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Can Clinton Become a Change Agent?

May 31, 2016 at 6:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

Washington Post: “At Clinton’s New York campaign headquarters, her advisers are grappling with how to convince swing voters that a former secretary of state, senator and first lady who owns a home in Washington, has cultivated deep ties to Wall Street and has played a starring role in the political scene for a quarter-century will usher in change.”

“Central to Clinton’s strategy for the fall campaign is to disqualify Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, as too dangerous and risky to be commander in chief. She began this in earnest over the past 10 days.”

“But in a campaign season shaped by voter fury, Clinton’s team and her Democratic allies believe that assailing Trump alone may not secure the White House for their candidate. Clinton must be seen as a credible leader for middle-class Americans exasperated by the gridlocked government and an economic system that they feel has failed them.”

Clinton Hangs On to Small Lead Nationally

May 31, 2016 at 6:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

A new NBC News/SurveyMonkey tracking poll finds Hillary Clinton edging Donald Trump, 47% to 45%.

Cruz Seeks to Make Nice with GOP Senators

May 31, 2016 at 6:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

“Ted Cruz’s associates insist he’s returning to the Senate as the same uncompromising, hell-bent conservative he’s always been. But one thing is different, and it’s glaring: The senator who made enemies with fellow Republican senators and bragged about it to voters now wants to play nice — or at least his version of nice — with his colleagues,” Politico reports.

“And the first step to improving his rancorous relationships, the Texas senator’s allies say, will be to help them keep their Senate seats. The freshman senator wants to return to the campaign trail this fall as a conservative surrogate for Republicans aiming to turn out the GOP base, they say.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to USA Today about Cruz: “I would say he has maybe one follower on a good day.”

Clinton Gives Trump the Romney Treatment

May 31, 2016 at 6:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

“If the Hillary Clinton campaign’s attacks on Donald Trump feel a little familiar, it’s because they appear to be straight from Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign against Mitt Romney,” Politico reports.

“That push was successful, as Clinton’s allies are quick to point out. But it also runs the risk of being a little too conventional for a candidate as unconventional as Trump, leaving some former Obama operatives and Never Trump Republicans eager for reassurance that the Romney approach isn’t the only arrow in the quiver.”

Networks Struggle with Equal Time for Candidates

May 31, 2016 at 6:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Donald Trump “relishes the spotlight of live television. Hillary Clinton has long recoiled from it. Now, the television news industry is wrestling with how to balance fairness, credibility and the temptations of sky-high ratings as it prepares for a presidential matchup like none other,” the New York Times reports.

“Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, is not absent from cable news; she called in to CNN and MSNBC last week to rebut attacks from her rival. But she remains leery of TV’s unscripted nature, appearing far less often than Mr. Trump and irking some bookers who complain about the difficulties of luring her on the air.”

Clinton Adds More Events In California

May 30, 2016 at 7:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 141 Comments

“Hillary Clinton has upended her campaign schedule, adding more stops in California, in an effort to prevent an embarrassing loss there to Bernie Sanders, her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination,” the Washington Post reports.

“Clinton originally planned to campaign for two days this week in New Jersey, but at the last minute canceled an event on Thursday and will instead return to California for a five-day swing. The schedule change comes as Sanders has barnstormed California, not leaving the state in more than a week. Meanwhile, a recent poll found the race closing significantly. Clinton’s lead over Sanders had narrowed to just two points.”

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May 30, 2016 at 1:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

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Candidates Not Named Trump Still Must Buy Ads

May 30, 2016 at 8:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

Bloomberg: “Trump has benefited from free coverage from news media in a way that no modern candidate has (estimated value: $3 billion). His campaign spent only about $19 million on TV ads in the primaries… That was far less than Jeb Bush, whose super-PAC blew through $70 million. Trump has also been a shrewd user of social media, where he maintains a dialogue with his supporters.”

“But his approach, based largely on his celebrity, is one that can work only for him. For everyone else, TV ads are still the preferred means of reaching the most potential voters. Presidential candidates and super-PACs spent more than $400 million this primary season. Total TV ad spending by all campaigns, including state and local races, is expected to reach $4.4 billion… eclipsing the record $3.8 billion spent in 2012.”

Trump Keeps Attacking for No Apparent Reason

May 30, 2016 at 8:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 183 Comments

Washington Post: “During his first big campaign swing since locking up the Republican presidential nomination, Trump went after an odd and seemingly random group of people — Democrats and Republicans, famous and obscure. There seemed little to gain politically from the attacks, and his targets were linked by just one thing: Trump felt they had all done him wrong.”

“Trump’s cutting insults and simplistic attacks have been a hallmark of his candidacy, viewed by supporters as proof that he is fearless and willing to attack institutions from the Republican Party to the Vatican. During Trump’s fight for the Republican nomination, his calculated shots at rivals helped take them out, one by one.”

