a truant, adding, “he simply does not have the experience to be President of the United States and make these decisions.” But his aggressive debate performance did not propel him into a top five finish among the Republican candidates.
The Democrat contest ended up to be a rout as Sanders won among independents, voters under 30, men and women. Clinton delivered a rousing concession speech in which she congratulated Sanders, and then asked her audience a rhetorical question. “Who is the best change-maker?” she said. The crowd responded, "You are!" This is a stinging defeat for Clinton, who had hoped to finish much closer to Sanders. After all, New Hampshire has been good to both she and her husband. Instead, she felt the "Bern."
For his part, Sanders put together a remarkable organization and mobilized thousands of voters throughout the state. In his victory speech he told his supporters, “We have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington from Maine to California, is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their ‘super Pacs.’”
He has also sent a strong message to the Democratic establishment that he can go all the way. He is building a respectable organization in South Carolina, where he is courting minority voters, and in Nevada he has strong ties to some unions that can help him in that state's caucus.
That Trump and Sanders both won in New Hampshire Tuesday is all the more remarkable when one thinks that just a few months ago they were both written off as losers. Now these two native New Yorkers, one from Queens and the other from Brooklyn, one a Democrat turned Republican and the other an independent turned Democrat, have capitalized voter dissatisfaction with government and the Washington establishment.
Sanders and Trump are the "Odd Couple" of American politics, and, no matter the final outcome, they have each run historic campaigns. This election has been "yuge!"
Trump scored more than a third of those who voted Republican in the primary. “We learned a lot about ground games in one week, I can tell you,” Trump told supporters in Manchester, N.H., referring to his narrow second place finish in the Iowa Caucus. While Trump carried both independent and Republican voters, his total votes were less then both Sanders and Hillary Clinton. But Trump had more than double his nearest Republican opponent, Ohio Governor John Kasich.
Kasich bet the farm on doing well in New Hampshire, and he held more than 100 town meetings in the state. Kasich, who ran a positive campaign, greeted his supporters in Concord, N.H., with a hopeful message. “We never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical of someone else,” he said. “Maybe, just maybe, we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics because tonight the light overcame the darkness of American campaigning.” But it is hard to see how Kasich can win in South Carolina and beyond.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was energized by his competitive finish. “This campaign is not dead. We’re going on to South Carolina,” He told his supporters. But he will have to do well in the Palmetto State February 20 in order to continue with his campaign. On the other hand, Texas Senator Ted Cruz told his supporters that he had exceeded expectations in New Hampshire, a state in which he did not poll well. But Cruz has built a formidable organization in South Carolina, which has a large evangelical population. While Trump is leading in that state's polls, Cruz is well positioned to overtake him.
The big losers Tuesday were the two candidates who came to verbal blows in Saturday's GOP debate. Florida Senator Marco Rubio took responsibility for his poor primary performance, telling supporters, “I did not do well on Saturday night … that will never happen again.” New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tagged Rubio in the debate as a truant, adding, “he simply does not have the experience to be President of the United States and make these decisions.” But his aggressive debate performance did not propel him into a top five finish among the Republican candidates.
The Democrat contest ended up to be a rout as Sanders won among independents, voters under 30, men and women. Clinton delivered a rousing concession speech in which she congratulated Sanders, and then asked her audience a rhetorical question. “Who is the best change-maker?” she said. The crowd responded, "You are!" This is a stinging defeat for Clinton, who had hoped to finish much closer to Sanders. After all, New Hampshire has been good to both she and her husband. Instead, she felt the "Bern."
For his part, Sanders put together a remarkable organization and mobilized thousands of voters throughout the state. In his victory speech he told his supporters, “We have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington from Maine to California, is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their ‘super Pacs.’”
He has also sent a strong message to the Democratic establishment that he can go all the way. He is building a respectable organization in South Carolina, where he is courting minority voters, and in Nevada he has strong ties to some unions that can help him in that state's caucus.
That Trump and Sanders both won in New Hampshire Tuesday is all the more remarkable when one thinks that just a few months ago they were both written off as losers. Now these two native New Yorkers, one from Queens and the other from Brooklyn, one a Democrat turned Republican and the other an independent turned Democrat, have capitalized voter dissatisfaction with government and the Washington establishment.
Sanders and Trump are the "Odd Couple" of American politics, and, no matter the final outcome, they have each run historic campaigns. This election has been "yuge!"
