* Wasn’t there a time when Republicans thought of themselves as the party of family values?
* Imagine, there’s a Bush still impacting the presidential race in its last three weeks–and it’s Billy Bush, Jeb’s cousin.
* When the presidential-campaign focus is not on something salacious and scandalous, the issue of future Supreme Court appointees is readily raised. Well it should. From Roe vs. Wade to Citizens United, a lot is at stake.
And here’s a prime example from back in the SCOTUS day. In 1935, the Supreme Court upheld the “whites only” Democratic primary in Texas. Nine years later, with an infusion of new justices, the court reversed that decision. In short, Supreme Court appointees matter big time. No exception this time on an 8-member Court.
* Yes, it’s a Kellyanne Conway cheap shot, but it’s spot-on funny–and it wasn’t delivered by a Clinton campaign staffer: “She looks like the last 10 minutes of prom.”
* It’s the longest of long shots, but if Mike Pence were to withdraw from his VP slot, here’s hoping it would open the way for a Trump-Scott or Trump-Bondi ticket. They all deserve each other–as well as future political oblivion. And Florida would be rid of one of them right away.
* How can it be that someone as politically pragmatic and savvy as Bill Clinton can still be a liability to Hillary Clinton on the stump? His recent “crazy system” comment regarding the Affordable Care Act was manna for Conway & Co. And recall he was a problematic presence for Hillary Clinton in 2008 against Barack Obama.
* Most Florida Republican leaders have expressed “outrage” over Donald Trump’s ongoing character revelations–that now include the prurient and predatory. But few are withdrawing support. That, to be sure, is outrageous.
* At the national level, contextually-principled House Speaker Paul Ryan has, in effect, declared: “Enough is enough. I can no longer defend the candidacy of Donald Trump. I will not campaign for him. But, no, I’m not withdrawing my endorsement. Get real.”
* A perverse benefit of being in traffic gridlock on I-275 North the other day was a panoramic view of both sides of the interstate. And there they were: two gigantic, complementary billboards promoting something called “Scream-A-Geddon, a horror theme park in Dade City. The actual wording: “Scream-A-Geddon: Scarier Than…” One depicted Donald Trump, the other, Hillary Clinton.
Two points. First, not funny, even for billboard humor. Second, it’s really unconscionable, whatever the context, whatever the party affiliation, to equate Trump and Clinton.