THE AFTERMATH OF THE TRUMP/CNN TOWN HALL
Deep Blue view: I’ve never been so angry at Anderson Cooper.
Deep Red view:
Gang of 500 view: Peggy Noonan:
Well, that was a disaster, a politically historic one. It situated Donald Trump as the central figure of the 2024 presidential cycle, certainly more compelling than the incumbent or the other competitors. It will have an impact on the campaign’s trajectory.
When it was over I thought, of CNN: Once again they’ve made Trump real.
Green Bay diner view: Trump did what now? We are still not really over the Bucks being eliminated.
Halperin view: When the Dominant Media is talking about Donald Trump, Donald Trump wins the nomination. When Americans are talking about Donald Trump, Joe Biden wins. When Americans are talking about Joe Biden, Republicans win.
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BIDEN VERSUS TRUMP VERSUS DESANTIS
Deep Blue view: We are starting to worry that Biden could lose. Look at what Obaman David Simas said, via Politico:
“In 2016 at this stage, 18 months before, [Trump] was trailing Secretary Clinton by double digits. In the polling in 2020, where he was the incumbent, Joe Biden was getting into the race, Trump was trailing by nine or 10 percent. In the polling today, in a Trump vs Biden matchup, what you essentially see is either a tied race or a slight advantage [for] Trump.”
Deep Red view: If the Dominant Media and the Deep State keep covering up for Biden, it doesn’t matter if Trump or DeSantis is the nominee – the fix is in for the Democrats.
Gang of 500 view: We need more Todd Youngs; why aren’t there more Todd Youngs?
Oh, and what Karl Rove said to the New York Times:
Karl Rove, the architect of George W. Bush’s two presidential victories, said in an interview that “for true believers and ardent supporters, it was a boffo performance” by Mr. Trump. But he said that other Republicans would now be forced to answer for “a big pile of noxious material on their doorsteps.”
“Do other Republicans believe that rioters who attacked police, broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and, in some cases, attempted to overthrow the government should be pardoned?” Mr. Rove asked. “Do other Republicans agree that it doesn’t matter if the United States government defaults on its debt? Do other Republicans not care who wins in Ukraine?”
Green Bay diner view: We need another choice if it is Biden versus Trump.
Halperin view: On the eve of the dueling Trump and DeSantis trips to Iowa on Saturday, Team DeSantis does a major page turn attempt in an essential reading Politico story meant to serve as a coming out party, placeholder, and shot across the Mar-a-Lago bow:
On the other hand, Peggy Noonan’s flip on whether a big field hurts or helps Trump is implicitly a tell that the Republican Establishment has indeed lost much faith in the Sunshine State topper to be the solo agent of Stop Trump:
For months I have held in my head two separate and opposing thoughts. One is that the more Republican candidates get into the race the better the chances for Donald Trump. In 2016 in a field of 17 all he needed was a plurality to win, and he almost always got it. Therefore, Republicans should discourage new entrants.
The second thought is that this strategy is weird and limiting. Nothing gets said, no policy or meaning of things is discussed. Everything feels frozen. It’s a strategy that’s all about Donald Trump’s fate. It turns the primary into a waiting room. It’s passive and stokes an air of inevitability. It almost disenfranchises the half or more of the party that doesn’t want Mr. Trump, that needs to hear other voices. It renders the race lifeless, bloodless. It ain’t human. And politics must be human.
I now think Republicans should do the opposite of the Democrats and have a big, needed brawl—wake this thing up, talk about meaning, have the argument, brawl it out.
It’s not all up to Mr. Trump and his fate. Nothing is inevitable. He is evitable.
It is a party with a great history. Maybe it’s dying, but if it is it shouldn’t be like this, without a last, hellacious fight. What the heck. Everyone into the pool.
The clock is ticking on Team DeSantis in a fight for survival right here, right now: Is the storyline and reality going to be
A. Trump is inevitable.
B. Only DeSantis can stop Trump.
or
C. Where/who is the Third Man or Woman?
Only time will tell….
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THE BORDER
Deep Blue view: Biden better not adopt Trump’s policies.
Deep Red view: The Biden-Harris failure to protect our sovereignty is a historic outrage.
Gang of 500 view: Who is supposed to clean our homes and staff our clients’ farms and factories?
Green Bay diner view: Fix this now.
Halperin view: By the weekend, the tone and volume of MSNBC’s coverage could end up looking a lot like that of Fox. For the media, it’s about competence, not ideology (a reality that Team Biden-Harris knows, but/and/yet the administration might still be unable to head off PR and humanity calamity).
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FISCAL TALKS
Deep Blue view: Why is Secretary Yellen giving away leverage by taking the Fourteenth Amendment off the table??!!
Deep Red view: Never surrender; viva Gaetz.
Gang of 500 view: Paul Gigot is right – the last thing we need is Donald Trump getting involved on the “default don’t matter” side.
Green Bay diner view: Kevin McCarthy did what now? We are still not really over the Bucks being eliminated.
Halperin view: Kevin McCarthy is now strong enough to do a deal that loses some House Republicans; Joe Biden loves showing the Ivy League skeptics he can get a deal done; when Mitch McConnell says that the United States isn’t going to default on its credit, he means it (and he has a plan – even though he pretends he doesn’t). I’m bullish on a deal (but not bullish on Joe Biden going on his Asia trip).
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