US Opinion and Commentary

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Conventional Clinton Takes on Trump

Posted July 29th, 2016 at 5:23 pm (UTC-4)
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Americans have been fed a steady diet of political rhetoric over the past two weeks, trying to convince them that two people they have known for decades — and generally do not like — should be their next president.

Hillary Clinton finished off this week’s Democratic National Convention with a speech in which she had to walk a fine line to mollify Bernie Sanders’ supporters while reaching out to independents and Republicans who are looking for change, but are wary of Donald Trump.

Polls conducted in the days ahead will show us how the Democrats’ message has been digested. Meantime, reviews and comparisons of the two conventions are coming in. And the acceptance speeches of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton can be found below, a way to pass the 102 days still to come before Election Day.

Sanders May Have Lost the Primary, but He’s Already Won Key Concessions on Foreign Policy

Posted June 16th, 2016 at 2:06 pm (UTC-4)
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He has succeeded — and even exceeded observers’ expectations – in forcing the Democratic Party to re-evaluate its long-held assumptions about the use of military force abroad. Clinton embodies many of those views, and Sanders won millions of votes by coming at her from the left and arguing for a less interventionist foreign policy.

The Great Race

Posted June 8th, 2016 at 3:28 pm (UTC-4)
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She made it.
Finally.
Hillary Clinton has gone from First Lady to U.S. Senator to Secretary of State to, now, Democratic Party’s nominee for president.
It sets up a historic presidential election in November: the first woman nominated by a major political party versus a businessman, the first nominee since 1952 who has not held public office.
Both Clinton and Donald Trump have work to do to unite their respective parties behind their candidacies. Clinton’s Democratic primary opponent, Bernie Sanders, has yet to concede, although he has sounded more conciliatory.
Trump has more work to do, thanks to his comments about a federal judge of Mexican descent who is presiding over a lawsuit involving Trump University — comments that have been called racist by foes and supporters alike. One Republican senator seeking re-election retracted his endorsement of Trump. Pressure will build for others to do the same.
Election Day is five months away. By then, history may take a back seat to histrionics.

What Does Bernie Want?

Posted May 31st, 2016 at 2:57 pm (UTC-4)
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It’s a long shot for Bernie Sanders to win the Democratic Party presidential nomination. But he is still campaigning hard, vowing to take his candidacy to the convention in Philadelphia in July.
Sanders trails Hillary Clinton by 268 pledged delegates going into the final nine contests of the primary election season. Neither are likely to win the nomination with pledged delegates only.
Both candidates will need to make their case to the 712 so-called “superdelegates” that they are the better candidate to take on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Both need to have convincing victories in the final primaries, especially California.
With 475 pledged delegates at stake, California has the biggest delegate haul. Sanders has been campaigning in the state for more than a week. Clinton has changed her schedule and will add two more days of California campaigning before the June 7 primary. She also got a boost with an endorsement from California governor Jerry Brown.
Donald Trump is already on the attack against Hillary Clinton. Many Democrats worry Sanders is dividing the party when the delegate math doesn’t add up.