Important headlines for October 23rd:
Bottom Line: These are the stories you don't want to miss (but probably would if I didn't find them for you)...
Russia-Obsessed Media Goes Silent Over Fusion GPS Mollie Hemingway, Federalist
Excerpt: Journalists can't push a Russia collusion narrative for a year then go silent because it turns out Russians paid a shady opposition research firm that happens to employ a bunch of their close friends.
One sad correction first...Yes "journalists" can push the narrative of Trump/Russia collusion only to ditch it when evidence shows that the Obama/Clinton teams were the dirtiest on the topic. You just have to lack a moral compass, care more about leftists' political outcomes than the truth and pretend it isn't there...Once again the most pervasive form of bias is omitting.
Trump Is Far More Like Reagan Than GOP Leadership Henry Olsen, NBC News
Excerpt: Trump’s active leadership style and his combination of populism with market economics is far closer to Reagan’s words and deeds than anything House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky offer.
First, I'll credit NBC for running with a story that's not a hit piece on the President. Secondly, during the primary season in 2016, I was asked to do a political comparison based on analytical modeling of various candidates. I used post-WWII Presidents as potential comparisons for each of the candidates. At a time in which Trump was commonly being compared to Reagan, I found that wasn't really the case. Here were a couple of the notable comparisons when evaluating espoused policy positions and governing approach:
- Marco Rubio: JFK
- Ted Cruz: Reagan
- Donald Trump: Bill Clinton
While I agreed then and do today that Trump's approach to talk past the media to connect directly with Americans is similar - there are many more comparisons that are more favorable to Bill Clinton. Reagan's approach was principled and consistent. Trump's is populist and pragmatic. An easy example of this was/is healthcare. All versions of healthcare reform crafted in the House and Senate were supported by him. Three of the four were vastly different from one another. Simply put Trump isn't ideological on policy according to traditional political orthodoxy.
- Healthcare: Left of Reagan
- Taxes: Left of Reagan
- Trade: Left of Reagan
- Courts: Consistent with Reagan
- Immigration/border: Right of Reagan
If you blinked, went back 20 years and were told that President Trump's approach on trade, taxes and healthcare were Clinton's you likely wouldn't blink. That's the irony of the media's effort to undo him. He has far more in common policy-wise with a moderate Democrat than a conservative Republican. It's just that he's Donald Trump the Republican and there seemingly isn't room for moderate Democrats anymore so the policy divide feels far more distant than it would have twenty years ago. Kennedy's policy positions are to the right on Donald Trump generally (for an illustration of how far left policy has moved).
Both Parties Are in Crisis - and It's Getting Worse David Von Drehle, Washington Post
Until tomorrow...