“Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
CLINTON COURTS MILLENNIALS: Now that Hillary Clinton has sidelined Bernie Sanders, she’s making a play for some of his most diehard supporters - millennials. The first of many Sanders staffers joined Clinton’s camp with the main objective of corralling and converting college students. More importantly, though, are the ongoing talks between both campaigns regarding how to best deploy Sanders as a Clinton surrogate later this year. Millennials rallied behind Sanders because they were inspired by his vision for change and political revolution. Clinton must determine where she too can foster change and promote those policies. For Clinton, targeting young voters is a critical element in unifying the part of the party’s base that turned out in record numbers to put Obama into the White House in ’08 and then again in ’12. Keep snapping those selfies, H.
TRUMP TURNAROUND PART FOUR?: One of Donald Trump’s first campaign hires, Corey Lewandowski, has departed amidst chaos in the Trump campaign following two particularly bad weeks. Firing your campaign manager five months out from Election Day is usually not the sign of a winning campaign. Trump needs to use this moment to change course and pivot away from the missteps and the resulting criticism his campaign has endured. He’ll likely pin the blame on Lewandowski and move on – hopefully for the Republican party - with a fresh approach. With his recent decline in national polls, and Hillary Clinton’s barrage of attack ads, change is a must – but whether it will actually occur is the real question. Trump now finds himself in an even bigger rut, lacking staff, organization and most importantly money - he has less cash-on-hand than Ted Cruz - and he dropped out of the race six weeks ago.
WARREN WARNINGS: Wall Street has a clear message for Clinton – don’t pick Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) as your veep if you want our money. Harsh, but true. Warren’s war on Wall Street has been one of the largest political battles any sector has withstood in recent years. She was the driving force behind the CFPB and wants to break up big banks - even the mere mention of her name draws groans from the pinstriped crowd. Clinton is flirting with the left in her courtship of Bernie Sanders’ supporters – which Wall Street can stomach – but if she goes at it with Warren, she can kiss those checks goodbye.
OFF THE TRACKS: It has been almost 50 days since Trump was declared the presumptive Republican nominee, but you wouldn’t think it by the way his campaign has responded. With Trump’s general election campaign yet to start, Republicans are beginning to confront their destiny. The anti-Trump camp has begun holding calls with delegates and donors exploring other options – but in reality, the other options are much worse as Republicans are risking a civil war if they contest the will of primary voters at the convention. Trump won the primary election fair and square - and if he gets pushed off of the ticket - where would his supporters go? Third party or stay home in disgust? Trump likes to point out that he pulled in a record number of votes for the Republican party during primary season - losing them would be a critical blow to their efforts this fall.
“REMAIN” INCHES AHEAD IN THE HOME STRETCH: With only a few days left before the “Brexit” referendum, a new series of polls indicate an increased likelihood of victory for “Remain,” reversing “Leave” momentum from last week and placating investors’ fears. Stocks and oil bounced upward while the pound saw it's largest single gain since 2008. Increasingly aggressive rhetoric from the “Remain” camp on the downside economic risks of leaving appears to have trumped immigration concerns and swayed undecided voters.
ELECTION PREVIEW WITH SCOTT REED: Join us today at 11:00 AM EDT as we speak with Scott Reed, one of Washington’s top political strategists, to discuss the efforts corporate America will be undertaking on behalf of pro-business candidates this fall – as well as the outlook for control of Congress, the Republican and Democratic Conventions and the state of the presidential race. You can find the dial-in information here.
NET NEUTRALITY RULING MAY ENCOURAGE ISP DIVERSIFICATION: Our Telecommunications-Media Policy Analyst Paul Glenchur shared his insight on tougher privacy rules coming for telecommunication and cable operators. You can read his piece here.
THE MODI “STRATEGIC MOMENT” – ARE WE THERE YET?: Our Geopolitical Analyst LtGen Dan Christman offered his insights on the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to DC last week. You can read his piece here.
HUNTED: THE F-35 PROGRAM AT FARNBOROUGH: Our Senior Defense Policy Advisor LtGen Emo Gardner hosted a call on the first ever appearance of the F-35 at the upcoming Farnborough International Airshow. You can listen to the replay here.
