2016 election
793 pieces tagged “2016 election”, newest first.
Do Republicans Care About Winning?
The question dogs any woman who writes about politics: "Don't you want to see the first woman elected president of the United States?" The unstated premise, always obvious, is that you are some sort of traitor to your sex if your hand isn't itching to pull the lever for someone with the correct chromosomes. My answer has always been, "That depends upon what she believes." Hillary Clinton banked on the First Woman President effect from the start — an understandable gambit for someone with no substantive accomplishments and many flaws.
Second GOP Debate
[Wednesday] night's Republican presidential debate — a three-hour marathon with 11 candidates — was quite a show. Preliminary numbers suggest that 20 million people tuned in. Prior to last night, CNN's highest rated presidential primary debate featured Obama and Clinton battling it out in January 2008 with just over 8 million viewers. That tells you something. There is a lot of energy among conservatives and interest in the GOP candidates. How much is due to Donald Trump's presence on the stage?
Our Side Must Decide to Put the Sideshows Aside
I wish the presidential debates could focus on what's wrong with the status quo and solutions rather than on what one candidate thinks about another's silly remarks. I don't want to hear Jeb Bush cajoling Donald Trump to apologize to his wife in front of millions of people. I don't want moderators to force a food fight between Trump and other candidates about whether he should have his finger on the nuclear button. I don't want them provoking a conflict between Chris Christie and Ben Carson over politicians' expediency. And I sure don't want to hear a candidate commenting on his rivals' physical appearance. This stuff is embarrassing, is unproductive and trivializes vital issues facing the nation.
The Media's Stupid Trump Obsession
CNN gathered together all of the Republican presidential candidates at the Reagan Library for a highly touted debate and could hardly think to ask them about anything except Donald Trump. By one count, 44 percent of the questions touched on Trump. Why even pretend it's going to be a debate? Just bill it as a seminar on the worldview and foibles of Donald Trump, with occasional diversions into matters of greater public import.
The Competition Heats Up
Impressive candidates make clear no one will go down without a fight.
Hillary Isn't Biden's Problem — Obama Is
Is Vice President Joe Biden in or out? Many praised Biden's "honesty" for saying to Stephen Colbert on CBS' "The Late Show": "I don't think any man or woman should run for president unless, number one, they know exactly why they would want to be president, and two, they can look at folks out there and say, 'I promise you, you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy and my passion to do this.' And I'd be lying if I said that I knew I was there. I'm being completely honest. Nobody has a right, in my view, to seek that office unless they're willing to give it 110 percent of who they are."
Donald Trump: The Only People Who Like Him Are the Voters
Most Republicans running for president have only one idea: Be like Reagan! Unfortunately, they seem to remember nothing about Reagan apart from the media-created caricature of a slightly addled old man who somehow mesmerized an imbecilic public with his sunny optimism. Jeb! goes around saying, "I believe we're on the verge of the greatest time to be alive."
Is Joe Biden Really the Answer to Democrats' Problems?
The wheels haven't come off Hillary Rodham Clinton's bus quite yet, but they're getting wobblier. Hence the Joe Biden boomlet. As a columnist, never mind as a conservative, I think it's a fantastic idea. (A Biden vs. Trump debate would cause a national popcorn shortage.) But is Biden really the answer to the Democrats' problem? That depends. As with any malady, the right treatment hinges on the correct diagnosis. You don't recommend better diet and exercise for a shark bite. Biden is a treatment for one symptom, not the whole disease.
Biden Being Biden
While Hillary Clinton's team of consultants is locked in a room somewhere trying to figure out how she can project authenticity, Joe Biden is out doing it. The vice president's interview on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" last week was compellingly human, as Biden talked of the tragic loss of his son Beau and his decision whether or not to make a late entry into the Democratic presidential race.
Why Have Elections?
In a country with more than 300 million people, it is remarkable how obsessed the media have become with just one — Donald Trump. What is even more remarkable is that, after six years of repeated disasters, both domestically and internationally, under a glib egomaniac in the White House, so many potential voters are turning to another glib egomaniac to be his successor. No doubt much of the stampede of Republican voters toward Mr. Trump is based on their disgust with the Republican establishment. The fact that the next two biggest vote-getters in the polls are also complete outsiders — Dr. Ben Carson and Ms. Carly Fiorina — reinforces the idea that this is a protest.
Trump Is 'Lonesome Rhodes'
Rarely and perhaps not in modern times has a presidential campaign more resembled the classic 1957 film, "A Face in the Crowd." Written by Budd Schulberg and starring Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal and Walter Matthau, the storyline follows an Arkansas hayseed named Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes (Griffith), whom Marcia Jeffries (Neal) discovers in a county jail. Jeffries has a local radio show on which she interviews interesting characters. She finds Rhodes irresistible and puts him on the air. Rhodes becomes a sensation, eventually climbing the ladder to his own network TV show and then, as politicians approach him for endorsements, a self-described kingmaker.
Never Forget
It is hard to believe that 14 years have passed since the 9/11 attacks. Today is a good day to talk to your children and grandchildren who, in many cases, were not alive or were too young to understand what happened or why. Unfortunately, all too often, they are getting a warped analysis of that day. Some colleges are actually teaching about 9/11 from the perspective of the hijackers. While I applauded George W. Bush's leadership in the days that followed, I do think that the Bush Administration made a fundamental mistake that has only grown under the politically correct policies of recent years.
Hillary Searches for a Heart
Hillary Clinton has now decided to re-relaunch her flailing campaign. She'll do so by showing "more humor and heart," according to The New York Times. In other news, the Wizard gave Joe Biden a brain and Bernie Sanders courage. The Wizard also apparently gave Biden and Sanders better poll numbers: In the latest Monmouth poll, Clinton still leads at 42 percent, but Biden picks up 22 percent and Sanders 20 percent. That's trouble in Clintonia.
Hillary 'Apologizes,' Offers Desperate Redirect
Clinton tackles campaign finance reform to distract from email woes.
Rebranded Hillary Is Just More of the Same
What if this is as good as it gets? You have to wonder if that's what Hillary Clinton's handlers are saying to each other right about now. Of course, that's not what they're saying in public — or on background to the press. The New York Times reported this week that Clinton plans to be spontaneous from now on: "There will be no rope lines to wall off crowds, which added to an impression of aloofness. And there will be new efforts to bring spontaneity to a candidacy that sometimes seems wooden and overly cautious."