THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016
Today’s Good News And Bad News
From Our Local Political Junkie We’ll Call “Cincy Dave”

GOOD NEWS FOR HILLARY
Meg Whitman, the eBay and HP billionaire CEO who wasted a couple of hundred million dollars of her own money running for Governor of California as a Republican, is endorsing Hillary. How much she will donate to Hillary’s campaign is unknown, but she is good at raising money, although usually for Republican causes.  Whitman was once talked about as possibly becoming the first female president herself. Maybe she is trying for a cabinet position, such as Secretary of Commerce, as a stepping stone for her own future run for president. Whitman is a little bit like fellow Californian and former candidate Carly Fiorina, except that she is way more successful in business and has a better “face,” as Trump would observe. Interestingly, she started her business career in li’l ol’ Cincinnati, working for P&G.

TRUMP GOT FIVE DRAFT DEFERMENTS, HE NEVER SERVED A DAY, BUT HE STILL RECEIVED A PURPLE HEART
At a rally on Tuesday, one veteran gave his Purple Heart medal to The Donald as a gift, telling him, “I have such confidence in you.” Trump told the crowd: “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.”  Some voters already upset about Trump’s attacks on the Khan family found his remarks to be flippant and disrespectful. Already, Hillary and Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) have called him out on it, with Duckworth tweeting a picture of herself wearing her Purple Heart in the hospital after she lost both of her legs in a helicopter crash, and observing, “This is how one usually looks when you are awarded the Purple Heart. Nothing easy about it.” Hillary’s Muslim Stooge Khizr Khan also weighed in, insisting that Trump return the medal immediately.

Later, at the same rally, Trump stepped in it a second time. An infant began to cry, and he said, “I love babies. I hear that baby cry, I like it.” But then, moments later, he changed his mind and declared, “Actually I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here. I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I’m speaking.” So, there’s another sacred cow slaughtered. In one week alone, Trump has gone after veterans, dead veterans’ families, firefighters, and now children. Who’s next – Jesus?  Could be –  He’s already attacked The Pope, and Jesus is the next one up the ladder.

NUKE ‘EM, DONNO
Trump repeatedly asked an unnamed foreign policy expert why the U.S. couldn’t use its nuclear weapons stockpile during a national security briefing earlier this year, MSNBC“Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough said Wednesday.Scarborough told the anecdote amid an interview with former CIA director Michael Hayden, who said he could not see himself voting for the “inconsistent” and “dangerous” GOP nominee. Asked if he was aware of anyone among his peers who was advising Trump, Hayden said “no one.”

“I’ll have to be very careful here,” Scarborough said. “Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on international level went to advise Donald Trump, and three times he asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked, at one point, if we have them, why can’t we use them? That’s one of the reasons he just doesn’t have foreign policy experts around him.”

BONE-HEADED ERROR
 Defending Trump in his war of words with the Khan family, Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson went on CNN and told Wolf Blitzer that Captain Kahn died because Obama and Hillary Clinton changed the rules of engagement, resulting in his death. The biggest problem with her statement was that Captain Kahn was killed in 2004, when Obama was still a state Senator in Illinois and Hillary Clinton was a U.S. Senator without any authority over the military.   If Trump hires only “the best,” you have to wonder what they are the best at. “Clinton News Network” talking head Blitzer didn’t even challenge her assertion. They probably should be called the “Clueless News Network,” at least when Little Wolfie is on.

WILL TRUMP DROP OUT?
With things spiraling down for him this week, Trump has started making excuses for himself, saying things like “the election is going to be rigged,” and now he’s complaining that the party won’t support him. Most people think that he is merely preparing for a loss, but there is also another possibility   – is he actually making excuses to drop out sometime in the next month or two? It is a possibility for a couple of reasons.  First, Trump really, really hates to lose, and that way he can say he didn’t lose but withdrew because it was a rigged system and therefore blame it on both parties.   Also, if he drops out soon enough he could avoid the debates with Hillary and keep from making a complete fool of himself on national TV.  

Several people have called for him to drop out, including the president, and, as unpredictable as Trump is, it isn’t out of the question.  In fact, RNC officials are making plans for just such a possibility.  For those interested, there are already betting markets on whether or not he will drop out.   Right now, betting odds are between 12/1 and 14/1 on Trump quitting, which is surprisingly high for a major party candidate. Some far-out conspiracy theorists even suggest that he will drop out at the last possible minute because he has been a Hillary plant all along. We might be cynical but not to that level. Besides, Hillary and Bill aren’t that good. They can’t even keep a lid on their own scandals, much less manage a huge conspiracy that threatens to decimate the entire Republican Party.

MORE MEANINGLESS POLLS
Today’s polls  are from PA and NC. For now, Pennsylvania seems safe for Hillary and she will contest North Carolina. These are among the dozen or so states worth watching. As for the others, neither candidate will waste any time or money on them, except for an occasional fund-raising trip.

More Good News And Bad News Tomorrow