The 2020 Presidential race

George F. Will, Washington Post columnist and NBC/MSNBC commentator, quit the Republican party in 2016 when it became clear Donald Trump would be the Presidential nominee. Will has harsh words for the "malignant buffoon" in the White House and the Congressional Republicans who have sacrificed their dignity and their principles and now serve as Trump's enablers. They all need to go, he declares.

One of America's most prominent conservative columnists wants Republicans to lose in 2020

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/polit...ump/index.html

King Donald the First is opposed to vote-by-mail. He claims all the illegals will vote. That is false. He claims there will be rampant voter fraud. That is false. He claims vote-by-mail will favor Democrats. That is false. Of course King Donald himself voted by mail – after he finally came up with a "place of residence" that Florida would accept.

Trump attempted to register to vote in Florida last year using the White House address
CNN, Jun 3 2020 3:36 PM ET

President Donald Trump last year attempted to register to vote in Florida while claiming that his "legal residence" was in Washington DC, The Washington Post reported today. Trump has demonized mail-in voting as rife with fraud and an attempt at swaying elections toward Democrats – claims that aren't based in fact – as governors seek to expand remote voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. Trump himself voted by mail in Florida's Presidential primary contest earlier this year, even though he bypassed several opportunities to vote in-person.

The President initially listed his legal residence as the White House on a Florida voter registration application filed in September 2019. On one of his forms, he told Florida officials his "legal residence" was in Washington, while writing on another that he was a "bona fide resident" of Palm Beach. However, Florida law requires its voters to be legal residents of the state. The form also warns that it's a third-degree felony to submit false information, with maximum penalties of $5,000 and/or five years in prison. Trump resubmitted his voter registration application a month later, listing the address of his Mar-a-Lago resort as his legal residence.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/polit...ion/index.html

European sportsbook Ladbrokes gives Florida Congresswoman Val Demings 5-1 odds to be Joe Biden's running mate. Elizabeth Warren is at 6-1 odds. Kamla Harris, even though she doesn't have much support among blacks, is the favorite, with odds of 5-4 – and her chances seem to be improving. Hurry up and decide, Joe!

Kamala Harris' prospects improve as Joe Biden searches for a running mate

https://www.latimes.com/politics/sto...n-running-mate

No United States President has ever been more deserving of being a one-term President than Donald Trump. One hundred fifty-one days till election day.

CNN Poll of Polls finds Biden leading Trump

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/polit...den/index.html

Analysis: The electoral map is tilting badly against Donald Trump right now

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/polit...ump-joe-biden/

"This is a difficult time in America’s history," said Biden, stating the obvious. "And Donald Trump's angry, divisive politics is no answer. The country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us. Leadership that can bring us together." One hundred fifty days till election day.

Joe Biden formally clinches Democratic nomination

https://www.aol.com/article/news/202...tion/24513671/

A new CNN poll of registered voters shows Joe Biden leading Trump by 14 points. Our nation's Tweeter-In-Chief responded: “CNN Polls are as Fake as their Reporting. Same numbers, and worse, against Crooked Hillary. The Dems would destroy America!" Yes, King Donald continues to call CNN "fake," continues to call Hillary "crooked" and continues to attack Democrats. Is anyone surprised? One hundred forty-eight days till election day.

GOP recruits army of poll watchers to fight voter fraud no one can prove exists
Voting rights advocates worry the effort will target and intimidate minority voters.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...o-can-n1217391

Granted, a lot can change in the next five months – but the future of the party of racists, bigots, xenophobes and wealthy white men (and a few whom I assume are "good people") is not looking very favorable right now.

Analysis: Here's a number that should terrify every Republican on the ballot this fall
CNN, Jun 8 2020 4:24 PM ET

With all the focus on a slew of new polls that show President Donald Trump falling further behind former Vice President Joe Biden, one number has largely slipped through the cracks and it is a blaring warning signal to Republicans on the ballot this fall: 51% of registered voters said they would prefer a Congress controlled by Democrats in 2021, while just 40% preferred a Republican-controlled Congress, according to a new Wall Street Journal-NBC poll released Sunday. That marks a change in Democrats' favor from January when the party had just a 6-point edge over the GOP.