“But with the nomination apparently secured, last week’s fusillade of digs seemed counterproductive.”

A Map Tilted Against Trump

May 30, 2016 at 8:14 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 110 Comments

New York Times: “Republicans enter the general election at a hefty disadvantage: Since the 1992 campaign, 18 states have voted consistently for Democrats in presidential elections, giving their party a firm foundation of 242 electoral votes to build upon.”

“And in the four regions likely to decide the presidency — Florida, the upper Southeast, the Rust Belt and the interior West — Mr. Trump faces daunting obstacles, according to interviews last week with elected officials, political strategists and voters.”

“Of course, months remain before voting begins, and this political year has defied many predictions. But if Mrs. Clinton clinches the Democratic nomination as expected, she may find an electoral bulwark in these coveted swing-state voters.”

For members: The Consensus Electoral Map

Clinton Is the Clear Favorite

May 30, 2016 at 8:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 56 Comments

Paul Krugman: “Here’s what you should know, but may not be hearing clearly in the political reporting: Mrs. Clinton is clearly ahead, both in general election polls and in Electoral College projections based on state polls.”

“It’s true that her lead isn’t as big as it was before Mr. Trump clinched the G.O.P. nomination, largely because Republicans have consolidated around their presumptive nominee, while many Sanders supporters are still balking at saying that they’ll vote for her.”

“But that probably won’t last; many Clinton supporters said similar things about Barack Obama in 2008, but eventually rallied around the nominee. So unless Bernie Sanders refuses to concede and insinuates that the nomination was somehow stolen by the candidate who won more votes, Mrs. Clinton is a clear favorite to win the White House.”

Clinton’s Lead Would Grow Without Sanders In Race

May 30, 2016 at 7:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 73 Comments

“The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Hillary Clinton with a narrow three-point lead over Donald Trump, 46 percent to 43 percent. But if Bernie Sanders were out of the race the NBC News political unit estimates her lead would likely be much larger, perhaps up around eight points, 51 percent to 43 percent.”

“Much of this is theoretical. No one knows for certain how many Sanders-only voters will support Clinton. And with time it’s possible Trump’s support could grow as well as undecided voters make choices. He could also win some of the Sanders vote.”

“But the larger point is, the current batch of polls is coming at an odd point in the race, one where Republicans voters have begun coalescing around Trump, while Democrats still remain divided.”

Matalin Says Two-Party System Is Failing

May 29, 2016 at 5:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 100 Comments

Longtime Republican strategist Mary Matalin — who registered as a Libertarian earlier this month — said this weekend that “the two-party system is ready to fall,” Politico reports.

Trump Will Attack Clinton Family

May 29, 2016 at 5:40 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 105 Comments

Donald Trump “will not only attack his likely Democrat opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but also her husband and family,” ABC News reports.

Said campaign chairman Paul Manafort: “Trouble follows the Clinton’s everywhere. People are frustrated with all of the drama around the Clinton family and the history of the Clinton family. And certainly, if they’re going to be back in the political milieu, then their history is relevant to what the American people can expect.”

Trump Claims 600K at Rally

May 29, 2016 at 5:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 51 Comments

Donald Trump asserted that more than half a million people attempted to attend his speech to the Rolling Thunder bikers in Washington, DC, CBS News reports.

Said Trump: “We have the biggest rallies by far, far bigger than Bernie Sanders. Far bigger. I mean, look at today. They say you have 600,000 people here trying to get in.”

Sanders Pushes for Fight Over Israel

May 29, 2016 at 11:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 120 Comments

Sen. Bernie Sanders “has begun pushing the Democratic Party toward a platform fight over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a departure from his core focus on domestic economic issues that would put pressure on Hillary Clinton to handle a growing divide within her party,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The Democratic Party has long had a policy of support for Israel and its government, but consensus on that subject has frayed in recent years.”

Pressure Grows for Rubio to Run for Re-Election

May 29, 2016 at 11:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 43 Comments

Tampa Bay Times: “We’re not ready to predict Rubio runs, but recent maneuvering by the Miami Republican and those hoping he runs feels increasingly choreographed:

Several news articles encouraged by Rubio’s office suggesting he is really working hard in the Senate and enjoying the job after his unsuccessful run for president.
Rubio repeatedly telling reporters lately that he never, ever meant to imply as a presidential candidate skipping Senate votes and meetings that he did not enjoy the job or view it as important.
Rubio no longer sounding so adamant that he will definitely move to the private sector in January.”

Trump May Accept Nomination at a Stadium

May 29, 2016 at 9:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 77 Comments

“Donald Trump’s campaign is considering booking one of Cleveland’s big sports venues for his acceptance speech in July,” CNN reports.

“Trump has said in recent weeks that he wants to add a Hollywood flair to this summer’s convention, adding that he thought the nominating event for 2012 GOP candidate Mitt Romney was too boring.”