via newseum
If Trump is clever he can put the rest of the GOP field in a tough spot on trade and immigration. He's probably not clever though.
— @jbarro
But Trump is like Marine Le Pen in a lot of ways and she's polling at, what, 30? There's a market for this nationalist-populist nonsense.
— @jbarro
Elspeth Reeve:
Do you feel a little embarrassed when you watch Donald Trump? A little ashamed? I do. And I think that’s why so many critics, mostly haters and losers, argue that Donald Trump should be ignored, that he is a fake presidential candidate who cares about nothing but his own vanity, that there are fringe candidates with better credentials who can add more to our political discourse. That’s probably all true, but Trump still deserves to be showered with the attention he craves. Because Donald Trump is an artist. And his masterpiece is the way he brilliantly skewers the American political system and exposes just how easy it is to make your way through a presidential campaign on bullshit alone.
Darrell M. West:
Trump and his staff clearly are not afraid to confront critics or commentators. That actually is one of the things people like about billionaire politicians. They speak their minds, are strong leaders, and tell voters they are too rich to be bought. For citizens used to duplicitous or corrupt politicians, those are strong selling points. Voters like “white knights” who can rescue them from deal-making politicians and mediocre candidates.
The tycoon promises to make the U.S. brand great again and tells reporters that he is “the most successful person ever to run” for president. In his opening speech, he said he would be the “jobs president” and that he would negotiate hard with China. For those upset with certain issues, he made disparaging comments about Mexicans and said climate change is “a hoax.” For people who want a strong American foreign policy, he proclaims that he will confront enemies and not get pushed around in the process.
More politics and policy below the fold.
And then there's the fun stuff, this one from
Amber Phillips.
So without further ado, here's all that Twitter thinks is awesome/awesomely bad about Trump's announcement that he's running for president:
This one from
Philip Bump:
Donald Trump’s spectacular, unending, utterly baffling, often-wrong campaign launch
This one from
Chris Moody:
For a man who will most likely lose next year's presidential race, Donald Trump sure thinks a lot of other people are losers.
Trump announced the launch of his official campaign Tuesday, kicking off what is sure to be an entertaining ride full of drama and plenty of insults.
Here are just a few people "The Donald" thinks are morons, idiots, losers and -- perhaps his favorite take-down -- dummies.
Bet a lot of you will agree with at least some of the list. But then again, there's what people think of Trump.
Jon Ward:
Protesters and tough questions confront Jeb Bush on day 2 of his campaign
Star-Ledger, Chris Christie's hometown paper:
The idea that all America really needs is a Jersey guy who tells it like it is — or, some might say, a chest pounder — could very well put us on the brink of nuclear war.
Last time we used that kind of tough talk, we found ourselves in a never-ending bloodbath in Iraq that backfired terribly. It killed more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians and nearly 4,500 American troops, wounded another 32,000, and left the country badly weakened and vulnerable to the claws of the Islamic State.
Former President George W. Bush now says he regrets that.
Yes, I do enjoy kicking Christie when he's down. He deserves it.
Huffington Post:
In a landmark showing, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to outlaw the practice of torture and solidify a noncoercive method of intelligence interrogation, indicating a firm departure from the years of the Bush-era torture program -- a period that many have characterized as one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history.
The road to that symbolic vote, though, was not an easy one, despite still-simmering outrage after the December release of a gruesome Senate summary report on the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program. Even in the days leading up to the vote, anti-torture advocates both on and off the Hill remained concerned that the CIA’s defenders would rally to tank the measure.
On the Democratic side, Bernie had a good polling day, at least in New Hampshire. From
CNN:
Bernie Sanders' popularity is rising among Democrats in New Hampshire, a new poll has found, making him more of a threat to Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations in the early-primary state.
A Suffolk University poll shows that Sanders has the support of 31% of likely Democratic primary voters, only 10 percentage points away from Clinton's 41%.
It's the latest evidence that, beyond just a curiosity, liberals are finding a home with Sanders, a senator from neighboring Vermont, and self-identified socialist who's drawn big crowds at events in Iowa and New Hampshire in recent weeks.
Brendan Nyhan summarizes why i don't get too concerned about the passions people have about their primary preferences:
In reality, winning a nomination fight elevates the stature of the victor, who quickly brings partisans into the fold (especially during conventions), offsetting any damage to party loyalty or unity that the primary might seem to have incurred. By the time of the general election, the state of the economy plays a dominant role in determining who wins and loses, not whether one party’s candidates were mean to one another at a time when relatively few people were paying attention.
ICYMI, Phil Mattingly had a tweet storm about TPP/TPA/TAA that explains things pretty well.
I storified it for easy reading.
CNN:
Climate change -- long the subject of a divisive political debate -- is getting a boost of fresh attention heading into the 2016 presidential campaign thanks to an unlikely public figure: the Pope.
The Vatican is set to release Pope Francis' highly anticipated encyclical -- an official document delivering teachings from the Pope -- on the environment and climate change this week. Marking the second such document from the Pope since he assumed the papacy in March 2013, the encyclical is expected to cast the battle against global warming as a moral obligation.
With his famously warm and humble gestures and a vision for a more inclusive Catholic Church, Pope Francis has publicly addressed other sensitive political topics like same-sex marriage, abortion and economic inequality. Environmental advocates are eager to see the head of the Catholic Church lend his enormous stature and influence to their cause.