Donald Trump’s chances against Hillary Clinton look far worse than Ted Cruz’s

WaPo  

"There´s an assumption in political circles that regardless of whether Republicans nominate Donald Trump or Ted Cruz to run against Hillary Clinton, the party is destined to lose the presidential race this fall. That may well be true. But that sentiment is premised on the idea that Trump and Cruz have roughly the same chance -- not much -- of beating Clinton. That´s wrong, at least according to all of the available polling data. Thanks to the polling gurus at Real Clear Politics, we can compare how Trump and Cruz fare in head to head match-ups.". . .

Comments: Let me interrupt the predictable rant. Washington Post, oooo bad. Cillizza is reporting on a compendium of polls, not a single poll. Ooo, it´s just a poll. Duh, that´s what we use to forecast and as stated this is many polls. Trump has never even led Hillary at all, Cruz has. Trump can turn it around when he ´attacks.´ OR, it can get much worse when the media and Hillary attack. The real best, conservative and popular candidate might have actually been Rick Perry, for name recognition, experience and policy successes in Texas. But he flopped as a campaigner twice.

Charles Krauthammer: The world according to Trump

Charles Krauthammer  . . . "Two world wars, nuclear missiles and international terrorism have disabused us of the illusion of safety-by-isolation. You wouldn’t know it, though, from the Democratic presidential race in which foreign policy has been treated as a nuisance, a distraction from such fundamental questions as whether $12 or $15 is the proper minimum wage.

"On the Republican side, however, foreign policy has been the subject of furious debate. To which Donald Trump has contributed significantly, much of it off-the-cuff, contradictory and confused. Hence his foreign policy speech Wednesday. It was meant to make him appear consistent, serious and presidential.

General Dunford Suggests White House Is Limiting His Ability to Fight ISIS

The Weekly Standard  "On Thursday, Senator Lindsey Graham asked General Dunford about his ISIS strategy.

" '[T]he military strategy that we're embarked on is the best way to destroy ISIL. And it's what you recommended. Or is it limited by conditions put on you by the White House?"

"Dunford responded, "[T]o clarify, so if I say..."

"Graham interrupted, "[W]ould you do more if you could?"
"He answered, "I would do more if I could, but the limitation is not just a political limitation. Part of it is our partners on the ground...' "

Setting the Record Straight on Britain, America, and World War II

Victor Davis Hanson

. . . "What ensured a war were the appeasement of Nazi Germany by Britain and France, the isolation of the United States from global responsibilities, and the collaboration of the Soviet Union with Adolf Hitler. All three developments combined to convince Hitler that he could bully or invade his neighbors without consequences.

"America entered the war on Britain’s side in late 1941, after more than two years of war that saw Hitler consolidate a continental empire larger than the present European Union. The United States declared war on Nazi Germany and fascist Italy on December 11, 1941 — but only after the two Axis powers declared war on us first. Had Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini not declared war after Japan’s December 7, 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, America may well have concentrated on defeating Imperial Japan and stayed neutral in the European theater.

"Great Britain was the only major power to fight for the entire duration of World War II, from its beginning after the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the surrender of the Japanese in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

"In late June of 1940, after the fall of Western Europe, Britain was the only major power in the world still resisting Nazi Germany. Otherwise, all of Europe was either occupied by Hitler, neutral, or supposedly neutral but surreptitiously aiding the Third Reich with shipments of supplies.

". . . The Russians supplied Germany with key resources that helped the Luftwaffe bomb a solitary Britain during the Blitz of 1940-1941. Nearly 50,000 British civilians were killed by German bombers, cruise missiles, and rockets — while America’s continental homeland remained all but untouched."

To Counter Sanders' Supporters, Focus on Venezuela

First the background:
New Poll Finds Most Millennials Reject Capitalism

"According to a new poll conducted by Harvard, a majority of Millennials reject the idea of capitalism.

"It’s no surprise that a generation of people who grew up in the era of “everyone gets a trophy” reject the idea of unequal rewards based on hard work. Millennials were educated largely by public schools obsessed with the idea of fairness and afraid in some cases to let children play the game of tag.

"One has to wonder if the participants responded on their iPhones."

Socialism Never Works   Rush: "I got a note from Newt Gingrich today, who said, "You know what you ought to do?  You need to do daily reports on Venezuela in order to teach people about the failures of socialism." 

