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It’s of course very early in the 2016 cycle. But it’s never too early for some healthy alarm. Are we the only ones who are struck that many of the leading Republican candidates, whether moderate or conservative, seem to be planning stale and tired campaigns? Hillary will herself, it’s safe to predict, run a stale campaign with tired themes. But the polls suggest she would prevail in a conventional matchup of boring campaigns. We’re all free to ignore the fire bell in the night, and hope for the best. But it would be a shame to have to explain in November 2016 how the Republican party decided to sleepwalk to defeat.
— Bill Kristol, writing in the Weekly Standard.
As Mrs. Clinton prepares to embark on a race for the presidency, she has a web of connections to big corporations unique in American politics—ties forged both as secretary of state and by her family’s charitable interests. Those relationships are emerging as an issue for Mrs. Clinton’s expected presidential campaign as income disparity and other populist themes gain early attention.
One of the biggest assets for Democrats – especially for Hillary Clinton – going into this next election is the fact that they are much more ideologically united than the GOP. From social issues to economic ones, the overwhelming majority of Democrats are on the same page. This, of course, leaves little room for a primary challenger to Hillary Clinton to expose a gap or drive a wedge. … Not so much for Republicans who are divided on almost everything other than foreign policy and a desire to repeal Obamacare. This is will not only make it difficult for a Republican to become a ‘consensus’ candidate in the primary, but could make it difficult to unite the party post-primary as well.
In a general election, nominating Bush would neutralize one of Hillary Clinton’s biggest liabilities (the idea that she, too, is a figure from the past trying to ride her last name to power). Instead of having the clear contrast that would be possible if Republicans were to name a fresh candidate, the 2016 election would devolve into a proxy battle over whether Americans want to restore the Bush or Clinton presidencies. Whether the GOP likes it or not, that isn’t a matchup that favors Republicans.
$2 billion
Amount the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation has raised since its creation in 2001 from “a vast global network that includes corporate titans, political donors, foreign governments and other wealthy interests,” according to a Washington Post review of public records and newly released contribution data. First Read: “If this looked like a conflict of interest when she was secretary of state, why doesn’t it look like a conflict of interest as she prepares for another presidential bid?”
15
Number of seasons Donald Trump’s television show “Celebrity Apprentice” will have run after the 2016 season, The Wrap reports. The show would likely run during the middle of the Republican presidential primaries in early 2016. Four years ago, Trump said he would not run for president because he had committed to the show.
That’s the kind of elitist, government-knows-best, top-down approach we’ve had for years. I’d rather have a fighter who’s proven he can take on the big government interests and win… I think people want to judge what have you done lately.
— Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) dismissing criticism that he never graduated from college on Fox News as “elitist.”
You will not solve this problem with only air power. There needs to be a coalition of NATO, Arab states, and ultimately some boots on the ground to stop the advancement of that group. … The Western world and the Arab world need to get serious about stopping this kind of radicalism. If not, it will continue to spread and just bombing is imposing the status quo at best.
— Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich (R) said Tuesday he is studying up on foreign policy and beginning to outline his worldview, which includes support for sending U.S. ground forces to fight the Islamic State, the Washington Post reports.
For many would-be presidential candidates, Twitter and other social-media outlets have become an extension of their efforts to build a national following, and in many cases a way to mix personality with policy. Social media comes with a host of dangers, but for candidates, it can be a powerful tool to attract attention and engage voters.
I won’t talk about the past. I’ll talk about the future. If I’m in the process of considering the possibility of running, it’s not about re-litigating anything in the past. It’s about trying to create a set of ideas and principles that will help us move forward.
— Jeb Bush (R), saying he isn’t interested in talking about the Iraq war and his brother’s role in starting it, Bloomberg reports.
