US Opinion and Commentary

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How The Once Pro-Women GOP Ended Up The Party Of Trump

Posted October 21st, 2016 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
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In the 1920s, it was Republicans who first took the amendment to Congress, and, two decades later, made it an official part of the party’s platform — beating out Democrats, who would follow suit.

Trump’s Unconventional Convention

Posted July 21st, 2016 at 5:24 pm (UTC-5)
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Perhaps it’s by design that the 2016 Republican National Convention would not — could not — follow the cookie-cutter design of conventions of the recent past. After all, 17 candidates were at one time running for the party’s presidential nomination. And the most unconventional candidate of any — Donald Trump — came out on top.

Trump’s flair for grandeur, unpredictability and frank talk combined with fissures within the Republican party over the bitter primary election raised expectations for a raucous convention.

There has been little disappointment.

From Monday night’s controversy over Melania Trump’s speech to Tuesday’s mock trial of Hillary Clinton to Wednesday’s booing of Ted Cruz for refusing to endorse Donald Trump, this week’s conclave has met those expectations.

Trump now has to summon all of his natural charisma and impresario instincts to deliver an acceptance speech that can bring Republicans together and convince a large swath of undecided voters that he can be their next president of the United States.

The Knives Are Out

Posted April 27th, 2016 at 11:48 am (UTC-5)
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In the hours after his five-state primary sweep, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump declared the race to the party 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.

Many Democrats Want to Face Trump in November. They’re Wrong.

Posted April 17th, 2016 at 5:06 pm (UTC-5)
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Cruz is often dishonest, and he takes extreme and sometimes appalling positions. But he has shown an inclination to play by the rules — and that’s a safeguard Trump doesn’t offer.

In the Republican Primary: Donald Trump for President

Posted April 17th, 2016 at 4:51 pm (UTC-5)
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What every pundit’s platitudes missed was simple: they failed to recognize that Mr. Trump’s success is the result of one thing—optimism. Mr. Trump was tapping into the pent-up desire of millions of voters to make America great again.

The #NeverTrump Movement

Posted April 11th, 2016 at 12:14 pm (UTC-5)
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After Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump lost the Wisconsin primary to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, it seemed as though some of the air had come out of Trump’s balloon.

Sure, there have been weeks and weeks of criticism from mainstream GOP players, innumerable editorials calling for conservatives to do something, ANYTHING, to end Trump’s bid for the Republican presidential ticket. Journalists have been shamed for not taking his rise seriously— and for creating him by being his echo chamber. Calls have grown for reporters to conduct deeper truth-squadding.

But there appeared to be a new urgency in the form of Twitter feeds (#StopTrump, #NeverTrump) and, on Sunday, a faked cover by The Boston Globe, which imagined the world with Trump as president. Experts are furiously doing math, counting delegates and calculating the various possibilities the final 16 primaries may offer. And campaign operatives are going back to states where caucuses and primaries have already been held, trying to find delegates to sway or steal.

Next week’s New York primary — with 95 delegates at stake — will give us a clearer picture. In the meantime, the knives are out.

The GOP Must Stop Trump

Posted April 11th, 2016 at 8:51 am (UTC-5)
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The Republican Party’s standard deserves to be hoisted by an honorable and decent man, like Romney or Ryan, elected on the convention floor. It is better to lose with principle than to accept a dangerous deal from a demagogue

Cruz Views as Bad as Trumps

Posted April 7th, 2016 at 9:27 am (UTC-5)
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Consider the prospect of a deeply religious Christian evangelical who believes in holy war and surrounds himself with like-minded advisers. That prospect is almost enough to make Trump sound like a reasonable man.

John Kasich: The Candidate Who Wouldn’t Leave

Posted April 7th, 2016 at 9:23 am (UTC-5)
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Ah, but what about the delegates? If it’s a contested convention and neither Donald Trump nor Ted Cruz has enough delegates to lock up the nomination, won’t they turn to Kasich? Not necessarily. But don’t tell that to the Ohio governor, who goes from interview to interview insisting that he’d be the natural choice for the convention.   […]

Reality Check for Trump and Clinton

Posted April 6th, 2016 at 2:27 pm (UTC-5)
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Republican party front-runner Donald Trump’s Twitter feed went uncharacteristically quiet in the immediate aftermath of his double-digit loss in the Wisconsin primary to Sen. Ted Cruz. Later in the night, the Trump campaign reverted back to status quo by insulting, not congratulating, the winner. “Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet— he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump,” according to a statement from his campaign. As Trump pouted defiantly, pundits were dissecting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders sixth straight win against Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is far ahead in the delegate count. As one newspaper editorial put it:

“For a guy who can’t win, Bernie Sanders is certainly defeating Hillary Clinton a whole lot…. ”

Next primary stop is in New York, where we may learn if Cruz and Sanders’ campaign ‘mojo’ will continue.

Odds Rise of Democratic Victory

Posted April 6th, 2016 at 1:34 pm (UTC-5)
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If Mr. Trump prevails, many Republicans are likely to stay home on Election Day, and more than a few will quietly support the Democratic nominee. If he falls short on the first ballot and is denied the nomination, he and his supporters will cry foul, and a formal party split would be likely.

Will Trump Stop Trump?

Posted April 5th, 2016 at 12:03 pm (UTC-5)
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Trump will under-perform in Wisconsin….Thus, the shake-up in Trump’s campaign on Wednesday is preordained, for several reasons. First, the Wisconsin defeat will provide the alibi, for something already in motion, not considered earlier by Trump, because disgruntled staff was reluctant to petition him.

Trump Trips and Stumbles, Possibly Alienating Female Voters

Posted March 31st, 2016 at 4:41 pm (UTC-5)
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In a matter of minutes, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump accomplished what no other politician has ever done: anger BOTH opponents and supporters of abortion rights in America. The “some kind of punishment” line about women who abort unborn fetuses he uttered on MSNBC Wednesday night was quickly reversed (or revised depending on where you stand) in a statement published on his website. Recent polls suggest Trump’s support among women voters is tenuous already. The abortion gaffe comes after a public fight with his nearest opponent Sen. Ted Cruz over their wives and his openly ugly comments aimed at FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly. Women, who make up more than half of the U.S. voting electorate, are a key voting block, one that political pundits say should not be alienated by either Republicans or Democrats.The next nominating contest takes place next week in Wisconsin, the results of which may indicate whether or not the often outrageous Trump has gone too far this time.

Trump’s Volatile Crowds Are No Accident

Posted March 22nd, 2016 at 11:22 am (UTC-5)
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The evidence for this comes from an area of psychology known as “terror management theory,” which asserts that when we are made to feel aware of our mortality, we identify even more strongly with those who share our cultural worldview. This not only reduces anxiety but also makes us more hostile towards members of other groups.

Paul Ryan: Quietly Aiming for the Presidency?

Posted March 21st, 2016 at 2:36 pm (UTC-5)
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Paul Ryan seems to find power and stature without truly seeking it. In 2012, Mitt Romney chose Ryan as his presidential running-mate to help energize the Republican Party’s base who were drawn to Ryan’s fiscal conservative ideas. In 2015, House of Representatives Republicans turned to Ryan as a compromise candidate for Speaker after the Tea Party wing revolted against the establishment leadership. Ryan’s name is once again being floated, this time as a to bail out a Republican Party faced with the possibility of Donald Trump as its standard-bearer. Ryan has publicly said he is not interested in being drafted by a contested convention as a presidential nominee. But can the highest-elected Republican resist taking a shot at being the highest elected American?