Politics

In the latest episode in the drama that is the Trump campaign, Trump asserts he will indefinitely not appear on Fox News citing unfair coverage.  This of course is a renewal of the feud where Trump claimed that he was treated unfairly in the first Presidential debate, particularly by Fox’s Megyn Kelly who questioned Trump regarding his comments about women.  He initially boycotted Fox, but then claimed he had a conversation with his “good friend” Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News, and that the issue was resolved.

Later, when Megyn Kelly returned from vacation, he lashed out at her on Twitter criticizing the show and saying “The bimbo is back.”  Fox publicly stood by Kelly and attacked Trump’s comments.  Trump agreed to lower the vitriol of his Twitter comments and resumed appearances on “friendly” shows – Greta Van Susteren’s “On the Record” and Sean Hannity’s “Hannity.”

Despite Trump’s promise to turn down the volume, he continued to attack Megyn Kelly, Fox cancelled a Trump appearance on Bill O’Reilly’s show “The O’Reilly Factor” and issued this statement:

“At 11:45am today, we canceled Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance on The O’Reilly Factor on Thursday, which resulted in Mr. Trump’s subsequent tweet about his ‘boycott’ of FOX News,” the statement reads. “The press predictably jumped to cover his tweet, creating yet another distraction from any real issues that Mr. Trump might be questioned about. When coverage doesn’t go his way, he engages in personal attacks on our anchors and hosts, which has grown stale and tiresome. He doesn’t seem to grasp that candidates telling journalists what to ask is not how the media works in this country.”

Trump has continued tweets on Twitter criticizing media coverage of him and his comments – especially Fox – and claims that he is the one boycotting them.

While Trump has been masterful at getting himself in the news, this tactic is stale and old.  His numbers are in decline and no amount of whining will change that.  Van Susteren and Hannity completely pandered to him, giving him mountains of free coverage almost nightly.  Others at Fox were not as enamored by Trump and objectively reported on Trump – which he viewed as “unfair coverage.”

It’s time to move past the summer of silliness and get down to the business of selecting a serious candidate.  A candidate who cries every time someone doesn’t speak well of him isn’t serious.  It’s time to get past the reality show and get back to reality.

Full Story at Politico

Scott Walker is out of the race.  He is announcing the suspension of his campaign for President in a press announcement at 6:00 P.M. EDT in Madison, WI.  His New Hampshire campaign chair, Cliff Hurst, announced that he is endorsing Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination for President and will serve as New Hampshire state co-chair of the Rubio campaign.  New Hampshire is home to the first Presidential primary next February.

Full Story on the Cliff Hurst endorsement.

Scott Walker has called a press conference in Madison at 6:00 P.M. EDT.  It is widely expected that he will announce that he is withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination for President.  Walker, an early favorite of many conservatives, who once led the field in the polls – especially in the crucial early caucus state of Iowa – has dropped to less than 1% in the last CNN poll.  If he quits, he will be the second Republican to drop from the race.  Rick Perry announced his withdrawal from the race on September 11th.

Voter Gravity, a polling company that targets smartphone users, released a poll today that shows Fiorina with 22 percent support among Granite State GOP primary voters. She has a 4-point edge over Donald Trump, who has 18 percent support.  Ben Carson came in at 10 percent support – followed by John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.

Of course, one “flash” poll targetting smart phone users doesn’t confirm that the Trump juggernaut is derailed.  However, there is no question that the debate impacted several candidates.  It grew Carly Fiorna’s stock from minor league to major player.  The Donald is not “untouchable.”  Ben Carson may not be the Trump alternative.

Voter Gravity Poll Results

A few hours before being expected onstage, Donald Trump cancelled a speaking engagement with the Heritage Action Presidential Forum citing a “significant business transaction” that had been delayed.  Losing no time, Governor Bobby Jindal, Trump’s most vocal foil of recent, tweeted the following:

Hillary is concerned.  She’s concerned enough to email me to make sure I understand about her emails.  She realizes she should have 2 email addresses, but never suggests that one of them should have been a state.gov address.  Hmmmmm …… Here’s the email:

Friend — 

I wanted you to hear this directly from me:

Yes, I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the State Department. Not doing so was a mistake. I’m sorry about it, and I take full responsibility.