"And, my first reaction: Venezuela?  If Detroit's not doing the trick, how in the world does anybody expect teaching about Venezuela's gonna do the trick? 

"But I wrote him back.  You know, it's an interesting thing.  Essentially this is what I've been trying to do for 27, 28 years, and I've learned what doesn't work.  I mean, Venezuela is literally falling apart.  Have you heard the latest?  The elites, government officials are being told to only go to work two days a week in order save electricity.  It's an absolute abject, total implosion failure. 

"It is all the result of socialism and communism.  And so if you try to point out to either low-information people or young people, Millennials, college students, you're gonna fail every time.  You know why?  Why will you fail?  Why will it not work?  Why does it not work?  I've learned over 27 years that it doesn't work.  You know why?  Because there's no way that your average college student thinks that America would ever become Venezuela.  They personally cannot envision it. 

"So, to say, "You see Venezuela, that's where we're headed."  You lose 'em right there 'cause even if it is possible to happen, they won't consider it.  The same with Cuba.  And my point, if they don't get the failures of the Democrat Party and socialism looking at Detroit, they don't have to study Venezuela.  I mean, you could.  But you know what they would then say?  You stick to Venezuela, you know what they'd then say? 

"Your average Millennial, your average low-information voter would say to me, "Well, at least Hugo Chavez tried.  At least he cared about his people.  At least he tried.  That's more than you Republicans do.  You Republicans, it's all for the rich, and you don't want anybody having any fun.  That's all you care about is who's using the bedroom, marriage, screw it, at least Hugo Chavez tried," and that's going to be their reaction.  So how do you teach and alert young people to the perils of socialism?"

‘Clinton Cash’ Has Been Made Into a Movie

The Breitbart-funded broadside against Hillary Clinton will be screened in Cannes and have its U.S. premiere the week of the Democratic convention.

Bloomberg

. . . "A year ago, before Donald Trump dubbed her “Crooked Hillary” and Bernie Sanders was assailing her secretive speeches to Wall Street banks, Hillary Clinton looked like a powerful presidential front-runner. Then, in May, HarperCollins published an investigative book about the Clintons by the conservative author Peter Schweizer that caught them off guard and took a prominent place in the political conversation for months. Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich became a surprise bestseller.

"Today, Clinton has righted the ship and her candidacy looks stronger than ever. But while polls suggest Trump and Sanders will have a hard time stopping her, the team behind Clinton Cash—Schweizer and Stephen K. Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News—haven’t given up. " . . .

Branco Cartoon – Democrat Base

Will Obama Apologize for Truman’s Decision to Drop the Bomb in WWII?

NRO  "On April 10, John Kerry became the highest-ranking U.S. official ever to visit the site where the atomic bomb that ended World War Two was dropped. The talk is now that Barack Obama might do the same thing during his official visit to Japan next month. 

"Let’s hope this isn’t another example of Obama’s extended Apology Tour. Obama tried to visit Hiroshima in 2009 to plead forgiveness for ending a war that, had it dragged on, would have cost Japan many more lives than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs combined. But the Japanese government firmly nixed the idea, calling it a “non-starter.” Tokyo knew that this kind of masochistic stunt would only encourage anti-nuclear demonstrators and the lefties who oppose any military cooperation with the United States. 

"This time, we are told, an Obama visit will be approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. And instead of apologizing, Obama apparently plans to mention North Korea and China as looming problems in the region." . . .

What Fiorina Brings to Cruz’s Ticket

NRO . . . "How does she help Cruz, who is currently sputtering in second place and running out of chances to beat Donald Trump? She’s strong and polished on the stump, equally at home giving a big policy speech, answering questions at a town hall, or offering one-liners on a late-night talk show. She’s an outsider, in a year when political neophytes are all the rage. And most important of all, she has the best chance of any potential running mate to negate presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s political strengths. 

"“She tweets about women’s rights in this country and takes money from governments that deny women the most basic human rights,” Fiorina said at last year’s CPAC, referencing the Clinton Foundation’s unsavory donors. “I come from a world where speeches are not accomplishments. Activity isn’t accomplishment. Title isn’t accomplishment. I come from a world where you have to actually do something; you have to produce results.' ”

The Fiorina Pick  ". . . but then, it is obvious to everyone that the situation of Cruz (and by extension the entire Republican party and conservative movement in fending off a hostile takeover) is indeed desperate, in the sense that a few more losses in key states (Indiana, California) would hand the nomination to Donald Trump and thus the election to Hillary Clinton."

