Monday, July 13, 2015

This & That

TRUMP - Donald Trump took his anti-immigration tour to Phoenix this weekend where an enthusiastic packed house cheered his every word. 4,200 lost souls looked on as Trump rambled through an incoherent rant on a myriad of topics including his need to be loved and his failed adolescent love life.

Efforts by the RNC to encourage Trump to tone down his rhetoric were clearly lost in the translation. Trump was his usual bombastic, controversial self; ripping into the Washington establishment and ridiculing his fellow candidates. Rather than toning down he doubled down on his condemnation of illegal immigrants and the Mexican government that he believes forces illegals across our borders.

Trump has no plan for the future. The only specific policy program that he offered was to “bomb the hell out of the Iraqi oil fields because that’s where ISIS gets its money.” The rest was generalities and sound bites as Trump promised that he and the silent majority would “take back our country.” How he plans to do that is yet unclear.

Trump’s buffoonery continues to pay dividends as he finds himself leading the GOP polls.

HILLARY - Trump’s headline grabbing shenanigans may face a worthy challenger today as Hillary Clinton is schedule to give a major economic policy address. It will be interesting to see if she offers anything in the way of specifics or if it is more of the progressive generalities that we have come to expect from her campaign. It’s easy to say that you want to raise the middle class. It is far more difficult to offer specifics on how you intend to do it.

WALKER - Lost in all the Trump/Hillary hubbub will be the official announcement of a noteworthy candidate for the presidency. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is expected to announce his candidacy today. He will become the 15th person to officially declare that he is running for the GOP nomination.

Walker is a shining star in the Republican Party. His gubernatorial bona fides provides the experience that voters are seeking. His contentious victory over the federal employee unions has made him a hero among the party faithful. His three gubernatorial electoral victories signals that he knows how to wage and win tough electoral contests.

Unfortunately for Walker, Hillary intentionally scheduled her economic speech for today to big foot Walkers’ announcement. And Trump’s weekend escapades will only serve to push Walker further away from the media spotlight. Add the comedy show in Greece and the drama coming out of Vienna and Walker may find himself wondering if anybody is listening.

EARLY – It’s still early. At this point in the last two general elections Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum were leading the GOP pack. Neither finished the deal. Will Donald Trumps’ bombastic irreverence carry him to the nomination? Or will he flame out like Huckabee, Santorum, Herman Cain and a host of clown car passengers before him.

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