Month: October 2017

GOPers Fear ‘Getting Primaried’

Buck Banks

“The real fear for most elected officials in Washington isn’t that they may say something to offend persuadable voters… No, the fear now, if you’re sitting on either end of the Capitol, is that some no-name activist will decide to primary you, because you’ve somehow run afoul of extremists with followings on Twitter and Facebook, and you’ll have to spend all your time and money holding onto a job that you might very well lose, since it takes only one fringe group or millionaire and a few thousand angry voters to tip the balance in your average congressional primary.”

— Matt Bai

Democrat Northam Leading in Virginia Governor Race

Buck Banks

53% to 39%

A new Quinnipiac poll in Virginia finds Ralph Northam (D) with a large lead over Ed Gillespie (R) in the race for governor, 53% to 39%. Said pollster Peter Brown: “One number says it all. Northam’s 14-point lead among independent voters is all you need to know about the race to be Virginia’s next governor. The two major-party candidates do about the same among their respective party bases, but a candidate who carries independent voters by double-digits is almost always a winner.”

Nearly Half Think Media Fabricates News

Buck Banks

46%

A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that 46% of Americans believe the news media fabricate news stories about President Trump and his administration. Just 37% of voters think the media do not fabricate stories, the poll shows, while the remaining 17% are undecided. Among Republicans, 76% think the news media invent stories about Trump and his administration.

Impeachment Was Meant to Save Us from a Trump

Buck Banks

“Their writings and debates surrounding the creation of the Constitution make clear that the framers feared a certain kind of character coming to power and usurping the republican ideal of their new nation. Having just defeated a tyrant — ‘Mad’ King George III of England — they carefully crafted rules to remove such a character: impeachment. In the process, they revealed precisely the kind of corrupt, venal, inattentive and impulsive character they were worried about. … The very embodiment of what the Founding Fathers feared is now residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

— Barbara Radnofsky

Democrats Have Large Lead in Generic Ballot

Buck Banks

51% to 37%

A new CNN poll finds Democrats holding a sizable lead in the generic congressional ballot, 51% to 37%, driven by a unified base of Democrats. Key finding: 98% of self-identified Democrats say they prefer the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, compared to 88% of Republicans who prefer the GOP candidate in their district. Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval rate remains underwater at 37% to 57%.