Worst. Hillary. Introduction. Ever.

Thomas Lifson  . . . "At a Hillary Clinton campaign rally Monday in Wilmington, Senator Carper managed to humiliate himself and Hillary by choosing to try to lead the crowd in a chant that only reminded everyone of the sleaze of Hillary’s acquisition of her considerable wealth.  And failing.

"It’s painful to watch if you have empathy for a flailing speaker losing a crowd.  But it is hilarious if you think, “She works hard for her money,” the Donna Summer hit, does not apply to woman who gets hundreds of thousands of dollars for showing up and talking for 45 minutes to a bunch of Wall Street fat cats."

Ouch.

For Obama, this is no summer of '08; "From brilliance to arrogance and now failure."

Silvio Canto, Jr.  . . . "They are not cheering today.  In Germany, thousands marched against free trade deals and carried posters that reminded us of the ones about Bush.  In Saudi Arabia, he was greeted by the governor of a state or province rather than a high-level delegation.  In London, he got into trouble every time he opened his mouth.

"In 2008, we heard about his brilliance.  Today, we read about his arrogance:

Obama’s election in 2008 inspired the world. But after eight years, it’s hard not to blame his abrasive style of politics for the rise of anti-politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Americans are rebelling against the emergence of an imperial presidency. As Barack Obama offers his hand to the Queen this week, and lectures the British on their place in the world, voters here might feel somewhat resentful, too.

"From brilliance to arrogance and now failure.   

"President Obama has failed to project U.S. power the way his predecessors did.  In 2008, thousands longed for a U.S. president who didn't project power but rather led with words that told them what they wanted to hear.

"The Europeans and most of our allies have seen the consequences of that soft style and can't wait for America to be America again – the superpower that protected them all of those years.  They will never say it, but they long for Bush or a leader of the free world again."

Lawmakers urge Census Bureau to ask more about sexual orientation, gender identity

We have become a silly nation indeed.

Washington Times

"The U.S. Census Bureau should be demanding more information about “gender identity,” leading liberal lawmakers said Wednesday, asking for more probing questions to get at the increasingly complex family dynamics in America.

“ 'Many federal data collection instruments gather respondents’ race, ethnicity, sex, marital status and other personal demographic information. However, most of these instruments do not include direct measures of respondents’ sexual orientation or gender identity,” Rep. Raul Grijalva and Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a letter they led, and which was co-signed by dozens of their Democratic colleagues." . . .

. . . "The lawmakers said they would then be able to craft laws better tailored to improve the situations of gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people." . . .

Obama’s Green Agenda Should Be Kept Out of National Security

Daily Signal

"Under these mandates, the Army and Navy have been required to install solar arrays at various facilities. At Naval Station Norfolk, the Navy spent $21 million to install a 10-acre solar array—which will supply a grand total of 2 percent of the base’s electricity."

Democrat president Obama's "executive orders require the Department of Defense (DOD) to incorporate a host of climate change bureaucracies into its acquisition programs, logistics planning, and military plans and operations. The military is also required to help state and local governments “go green.”

"These activities are simply not the mission of the U.S. military. They harm readiness rather than contribute to the lethality of our armed forces. The military’s mission is to train for and fight our nation’s wars, not assist state and local governments with their carbon emissions levels.

. . . 

"Regarding the Department of Defense’s energy policy—decisions by installation commanders and DOD personnel need to be driven by requirements for actual cost-effectiveness and readiness, not arbitrary and inflexible green energy quotas and CO2 benchmarks.

"There were at least 680 of such wasteful green energy projects as of 2013, most of which have not met the efficiencies or cost-effectiveness promised. Additionally, engineers and resources committed to green energy are diverting focus from deficiencies in our military’s critical infrastructure.

"Under these mandates, the Army and Navy have been required to install solar arrays at various facilities. At Naval Station Norfolk, the Navy spent $21 million to install a 10-acre solar array—which will supply a grand total of 2 percent of the base’s electricity. According to the inspector general’s office, this project will save enough money to pay for itself in just 447 years. Solar panels, however, only last about 25 years."

Hat tip to Lucianne