David Leonhardt: “There are considerably more Republicans who consider the charges serious than Democrats or independents who do not think they’re serious. The indictment divides Republicans more than it divides Democrats.”
“A basic lesson of politics is that you win when the public debate is focused on issues that divide your opponent’s supporters and unite yours…”
“Another problematic sign for Trump is that the number of Republicans bothered by his legal problems seems to be growing.”
New York Times: See how the GOP has reacted to the Trump indictments.
A new Messenger/Harris poll finds Donald Trump garners a whopping 53% support among Republican presidential primary voters, far outpacing his closest rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has the support of 17% of GOP voters.
DEMOCRATS. “A major Democratic super PAC on Friday launched a campaign intended to highlight chaotic moments from former President Trump’s first term in the White House as Trump faces fresh controversy over his indictment on federal charges,” The Hill reports.
“American Bridge 21st Century is promoting a campaign titled ‘This Fucking Guy,’ which officials said is intended to remind voters of key moments from Trump’s presidency as he pursues the GOP nomination in 2024.”
The 19th: “Democrats and abortion rights organizers achieved significant wins in the 2022 midterms — and collected hundreds of millions of data points about voters along the way.”
David Leonhardt: “About 60 percent of U.S. voters do not have a four-year college degree, and they live disproportionately in swing states. As a result, these voters — often described as the American working class — are crucial to winning elections.”
“Yet many of them are deeply skeptical of today’s Democratic Party.”
“Republicans retook control of the House last year by winning most districts with below-median incomes. In nearly 20 Western and Southern states, Democrats are virtually shut out of statewide offices largely because of their weakness among the white working class. Since 2018, the party has also lost ground with Black, Asian and especially Latino voters.”
BIDEN 2024. “President Joe Biden’s decision to make a gathering of union workers in Philadelphia his first political rally since announcing his 2024 campaign highlights the importance of both Pennsylvania and labor to his bid for a second term,” The Messenger reports.
“Biden plans to promote his pro-labor record Saturday at his first major political rally since he formalized his reelection campaign, appearing alongside union members to make the case that his economic agenda is boosting the middle class,” the AP reports.
“Top Biden campaign officials are popping the hood on President Joe Biden’s emerging reelection machine and giving top supporters a peek inside as their first quarterly fundraising deadline rapidly approaches,” CNN reports.
“The six-state trip, which begins Thursday in Atlanta, comes as the president, the first lady, vice president and second gentleman are embarking on a separate fundraising blitz, hitting nearly two dozen fundraisers before the end of the month.”
“President Joe Biden is raising money again,” NBC News reports. “The commander in chief plans to accelerate his campaign cash dash after the White House paused overt political activity during debt-limit negotiations with Congress. That put his fledgling re-election campaign and the party a little bit behind the eight ball with the end of the second fundraising quarter coming June 30.”
“The Biden re-election calendar has 20 fundraisers planned in the last half of June, most of which will be headlined by Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.”
DESANTIS 2024. Washington Post: “Never before has a presidential effort invested in doors in the way the DeSantis machine is doing. By Labor Day, Never Back Down aims to have about 2,600 trained canvassers in the 18 early nominating states, many with hotel rooms and rental cars, iPads and evolving scripts, not to mention a paycheck from working in a position that is now advertised on job boards as between $20 to $22 an hour. The work will continue through March, with staff redeployed as the election season proceeds.”
“It is designed to allow the PAC to run a paid-field operation bigger than ever before tried in a presidential primary, on the scale of four simultaneous congressional races in Iowa, two in New Hampshire and seven in South Carolina. DeSantis has effectively abandoned the old model of running field operations with volunteers from a cash-strapped campaign, outsourcing the effort to a super PAC in ways that test the boundaries of campaign finance law.”
NORTH CAROLINA. “The most fascinating political chess match in America outside Washington, DC—where the usual game is more like 52-card pickup anyway—is taking place in North Carolina, involving races from the local to the national level,” The Economist reports.
“Joe Biden, who is already running campaign advertising in the state, made his sixth trip there as president on June 9th, the same day as Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida and a day ahead of two other Republican candidates, Mike Pence and Donald Trump.”
NO LABELS. “The co-chair of No Labels, the political organization trying to mount a third-party presidential campaign in 2024, vowed on Thursday to end the group’s effort if polling next spring shows President Joe Biden ‘way, way out ahead’ of former President Donald Trump,” NBC News reports.
Said Dr. Ben Chavis: “No Labels is not and will not be a spoiler in favor of Donald Trump in 2024.”
That’s not how this works. You are not a spoiler if Joe Biden is winning a landslide. You can stay in the race if that is happening. You are a spoiler if it is a close race, and that is where you take votes that would otherwise go to Biden if you weren’t in the race. That allows Trump to win. That makes you a spoiler. And that is what you are still doing and you will burn in hell for it.
