“Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.”
- Herbert Hoover
TRUMP TURMOIL: Donald Trump is losing support within Republican party - and his campaign - at a time when unity and consolidation should be a foregone conclusion. His refusal to back Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain is the latest salvo with no end in sight. Republicans are refusing to campaign with Trump and are denouncing him or even withdrawing their endorsements – with NY Congressman Richard Hanna being the first to announce that he’s throwing his weight behind Hillary Clinton. To make matters worse, turmoil is the norm at Trump Towers these days with fresh news that senior campaign officials are either being fired or are beyond frustration with their candidate. Not a good time to reshuffle the decks with 96 days to go.
CONTINUING THE KAHN CONTROVERSY: We’re now entering day five of the Khan saga after Trump (and his son) let fly a series of comments about the Gold Star family of a fallen U.S. soldier whose father spoke out against him at the DNC. The rift is starting to take a toll on the Republican party just as they were feeling better about their chances to keep the Senate this fall. The sooner Trump moves off this issue (neither the Khan family nor the media should sit by the phone waiting for an apology), the sooner he and the party can address the elephant in the room - Republican unity.
CLINTON CASHES IN: Clinton has raised nearly $90 million in July compared to Trump’s $30 million, setting her up for a massive grassroots, voter registration and media movement in the usually quiet month of August. Coming off a successful convention with a sizeable bounce and sitting on top of her cash reserves, Clinton and Co. will be making critical investments this month in swing states as both campaigns buckle down (or should be buckling down) in preparation for the fall slog.
TIME RUNNING OUT FOR TRUMP: Letting Trump be Trump worked for the Trump campaign in the Republican primaries and it even helped him make it through the convention with a decent bounce. Through each and every controversy his supporters have stood by him with abandon - but in reality, he will not win over Independents and undecideds growing his base and appealing to those outside the party without making some character changes. If he wants to win the general election, picking up these two voter groups has to be the top - if not only - priority. There’s no time left for Trump’s tirades and twitter tantrums.
BEFORE IT WAS A REFORM EFFORT, THE ACA WAS A JOBS PROGRAM: Our Healthcare Policy Analyst Emily Evans shared her insight on the ACA’s two phased implementation; increased coverage and utilization and payment reform. You can read her piece here.
CLINTON v. TRUMP: WHAT DO THE FORECASTERS SAY: With the presidential election heating up, our Demography Sector Head Neil Howe shared his opinion on current predictions. You can read his piece here.