CBS:
The “Conditional” Supporters (22 percent of the nation)
Americans who say “I support Trump, but he has to deliver”
They “don’t agree with everything” so far but are “at least glad he’s shaking things up.”
Much more economically-focused and transactional, these voters will remove their support if he doesn’t “fix the economy” for them. They’re also concerned about safety, but aren’t as all-in with everything Mr. Trump does, especially in terms of style. A quarter don’t like the tweets.
They don’t think he’s correct on all the facts, but rather that “facts are debatable” and he’s trying to make a point, or misspeaks. They like the ban but are more likely than the strongest backers to think he “went too far” with it. The do NOT think a religious test would be constitutional, and would prefer Mr. Trump work through the courts. They’re a little more leery about Russia. One-third admit he’s off to “a rough start” but remain optimistic.
They have plenty in common with the strongest supporters though, including no desire to reach out to opponents.
We know they don’t want to reach out, but here is a guide on how to try and approach them.
health Insurance dot org:
50 ways to lose your coverage
As the saying goes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Here's a helpful list of what you'd lose if the GOP repeals Obamacare
Dan Diamond from Feb 2012:
Will you be my health policy valentine?
How an HHS staffer's tweet went viral
You don't need Twitter to love Valentine's Day—but it certainly helps to send #HealthPolicyValentines to that special wonk in your life.
The clever (if nerdy) hashtag quickly jumped from social media on Thursday night to the mainstream press by Friday.
And playing the role of Cupid was HHS staffer Emma Sandoe, who was struck by love—for a clever idea—on her commute home.
Andrew Sullivan/New York goes there:
The Madness of King Donald
I think this is a fundamental reason why so many of us have been so unsettled, anxious, and near panic these past few months. It is not so much this president’s agenda. That always changes from administration to administration. It is that when the linchpin of an entire country is literally delusional, clinically deceptive, and responds to any attempt to correct the record with rage and vengeance, everyone is always on edge.
Economist:
In defence of comedy
A Trump presidency must also be a laughing matter
Shows like “SNL” and Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” were criticised during the campaign for going too easy on the candidate. “SNL” had him host and take part in silly sketches; Mr Fallon affectionately ruffled his comb over. This briefly made him seem acceptable—even likable—rather than dangerous.
That was unfortunate. Comedy can be an important medium for political resistance. It is no coincidence that satire is heavily suppressed in Russia, North Korea and China. “The only worse thing for a dictator than being criticised is being laughed at,” a Russian journalist told Samantha Bee. In fact, there has been plenty of laughter at Mr Trump’s expense—like John Oliver’s campaign to “Make Donald Drumpf Again”, the most-viewed segment on his show. The name “Trump”, Mr Oliver pointed out, was changed by a “prescient ancestor” from “Drumpf”: “And ‘Drumpf’ is much less magical. It’s the sound produced when a morbidly obese pigeon flies into the window of a foreclosed Old Navy.
Vox:
A top Putin critic on how to oppose Trump: “making him look like a loser is crucial”
A conversation with chess champion Garry Kasparov.
Garry Kasparov knows what it is to oppose an authoritarian ruler. The longtime world chess champion was arrested twice in his native Russia for opposing Vladimir Putin. Since 2013, he has lived with family in self-imposed exile in New York City, and is now the chair of the Human Rights Foundation. Winter Is Coming, Kasparov’s prescient book detailing Putinism’s rise and transnational menace, came out in paperback recently. Deep Thinking, his new book on chess and artificial intelligence, comes out May 2.
A Ronald Reagan and John McCain supporter, Kasparov is a critic of Trumpism. In this interview, Kasparov and I discussed Putin, Trump, the Steele dossier, and what chess can teach you about politics.
This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Matthew A. Miller/Politico:
Donald the Weak
Trump may aspire to be a strongman, but he's proving to be an exceptionally ineffectual president
Meanwhile, Trump’s chaotic management has led the courts to dramatically curb his power only three weeks into his administration. The decision by a Ninth Circuit panel to uphold the temporary restraining order blocking his immigration ban was notable for its criticism of the administration’s shifting execution of the order, including an after-the-fact attempt by White House Counsel Donald McGahn to change its meaning.
But it was the panel’s language about the courts’ ability to review President Trump’s immigration actions that may have the most lasting effect. Responding to Justice Department claims that the courts could not even review the president’s immigration order, the judges wrote, “there is no precedent to support this claimed unreview ability, which runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”
Josh Kraushaar/NJ:
Is Trump All Bark and No Bite?
His incompetence and weak staff suggest that he could wind up a historically weak president, not the autocrat that his critics fear.
NPR:
Trump Travel Ban Spotlights U.S. Dependence On Foreign-Born Doctors
Patients in Alexandria, La., were the friendliest people Dr. Muhammad Tauseef ever worked with. They'd drive long distances to see him, and often bring gifts.
"It's a small town, so they will sometimes bring you chickens, bring you eggs, bring you homemade cakes," he says.
One woman even brought him a puppy.
"That was really nice," he says.
Quartz:
New analysis proves Trump’s tweets attacking companies are mostly just distractions
Prattle’s theory is “after a tweet, traders (or bots) make snap judgments on opposite trading ideas, causing high volume with low volatility and no real change in the close price.”
You can see that pattern here, in the charts. Tweeting at Nordstrom and Toyota causes a momentary spike in trading volume. The Fiat-Chrysler tweet is essentially a blip indistinct from all the other blips.
Paper tiger. Just as incompetent in disrupting the stock market as he is in signing E.O.s that he hasn’t read. But still dangerous.