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Golf Summit
Ask any gentleman who has spent considerable time on the links, there's rarely problem too big that can't be hashed out over a round of golf. But Saturday's "Golf Summit" is very unlikely to result in any breakthroughs on matters of debt and taxes.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are going to tee off with House Speaker John Boehner and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich at an undisclosed Washington golf course Saturday. Details are still pretty hush hush. For instance, will the foursome be paired? Say President Obama and Speaker Boehner play against the vice president and the governor--a truly bipartisan contest. Or will it be partisan--Democrats against Republicans?
President Obama is a relative novice at golf, but he has managed to work in more than seventy rounds since he took office. Speaker Boehner is an avid golfer, but his supporters have warned he hasn't been able to play a lot lately because "he is trying to solve the nation's unemployment problem." Interestingly, he swings right-handed, but putts left-handed. The vice president is rated twenty-ninth among Washington's top golfers according to Golf Digest, fourteen places ahead of the speaker. The governor is also a very good golfer.
If the Republicans are paired together it appears they will have a clear advantage over the Democrats. There is certain to be some wagering, a friendly bet or two. Since the typical round of golf can take four hours, there will be plenty of time for discussion.
Perhaps the vice president will discuss some of the ideas being considered by his deficit commission, which hopes to reach an agreement by July 4. That could make it possible to link a deficit reduction package with Congressional passage of the debt ceiling. The vice president's commission is made up of prominent Democrats and Republicans, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Whip John Kyle. Senator Kyle has said that Republicans are seeking at least $2.4 trillion in cuts over 10 years in order to vote for increasing the debt ceiling by that amount.
The debate over budget cuts and revenue increases (i.e. taxes) has been heated with many Republicans threatening to vote against increasing the debt ceiling unless there are structural changes to government spending. Economists and financial experts have warned that failure to pass the debt ceiling would have devastating effects on the American economy, including higher interest rates and more unemployment, and it would cripple the fragile global recovery.
So America faces perilous deficits (both parties are complicit), a debt ceiling crisis, stubborn high unemployment, two and a half costly wars (in lives and dollars), that our government has authorized, and dozens of other important issues our elected officials have been debating forever. Given the severity of Americas problems, it seems a little silly that our leaders feel a round of golf will somehow pave the way for more harmony and less partisan rancor.
But, make no mistake about it, these men are certain to have a good time on their round Saturday. This is the way Washington works. This is par for the course.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are going to tee off with House Speaker John Boehner and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich at an undisclosed Washington golf course Saturday. Details are still pretty hush hush. For instance, will the foursome be paired? Say President Obama and Speaker Boehner play against the vice president and the governor--a truly bipartisan contest. Or will it be partisan--Democrats against Republicans?
President Obama is a relative novice at golf, but he has managed to work in more than seventy rounds since he took office. Speaker Boehner is an avid golfer, but his supporters have warned he hasn't been able to play a lot lately because "he is trying to solve the nation's unemployment problem." Interestingly, he swings right-handed, but putts left-handed. The vice president is rated twenty-ninth among Washington's top golfers according to Golf Digest, fourteen places ahead of the speaker. The governor is also a very good golfer.
If the Republicans are paired together it appears they will have a clear advantage over the Democrats. There is certain to be some wagering, a friendly bet or two. Since the typical round of golf can take four hours, there will be plenty of time for discussion.
Perhaps the vice president will discuss some of the ideas being considered by his deficit commission, which hopes to reach an agreement by July 4. That could make it possible to link a deficit reduction package with Congressional passage of the debt ceiling. The vice president's commission is made up of prominent Democrats and Republicans, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Whip John Kyle. Senator Kyle has said that Republicans are seeking at least $2.4 trillion in cuts over 10 years in order to vote for increasing the debt ceiling by that amount.
The debate over budget cuts and revenue increases (i.e. taxes) has been heated with many Republicans threatening to vote against increasing the debt ceiling unless there are structural changes to government spending. Economists and financial experts have warned that failure to pass the debt ceiling would have devastating effects on the American economy, including higher interest rates and more unemployment, and it would cripple the fragile global recovery.
So America faces perilous deficits (both parties are complicit), a debt ceiling crisis, stubborn high unemployment, two and a half costly wars (in lives and dollars), that our government has authorized, and dozens of other important issues our elected officials have been debating forever. Given the severity of Americas problems, it seems a little silly that our leaders feel a round of golf will somehow pave the way for more harmony and less partisan rancor.
But, make no mistake about it, these men are certain to have a good time on their round Saturday. This is the way Washington works. This is par for the course.
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