The new Morning Consult poll makes a couple of important points we should bear in mind:
• 59% of registered voters say the country is on the wrong track• 54% of registered voters disapprove of the way Trump is doing his job (43% approve)• Generic congressional ballot: 46% Democrat, 38% Republican• 56% say Trump has done more to divide the country than unite it (including 54% of independents) while 30% see him as a uniter• 36% blame Trump for the spate of violence last week (while 9% blame it on the congressional Republicans)
Trump has gone full-on into "the sky is falling" mode. As Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) told the Tennessean this week, "Let’s face it. We all know what’s happening. It’s all about revving up the base, using fear to stimulate people to come out at the polls," describing Trump's (and his allies') use of the migrant caravan.Trump was more than happy to stoke a little more anti-Semitism for his base by insinuating George Soros'-- Trump's Rothschild-- might be funding the caravan which he, his congressional allies and his Fox and Hate Talk radio buddies paint as a caravan filled with terrorists, criminals and deadly diseases. At a press gaggle outside the White House Wednesday, a Republican plant asked if someone is paying for the caravan.Señor Trumpanzee: "I wouldn’t be surprised."Reporter (or fake reporter): "George Soros?"Señor Trumpanzee: "I don’t know who, but I wouldn’t be surprised. A lot of people say yes."Chuck Todd's team: "Trump is straining to demagogue on immigration; he’s trying to Willie Horton Democrats; and he’s picking fights with his own party. This is, well, an interesting way to close an election season, willing himself-- and immigration-- to the forefront... Trump making himself the focal point of this election is a striking departure from the final days of the 2016 campaign, when James Comey’s letter, daily WikiLeaks disclosures and a disciplined Trump dominated the last two weeks of that race. Maybe he thinks this is the best way to fire up his voters. Maybe it’s the best way to change the subject after Pittsburgh and Caesar Sayoc. And maybe he knows of no other way to close."The #MAGAbomber and #MAGAshooter were both inspired by Trump to commit their acts of domestic terrorism. Gregory Bowers, the #MAGAshooter who slaughtered 11 Jewish worshippers in their Pittsburgh synagogue-- while Trump, his family and Stephen Miller danced the hora in the White House-- repeated Trump's descriptions of the Central American refugees (mostly women and barefoot children fleeing terrorism in their own US-controlled countries) as "invaders: being financed by Jews. Trump's #MAGAbomber sent a pipe bomb to George Soros' home.Into this toxic midterm stew, Trump, the most divisive and manipulative "president" in American history-- remember this kind of divisiveness is exactly what Putin was paying for-- just threw his purposefully incendiary Luis Bracamontes ad.Wednesday, struggling Republican congressman, Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), went on NBC and boasted how he would "never vote for someone like Steve King." Well Steve King is in Iowa, so no big deal, but there is someone very much "like Steve King" running for governor of Florida. In fact, a former congressional colleague of Curbelo's, David Jolly, told the Tampa Bay Times that "I've turned in my ballot. I voted for Andrew Gillum. The reason is simple: it's because I've served with Ron DeSantis." Reporters ought to ask Curbelo what he thinks of Trump's ad and whether or not he's voting for DeSantis.Trump's vile ad will rile up his easily-manipulated, hate-filled, frightened, low IQ base--but weren't they already riled up? I doubt independent voters will like it much. Democratic candidates should be making sure their opponents are asked to weigh in on it.The NY Times weighed in early Thursday morning: "As he embarks on a final eight-state, 11-rally blitz before Tuesday’s midterm elections, Mr. Trump has hammered Democrats-- not just for their actual policy positions but for some they have not taken. He accused them, without proof, of helping to orchestrate a caravan of Central American migrants; complained that Democrats had opposed opioid legislation when in fact they universally voted for it; and asserted that they would not protect patients with pre-existing conditions-- even though that was the heart of President Barack Obama’s health care program." The Times went right to the heart of what every voters should be thinking when they cast their ballot on Tuesday:
Trump’s penchant for prevarication has been a well-documented hallmark of his presidency. He dismisses journalists who point out his falsehoods as nit-pickers who do not understand that he is speaking a larger truth that resonates with many Americans. Supporters at his rallies across the country tell reporters that they understand he may not be strictly accurate in his roaring stump speeches, but they see him as a champion of their values.Still, even some in Mr. Trump’s orbit acknowledge that this campaign season has brought out a torrent of untruths that, they worry, distracts from a record he should be proud to outline factually.
We haven't been very outspoken about attorneys-generals races although these are really important race-- any time-- but especially with Trump's kleptocratic regime with its hands on the levers of power. Fortunately, John Oliver focused on the importance of these races on his show this week. It's worth watching:
