In the hours after his five-state primary sweep, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump declared the race to his party’s nomination was “over,” called himself “the presumptive nominee,” and baited Democrat Hillary Clinton for using “the woman card.” Clinton returned the favor, saying if playing that card meant fighting for equal pay, paid family leave and access to healthcare then “deal me in!”
And with that, it seemed the tone of the upcoming presidential election was set.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks after sweeping all five states in the latest nominating contests on April 26, 2016. (Reuters)
A Shoutout for Donald Trump
Michael A. Cohen – The Boston Globe
It is worth stepping back, however, and noting that Trump’s hammerlock over the party — and his ascendancy within the GOP — is astounding. He’s a political amateur who never held elected office; he’s a xenophobe, a bully, and a misogynist, and he has run directly against the leadership of the party he hopes to lead. Yet, today he stands on the cusp of winning the nomination of the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan….
Trump’s position as the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party is not the most remarkable political event this year. Rather, it’s that the Democratic Party is poised to nominate the first woman to be a major party candidate for president. Somehow this constantly seems to be forgotten; and whether you like Hillary Clinton or despise her, that America is poised to nominate a woman for president is a big deal.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at her five-state primary night rally on April 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, PA. (Reuters)
Ted Cruz Can Save the GOP by Losing to Hillary Clinton
Stephen Myrow – CNBC
Despite Cruz’s willingness to enter an alliance with John Kasich indicating a level of desperation on his part, he may still be able to wrest the nomination from Trump at the national convention in Cleveland this July. Nevertheless, that will not prevent Republicans from getting shellacked in November.
And although many in the GOP establishment have belatedly and awkwardly embraced Cruz as the lesser of two evils to be their standard-bearer this year in hopes that he will cause less damage down-ballot in vulnerable Senate and House races, the rise and fall of Cruz could prove most useful to the Republican Party as the desperately needed catalyst to trigger introspection about its fundamental raison d’être.
- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during an election night event on April 26, 2016 in Huntington, W.Va. (AP)
Why Bernie Sanders Will, Should and Must Stay in the Race
Jim Hightower – Salon
Bernie has substantively — even profoundly — changed American politics for the better, which is why he’s gaining more and more support and keeps winning delegates. From the start, he said: “This campaign is not about me” — it’s a chance for voters who have been disregarded and discarded to forge a new political revolution that will continue to grow beyond this election and create a true people’s government….
The keepers of the Established Order fear this grassroots uprising by no-name “outsiders,” and they know that this year’s Democratic nomination is still very much up for grabs, so they’re stupidly trying to shove Sanders out before other states can vote. But Bernie and the mass movement he’s fostering aren’t about to quit — they’ll organize in every primary still to come, be a major force at the Democratic convention, and keep pushing their ideals and policies in the general election… and beyond.
Trump’s Sweep is Another Humiliating Defeat for Media and Political Elites
Joe Scarborough – The Washington Post
History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme when the topic turns to TV careers and Republican politicians. From 1956 to 1962, Ronald Reagan hosted General Electric Theater and had his image beamed into more than 20 million homes every week. The successful run on TV gave Reagan a connection with American voters that his movie career never could.
President Ronald Reagan plays to the crowd as his wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan, waves from limousine during the inaugural parade in this Jan. 20, 1981 file photo. (AP)
By the time Reagan ran for governor of California in 1966, the GE host was a household name. Reagan’s landslide victory shocked elites in and out of the political class and launched a conservative revolution that would last a generation.
50 years later, that revolution is being undone by another TV star who has been underestimated by elites while being elevated by working-class voters. The question now is whether Trump can prove his critics wrong again by winning the nomination and then defeating Hillary Clinton in the fall. The odds may be long for the New York developer and reality star, but no longer than the ones he faced last June when he first sought the GOP nomination.