It’s important for you to know a few key facts. My use of a personal email account was aboveboard and allowed under the State Department’s rules. Everyone I communicated with in government was aware of it. And nothing I ever sent or received was marked classified at the time. 

As this process proceeds, I want to be as transparent as possible. That’s why I’ve provided all of my work emails to the government to be released to the public, and why I’ll be testifying in public in front of the Benghazi Committee later next month.

I know this is a complex story. I could have — and should have — done a better job answering questions earlier. I’m grateful for your support, and I’m not taking anything for granted.

I understand that you may have more questions, and I am going to work to keep answering them. If you want to read more, including my emails themselves, please go here:

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/emails/

Thank you,

Hillary

Three Republican contenders addressed the gathering on Day 2 – Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rick Perry.  Ted Cruz was clearly the crowd favorite.  His arrival drew a large and loud crowd to shake hands and take “selfies.”  However, all three candidates received warm welcomes.  Of interesting note, a number of attendees who left early waiting until after Marco Rubio spoke.

Ted Cruz had no new revelations, but certainly knew how to charm the crowd and speak forcefully.  He came out in shirtsleeves looking as if he had just come in from the Iowa State Fair, relaxed and approachable.  His best line was “The New York Times says ‘Cruz can’t win because Washington elites hate him.’ I thought that was the point of the campaign.”  He repeated his determination to repeal Obamacare, stand for fiscal restraint and to defund Planned Parenthood – all which were well received.

Marco Rubio also engaged the audience.  He focused on the nation’s economic ills and that their cause lied in the nation’s inability to be competitive globally because of our tax and regulatory structure.  He also addressed the need for changes in college education to make it more affordable, more available and more responsive to economic need.  He related his own $100,000 student loan debt and graduates aren’t getting jobs that allows them to pay off the enormous debt.  He reached out to Republicans who have been angered by the lack of results from victories in Congressional elections – a clear outreach to those drawn to Donald Trump.  He said,”Change has not happened. You are right to be frustrated and even angry, but our anger does not define us.” He further added that we are “one election away” from lasting change.  He also recounted his family’s immigrant story that became his story.  He concluded with a powerful, “It’s not just my story. It’s your story. It’s our story.”

While many have speculated that Rick Perry’s campaign was out of steam, he showed no sign of that.  His speech was powerful and confident.  While most of the candidates were very restrained in talking about the other Republican candidates, Perry – without mentioning names – took obvious swipes at Scott Walker and John Kasich.  He criticized Walker’s  changing positions on guest worker status and Kasich’s Medicaid expansion.  He had a notable quip on the expansion,  “The goal should not be to add a million more to its rolls, but to make coverage more affordable.”   He decried the intrusions of Washington on state and local governments by stating, “The Constitution is my owner’s manual and it still has a 10th Amendment” and “It’s time for the federal government to get out of the healthcare and education business and do its job-defend our borders.”  Both lines drew thunderous applause.  While the crowd response was not as enthusiastic as Cruz, from the Twitter response to Perry’s speech, you would have thought his support was overwhelming.

Carly Fiorna sat down with NBC’s Chuck Todd and discussed Hillary Clinton.  While expressing admiration for Clinton, she criticized Clinton “lies” on Benghazi, emails and the server.  When Chuck Todd challenged her and asked how she knew she was lying, without batting an eye, Fiorna replied, “Oh for Heaven’s sake” and proceeded to explain what we now know about the Benghazi chronology.

Todd also asked her about the controversy surrounding the 14th Amendment and Donald Trump.  Her reply was just as sharp.  “He may not be a politician, but he sure is acting like a politician.”  She referred to the 14th Amendment issue as a “bright, shiny object” to distract from the real issues – securing the borders and reforming immigration.

Fiorna on NBC’s Meet the Press

The swirl of speculation that Vice-President Joe Biden will enter the race for President continues.  Jim Webb, though ignored in the polls as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President, wanted to make sure everyone knew that Joe met privately with him too.

Webb Also Privately Met Biden

This was not a scheduled meeting. Sounds like someone is running.

CNN reports Biden Meets with Warren privately