CHRISTIE 2024. Politico: “Since announcing his long-shot bid for the presidency earlier this month, Christie has occupied the lonely lane of publicly attacking Trump, doing so even as DeSantis and other GOP contenders either defend the former president or avoid discussing him amid his mounting legal troubles.”
“But Christie isn’t on some kamikaze mission to take out the frontrunner. In fact, he isn’t sparing second-place candidate DeSantis at all. Instead, he’s trying to create space for other Trump rivals before the Florida governor further solidifies his second-place standing in the primary.”
New York Times: “The business of being Chris Christie has received only sporadic attention since he left public office. But his latest enterprise — a presidential campaign bent on taking down former President Donald Trump, a man he once endorsed and advised — has cast a new light on his success.”
“A close review of corporate and government records as well as interviews with more than 30 people familiar with his lobbying and consulting work shows Mr. Christie has profited from his relationship to the man he now wants to defeat, as well as from the political profile he gained in eight years as New Jersey’s governor.”
“Mr. Christie has made millions from interests wanting to leverage his political ties, including pharmaceutical, medical and sports betting companies, like DraftKings — whose hiring of Mr. Christie has not been previously reported. Some had business with the state when Mr. Christie was governor, and saw him as a reliable advocate for their bottom line, while others were interested in tapping into his close association with Mr. Trump and the Trump administration.”
BURGUM 2024. Republican presidential candidate Gov. Doug Burgum dodged a question on whether, if elected, he would issue a hypothetical pardon to President Trump, The Hill reports.
Said Burgum: “If you want to ask someone about pardoning President Trump, I mean, ask Biden. He could do it right now, and then the nation can get back and focusing on the things that do matter the most to the most number of Americans.”
HUTCHINSON 2024. Politico: “In light of Donald Trump’s indictment for his handling of classified documents, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s campaign on Wednesday requested a meeting with RNC officials about amending the loyalty pledge.”
“RNC leaders declined to make any changes to debate requirements and told the staffer the committee is ‘not dealing with hypotheticals’ on Trump’s legal fate.”
“Hutchinson said he would not vote for Donald Trump should he end up the Republican nominee and be convicted in a criminal trial,” Politico reports.
“The declaration is one of the strongest rebukes of Trump since he was indicted on 37 counts related to allegedly mishandling classified documents. It also underscores the difficult position in which the Republican party now finds itself: with the party’s base rallying behind a frontrunner facing possible jail time and another portion of the party threatening to bolt if he’s their candidate.”
SUAREZ 2024. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News, saying he isn’t “particularly a relationship guy.”
Said Suarez: “That is why he lost, I think, 12 out of 13 congressional endorsements in his own state… because he doesn’t call people and he doesn’t try to build a relationship.”
He added: “You know, I’m very different. Like I said, I’m accessible. I call people. I’m a people person. I love people and I look at them in the eye and shake their hands, you know, when I see them. So, that’s never been an issue for me.”
Playbook: “We actually saw Suarez while we were in Miami this week outside the courthouse where Donald Trump was arraigned and learned that he and Trump had a friendly chat this week. That conversation has added fuel to the widespread speculation that Suarez is in the race mainly to mess with and attack Trump’s main GOP opponent, Ron DeSantis, who Suarez has clashed with in Florida — in the process setting himself up as a potential Trump running mate or Cabinet official.”
“Suarez told us that he and Trump simply discussed security arrangements during the arraignment.”
“No. The definition of a cult is a group of people who are excessively supporting one another and a cause, all about conformity and compliance, and intolerance of anyone who doesn’t agree with what their mission is.” — Sarah Palin, when asked on Newsmax if Donald Trump’s supporters are cult members.
So you mean yes, Sarah, right?
Ohio can proceed with an August election for voters to decide whether it should be harder to amend the state constitution, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.
“In a 4-3 ruling, the Republican-leaning court determined that lawmakers legally set an Aug. 8 election for Issue 1. If approved, the measure would require 60% of voters to enact new constitutional amendments, instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one.”
Politico: “Democrats are now asking new liberal court majorities in New York and Wisconsin to reconsider their 2022 decisions to implement GOP-friendly congressional maps. They’re adopting a work-the-refs strategy that Republicans have deployed in the past; Democrats previously excoriated GOP operatives for plans to seek new maps in North Carolina and Ohio after a shift in the balance of power in the high courts of both states.”
https://twitter.com/listen_2learn/status/1670159016306114560?t=SXpWY8uGd4XaQ8Bxd4-85A&s=19
Dear Rustydil(do) You are a moron.
John Kowalko