Democratic presidential hopeful and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden has tried very hard in recent weeks to MAGA-fy his campaign by playing off President Trump's enormously successful "Make America Great Again" motto - universally recognized by the acronym "MAGA," now emblazoned on a million red baseball caps, this according to a recent advisory from Mr. Trump's campaign.
A new Gallup poll got considerable news coverage and some screaming headlines this week by revealing: "Four-out-of 10 Americans embrace some form of socialism." It is understandable that such a finding would prove intensely interesting in a political climate which finds Democratic socialism both in style and intriguing among many young voters. But without further ado, let us consider the deeper numbers on Gallup's significant survey — and here they are, taken from the pollster's complete responses and trends:
A clash of the titans in the Wolverine State? Rep. Justin Amash is getting serious political pushback after he called for President Trump to be impeached. The Michigan Republican now has a challenge for his seat from state Rep. Jim Lower, who announced his intentions to run for the office 24 hours ago, explaining that he is a " pro-Trump, pro-life, pro-jobs, pro-Second Amendment, pro-family values Republican."
President Trump will journey to Montoursville, Pennsylvania, on Monday evening for a jumbo campaign-style rally in an aviation hangar at a regional airport. The town is located about 100 miles west of Scranton, has a population of 4,777 — and there is festival-style excitement in the air. Over 10,000 people are expected to attend the event, according to local officials. Local schools will be closed for the day while restaurants are poised for some big business. Shuttle buses are ready to run nonstop to ferry the faithful to the event, which will be covered by C-SPAN at 7 p.m. EDT.
The two-year investigation into President Trump's possible "collusion" with Russia has prompted an unexpected benefit: a tidy bump in favorability.
A significant study of American news coverage reveals what many people already suspect: Journalism has jettisoned the use of public language, references to authority, and event-based reporting in favor of personal perspective, narration and subjectivity. So says the RAND Corporation, which tracked almost three decades of news coverage produced by a wide-ranging group of 15 different news organizations.
Hudson Institute senior fellow Richard Weitz is calling attention to what he deems an "emerging China-Russia Axis" built around a military relationship between the two nations which is bolstered by arms sales, joint military exercises, battlefield technologies and other mutual defense ties. Mr. Weitz suggests the powerful pair have overcome "many of their Cold War tensions."
There has been much chatter about "Trump derangement syndrome" over the years. Following the Mueller investigation, David Catron, a columnist for The American Spectator, sums up the current fixation on Russian collusion: "There is no constitutional crisis — just a crisis of Democratic confidence," he writes.
Socialism does not have much allure for voters, according to a major pollster, which might be news of interest for Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent and self-described democratic socialist.
"Unfreedom of the Press," a forthcoming book by Fox News Channel host and talk-radio kingpin Mark Levin takes the case against a biased liberal media a step further. He charts the destructive path of journalism gone awry.
Consider that a recent Washington Post-ABC poll has revealed that 35% of Americans say illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border is a "crisis," up 11 points from 24% since January. The percentage of Democrats who agree there's a crisis jumped from 7% to 24% in that time - nearly a quarter of the party acknowledging what President Trump has been saying for quite some time.
Could it be doubt, disinterest or just plain weariness? Democratic voters could be wavering in their zeal for the 2020 presidential election — still over 500 days off. Yes, 500 days. Maybe the voters already have election fatigue, since there are 20 Democratic hopefuls to track, with more likely to arrive any minute. One surprising source has an observation.
Former Vice President and current presidential hopeful Joe Biden is having a wee skirmish of sorts.
Mark Morgan, who was chief of the U.S. Border Patrol during the Obama administration, went public with his support for President Trump's plans for border security a full four months ago. Mr. Trump revealed Sunday that he has picked Mr. Morgan to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Whether his Senate confirmation is delayed by opposing lawmakers remains to be seen. What matters now, however, is what Mr. Morgan initially said that resonated with the president. Clarity counted. Mr. Morgan simply supported everything.
Should the 2020 census ask "Are you a U.S. citizen?" Democratic critics maintain that the inquiry would discourage members of the immigrant community from voting. Republicans say citizenship status would contribute to a more accurate count and realistic picture of the nation.
Thursday marks the National Day of Prayer, an observance established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1952, then officially designated for the first Thursday in May in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan — who signed Public Law 100-307, surrounded by chaplains from the House and the Senate, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and clergy from several faiths.
All 20 Democratic presidential hopefuls are hoping to polish up their grassroots appeal and down-home personas in a desperate bid to attract the votes of down-home voters. None of the Democratic candidates will forget that 65 million of them stepped up to the polls in 2016 and essentially put President Trump in the White House. Their affection, commitment and loyalty for Mr. Trump has not abated in the least as he continues to deliver on campaign promises.
Democratic woes multiply. The party must cope with a giant field of 2020 presidential hopefuls, the ongoing clash between establishment Democrats and newly elected upstarts plus the increasing appeal of socialist beliefs. President Trump's consistent victories in the economy, his startling fundraising and campaign readiness, the weakened state of the Mueller report, and Mr. Trump's rising favorability numbers are worrisome. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. Democratic presidential debates begin June 26.
Ever-vigilant President Trump had much to say about immigration Sunday, noting that the thousands of would-be immigrants who continue to flood the southern border have targeted the U.S. economy.
Culture may seem to be dominated by trigger warning and hypersensitivity. A sizable new poll, however, finds that 81% of Americans agree that "people are too easily offended these days," an opinion that also spans political beliefs.
