Day: July 20, 2016
Americans Seek Experience in a President
55% to 41%
Margin by which American voters prefer a president with “experience in how the political system works” over “someone from outside the existing political establishment,” according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Most Democrats want experience, while independents are split and most Republicans prefer an outsider. Key detail: “Among those who prefer experience, moreover, 78% call it extremely or very important to them. Among those who prefer an outsider, fewer, 54%, call it highly important.”
GOP Remains the Whitest of Parties
18
Number of blacks among the 2,472 delegates at this week’s Republican National Convention, reports the Washington Post: “Although that handful includes some of Trump’s most vociferous backers, the overall lack of ethnic diversity at the convention illustrates one of his greatest challenges: how to court black voters after four decades of controversy over his racial views, including campaign-trail rhetoric that has alienated many minorities.”
Could George Bush Have Been the Last Republican President?
I’m worried that I will be the last Republican president.
— George W. Bush, quoted by Politico, talking to Bush administration alumni about the state of the Republican party.
Trump Represents a Three-Decade Decline of the GOP
Trumpism may have parallels in populist, nativist movements abroad, but it is also the culmination of a proud political party’s steady descent into a deeply destructive and dysfunctional state. … While that descent has been underway for a long time, it has accelerated its pace in recent years. We noted four years ago the dysfunction of the Republican Party, arguing that its obstructionism, anti-intellectualism, and attacks on American institutions were making responsible governance impossible. The rise of Trump completes the script, confirming our thesis in explicit fashion.
— Norm Ornstein and Thomas Mann, on Vox.
King: Whites Have Contributed More to Civilization
This whole business does get a little tired… I would ask you to go back through history and figure out where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you are talking about, where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization?
— Rep. Steve King (R-IA), challenging MSNBC panelists to name a “subgroup” that contributed more to civilization than white people.
Ryan: Trump Not the Kind of Conservative Who Says Darn
He’s not my kind of conservative, but I come from a different part and wing of the party… I think he is a conservative. There are different kinds of conservatives, that’s for darn sure.
— Speaker Paul Ryan, asserting that he believes that Donald Trump is a conservative — just “not my kind of conservative,” The Hill reports.
Can’t Dodge It, Roger
When a blonde news bimbo or three assails ya,
After propriety and professionalism have failed ya,
If you’re Murdoch’s Fox News,
You know what to do —
Go ahead, get rid of what Ailes ya.
Clinton Knocks Down Bridgegate Christie’s ‘Prosecution’ at RNC with One Tweet
If you think Chris Christie can lecture anyone on ethics, we have a bridge to sell you. https://t.co/c1nkZojJFL #RNCinCLE
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 20, 2016