A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll in California finds Hillary Clinton just two points ahead of Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, 49% to 47%.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“The captain goes down with the ship.”
— Ken Starr, in an interview with ESPN, on resigning as chancellor of Baylor University in the wake of a sexual assault scandal.
No Sign of a Wave Election
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Clinton Camp Hits Trump as a ‘Con Man’
Hillary Clinton’s campaign vowed to take up the mantle of Marco Rubio in blasting Donald Trump as a “con man,” kicking off a series of tweets hitting the presumptive Republican nominee for his business practices with Trump University, Politico reports.
Tweeted press secretary Brian Fallon: “Trump U is devastating because it’s metaphor for his whole campaign: promising hardworking Americans way to get ahead, but all based on lies.”
Why Hillary Clinton Will Win
Tom Toles: “Because the Republican party is not the same as the U.S. population. Yes there is overlap, and yes everyone feels the goosebumps of an idiot breaking all the rules and getting applause for it, but We’re Not There Yet. The American public, for all its waywardness and depravity and reality-show slumming, has not yet thrown in the towel on trying to have a republic and make it work, the Republican party notwithstanding.”
“Donald Trump is a charlatan and a dangerous one, and this will become abundantly clear as the rest of the campaign unfolds. He can threaten the media and wave his whatever-sized hands all he wants, but it is no big mystery as to what he really is, and barring a level of economic and social dysfunction significantly greater than what we have now, he will go down, and go down in flames.”
For members: New Model Forecasts a Clinton Blow Out
Bonus Quote of the Day
“How do you do it? It’s a good question. And the truth is, right now I’m a bit busy running for president to have figured that out, other than to tell you that it requires a mass-based political effort bringing millions of people together.”
— Sen. Bernie Sanders, in an interview with Rolling Stone, on how he would get his proposals through a GOP-controlled Congress.
GOP Voters Like Trump As If He Were Any Republican
Harry Enten: “Donald Trump has been anything but a conventional Republican presidential candidate. He has, to take just one example, lashed out against the three previous GOP nominees, Mitt Romney, John McCain and George W. Bush. And the three most recent Republican standard-bearers, especially Romney, have attacked Trump. All the craziness made it seem for a while as if the Republican Party might come apart at the seams, and that might still happen. But nearly a month after Trump vanquished Ted Cruz and John Kasich from the primary race, Republican voters are rallying behind Trump as if he were any other nominee.”
“In the last four live interview polls that broke down results by partisanship, Trump averaged 85 percent support against Hillary Clinton among respondents who identified as Republicans. Clinton won just 7 percent among GOP respondents. Trump’s share of the Republican vote at this point in the campaign is right in line with past nominees.”
Who Is David French?
Rick Klein: “David French is, without doubt, a patriot and a scholar who has something important to contribute to the national debate, in a year where that debate craves some substance. That is not, by itself, enough to make him a credible candidate for president of the United States. As the folks behind his possible candidacy know well, running for president requires vast resources and organization even when the individual is extremely well-known, with a track record of winning elected office. Running for president starting in June, without even a Wikipedia page or a verified Twitter account, not to mention an identifiable electoral base – it just doesn’t work that way.”
“If the intention is not to simply try to deny Donald Trump the presidency, but to actually line up behind a candidate who can win, does anyone truly believe David French is the answer?”
Trump Declares War on the Media
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Quote of the Day
“From her point of view, establishing positives is far more important to winning. Why spend so much energy attacking Trump, what difference does it make, when he’s over 57% negative and she has a lot of leadership qualities that have gone unsung? It’s like beating a dead horse.”
— 2008 Clinton campaign manager Mark Penn, quoted by Politico.
Effort to Oust IRS Chief Could Backfire
Politico: “If House conservatives press ahead with an impeachment of the embattled tax chief, they’d be voting to remove a relatively low-level executive-branch leader for one of the most minor offenses in American history, several impeachment experts told Politico. That decision could, effectively, lower the threshold for congressional punishment of an executive-branch authority from here on out — and ensure a wave of new proceedings against government officials who have tangled with Congress in the past.”
