When President Trump won the election almost two years ago, his support from evangelicals was a major driver of the win - so much so that the Rev. Franklin Graham later commented that "God showed up" at the election. Some say it also could happen with the midterm elections, now 20 days off.
After a full week of campaign rallies, problem solving and partisan attacks, President Trump also had an in depth interview with Leslie Stahl on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night. The overnight ratings from Nielsen Media Research are very telling here. Mr. Trump's interview drew a respectable 11.8 million viewers for CBS. The debut of the "Alec Baldwin Show" on ABC, however, garnered 2.2 million. But that, as the sages say, is show biz.
One of the most poplar and persistent practices in the press is to parse President Trump's language with a critical eye, seeking any and all opportunities to portray him in a negative light. They have their ways.
All aboard that proverbial Trump train? Behold, there's some clear evidence that a more united Republican Party has emerged after the confirmation of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court — and just in time. The party is "edgier, more rugged, and more relentless" in the aftermath of the unprecedented brawl on Capitol Hill, says Brad Todd, a columnist for The Federalist.
Actor, political activist and President Trump impersonator Alec Baldwin has a prime time talk show debuting at 10 p.m. Sunday EDT on ABC — and if the host has his way, a future guest just might be the president. Yes, well. Just imagine that cultural moment.
The confirmation of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is an unprecedented cultural moment that has revealed just how brutal politics has become.
President Trump's foes appear to be in permanent uproar, and no wonder. The former "Judge Brett Kavanaugh" is now "Justice Brett Kavanaugh." Economic and employment trends are percolating, diplomatic gains continue.
Awaiting the outcome of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court has become a classic cliffhanger, teetering in front of the American public with as much dramatic tension as a major sports event — which is why, perhaps, several international betting houses have offered odds on the outcome. News coverage, meanwhile, has been tinctured with opinion and speculation — even as U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Supreme Court Police have ramped up security for lawmakers, as confrontations and protests get vigorous. Some officers have been called to form a human barrier around the more ardent demonstrations.
Credibility still pays off. The Washington Times has been named the 10th most trusted news organization in America by the Simmons News Media Trust Index.
By week's end, President Trump will have attended five rallies in five states, taking to the stump to talk of America and cheerful things -- a sharp contrast to dire coverage from the news media and grim predictions from Democrats.
President Trump once again is going for the ultra-personal tactics that revved up Republicans and helped him win the 2016 election. As midterms loom, Mr. Trump is showing up in the heartland — in person and surrounded by American flags — at four of his signature jumbo rallies in the next five days. He was in Tennessee on Monday, then it's off to Mississippi, Minnesota and Kansas by week's end.
The first act is over, but the drama escalates. We're talking, of course, of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh's quest to become a Supreme Court justice — an important event played out on a complex set with a huge cast of characters, myriad distractions and much media orchestration — complete with partisan agenda, timpani drums and hand-wringing. Will this dramatic tableau have an extended run? Maybe.
The beer, the memories, the yearbook, the nicknames, the slang: It was 1983 all over again on Capitol Hill. The coverage of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh's appearance at the Senate on Thursday was subject to much interpretation from major news organizations, which fixated on the events all day and into the evening as the event continued and news gave way to analysis.
The get-out-the-vote effort is ramping up to fever pitch as midterm elections draw nigh. Voter behavior, however, remains a mystery.
The news media continues to set off strategic distractions to lure the public away from any good news about President Trump and his administration. But this is a given strategy now. Mr. Trump and his staff continue to take care of business, keep calm and carry on despite press reports suggesting the end is near, or words to that effect.
Imagine what the old hippies of yore would have thought. But here it is: an official cannabis industry guide for lawmakers. Indeed, the National Cannabis Industry Association has released a new report covering what they describe as "the growing popularity of marijuana policy reform and the political benefits candidates in either party could reap by embracing the issue."
It seems like years since Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh first appeared with President Trump at the White House as a newly minted Supreme Court nominee, accompanied by his family and applauded by peers. That was the evening of July 9. The calm promise of those early days quickly gave way to raucous protests, disrupted Senate hearings, explosive media coverage, partisan distractions and feminist uprisings. Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently declared that he has never seen the nation's capital "crazier, more paranoid, more tense or more dumb."
The Values Voters Summit has arrived in the nation's capital for the 12th year in a row, and just in time. Amid discord, distractions, media mayhem and the rigors of a fast-approaching election, the three-day event provides a forum for traditional values, drawing 3,000 people and an impressive roster of 65 speakers. The weekend is dedicated to ensuring the "momentum" of bedrock values — along with religious freedom, pro-life causes, the state of conservatism, effective pushback against cultural foes and national security.
There was once a time when the news media seemed all dressed up with nowhere to go. That is certainly not the case at the moment. News coverage of the turmoil surrounding Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court now mutates from one thing to another with startling speed. Press narratives unfold like origami. Indeed, there is now an army of journalists, analysts, broadcasters, pollsters, bloggers, strategists and columnists on the march, presenting their wares to a public that says that news coverage confuses them.
Behold. The Wall Street Journal has offered a new editorial titled "The #MeToo Kavanaugh Ambush." Regarding the baroque challenges now facing Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh from political and cultural opponents, the news organization simply advises "A story this old and unprovable can't be allowed to delay a Supreme Court confirmation vote."