“Impeachment has typically been used to punish treason, bribery and other ‘high crimes’ in the top echelons of government. But Koskinen’s impeachment — based on an argument that he failed to comply with a congressional subpoena — would effectively expand that definition to include gross incompetence.”
CEOs Prefer Clinton Over Trump
A new survey of Fortune 500 CEOs finds that 58% said they would support Hillary Clinton for president while 42% prefer Donald Trump.
“Big company CEOs tend to lean heavily Republican. But most of the 500 operate on a global scale, and many disagree with Trump’s proposals for raising trade barriers. Some also have been rattled by his stance on immigration, or by his comments showing little understanding of public finance.”
Former Workers Call Trump University a ‘Scheme’
“In blunt testimony revealed on Tuesday, former managers of Trump University, the for-profit school started by Donald Trump, portray it as an unscrupulous business that relied on high-pressure sales tactics, employed unqualified instructors, made deceptive claims and exploited vulnerable students willing to pay tens of thousands for Mr. Trump’s insights,” the New York Times reports.
NBC News: “Trump University salespeople were instructed to play to peoples’ emotions and suggest that potential customers rely heavily on credit card debt or retirement funds to pay for the classes.”
New York Magazine: ““Most charmingly, the playbooks suggest recruiters exploit the desperation of a single parent with hungry children in order to convince said parent to take on massive credit-card debt.”
Washington Post: “Trump was personally involved in devising the marketing strategy for Trump University, even vetting potential ads.”
Emails Block Clinton Pivot to the Positive
“Close allies of Hillary Clinton are encouraging the Democratic front-runner to spend less time honing her attacks on Donald Trump — and more time focusing on a clear and positive message about her own campaign,” Politico reports.
“But the State Department inspector general’s report released last week has thrown an email-shaped road block into Clinton’s path as she attempts to whittle down her high negative ratings. And that has complicated the already difficult task of reshaping perceptions about a universally-known candidate.”
For members: Clinton Camp Is Still Worried About Her Email Problems
Democrats Race to Recruit House Challengers
Washington Post: “Facing a 30-seat deficit, Democrats have dramatically improved their odds of retaking the House since Biden’s remarks. Republicans are on the verge of formally nominating Donald Trump, a presidential candidate who remains deeply unpopular among minorities, women and younger voters — just the kind of voters Democrats need to win House seats in swing districts.”
“Democrats have scrambled to convince enough credible, well-funded candidates to enter key races that could flip control of the chamber — and time is fast running out to recruit more.”
“Democratic consultants think that Trump’s rise has, broadly speaking, tilted the House battlefield in their favor by firming up candidates’ chances in battleground districts, allowing resources to be focused on more marginal seats. Trump, they say, has accelerated the party’s ‘demographic pivot’ into more affluent, better educated, suburban districts. But there are gaping holes that could cost them gains.”
Exchange of the Day
Donald Trump was interviewed by Michael Wolff for the Hollywood Reporter:
“And Brexit? Your position?” I ask.
“Huh?”
“Brexit.”
“Hmm.”
“The Brits leaving the EU,” I prompt, realizing that his lack of familiarity with one of the most pressing issues in Europe is for him no concern nor liability at all.
“Oh yeah, I think they should leave.”
Trump Says He Won’t Try to Oust Ryan or McConnell
“Donald Trump has pitched himself as an insurgent who will upend Washington, but he is privately telling big donors that he’s committed to keeping the two most senior establishment Republicans in their congressional leadership posts,” Bloomberg reports.
“Trump’s pledge that he won’t try to oust House Speaker Paul Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was a key factor in the decision by coal industry executives Joe and Kelly Craft to raise money for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, they say.”
Clinton Holds Small Lead Nationally
A new Quinnipiac poll finds Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump, 45% to 41%.
Said pollster Tim Malloy: “American voters don’t like either one of the front-runners. The question could be who we dislike the least.”