When you combine this poll with national and swing state polling on the Presidential race, the clear concern coming out of the White House in regard to the state of the Senate and the massive financial edge for House Democrats over their GOP counterparts, you begin to see the making of a Democratic landslide – if the political environment remains roughly the same in November as it is today.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/polit...ans/index.html

King Donald the First is the supreme ruler of Trumpworld, the topsy-turvy land of delusions where bad is good, down is up, wrong is right and lies are truth. King Donald also worships himself – and his galaxy-sized ego will never allow him to believe there are Americans who don't love him as much as he loves himself. Any poll that says otherwise is fake. It just has to be.

Trump campaign demands CNN apologize for poll that shows Biden leading
CNN, Jun 10 2020 5:02 PM ET

President Donald Trump's campaign is demanding CNN retract and apologize for a recent poll that showed him well behind presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden. The demand, coming in the form of a cease and desist letter to CNN President Jeff Zucker that contained numerous incorrect and misleading claims, was immediately rejected by the network. "We stand by our poll," said Matt Dornic, a CNN spokesman.

The CNN poll conducted by SSRS and released on Monday shows Trump trailing the former Vice President by 14 points, 55%-41%, among registered voters. It also finds the President's approval rating at 38%, his worst mark since January 2019 and roughly on par with approval ratings for one-term Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush at this point in their reelection years, and his disapproval rating at 57%.

In the letter to Zucker signed by senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis and chief operating officer Michael Glassner, the Trump campaign argued that the CNN poll is "designed to mislead American voters through a biased questionnaire and skewed sampling. It's a stunt and a phony poll to cause voter suppression, stifle momentum and enthusiasm for the President and present a false view generally of the actual support across America for the President." The campaign formally requested that CNN retract the poll and publish a "full, fair, and conspicuous retraction, apology and clarification to correct its misleading conclusions." David Vigilante, CNN's executive vice president and general counsel, told the campaign that its "allegations and demands are rejected in their entirety."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/10/polit...oll/index.html

The Presidency of the United States is arguably the most important position in the world. It is also the only US political office that is not decided by popular vote. On five occasions, the 18th-century relic known as the Electoral College has disregarded the will of the people and awarded the office to a candidate who lost the popular vote. CNN today unveiled its 2020 Electoral College map. To win the Presidency, a candidate needs 270 electoral votes. Adding up the electoral votes from states that are supporting a particular candidate or leaning in his direction, CNN projects 205 electoral votes for Trump and 232 for Biden. Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have a combined 101 electoral votes and those six states will likely decide the election.

The road to 270: CNN's debut Electoral College map for 2020

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/polit...ion/index.html

A majority of the protesters in DC hate Donald Trump but many do not like Joe Biden either – so they won't bother voting. Lovely.

At DC protests, opposition to Trump doesn't always translate to support for Biden
Yahoo News, Jun 11 2020 6:53 PM

The protests that have erupted nationwide in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd have combined expressions of anger toward President Trump with calls for police reform and a push to address systemic racism. Yet, even as protesters gather on Trump's doorstep, many in the crowds are reluctant to embrace his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. The ambivalence about Biden, and the Trump campaign's attempts to capitalize on it, is part of a larger dynamic playing out in the Presidential race, where razor-thin margins in swing states could determine who wins the national election. In those states, it may not be enough for voters to dislike Trump; they have to be willing to go to the polls and vote for Biden, and some at the protests say they won't do so.

https://news.yahoo.com/at-washington...190821866.html

Many states award electors on a winner-take-all basis. A candidate who gets 51% of the popular vote gets 100% of the electors and the votes of the other 49% are completely ignored. How is that fair? Anyway, CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza explains how Biden has many more paths to 270 electoral votes than Trump does. One hundred forty-four days till election day.

Analysis: Why the electoral map is even better for Joe Biden than it looks

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/polit...ump/index.html

A majority of male voters favor Donald Trump – those good ol' white boys stick together! – but Joe Biden has the support of women, by a margin of 59% to 35%. I'm surprised any woman would support Trump. He bragged about being able to assault women because he's a "star." Thirteen women have charged him with sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Trump has referred to various women as "fat," "ugly," "disgusting," "extremely unattractive," "lowlife," "a dog," "a bimbo" and "Miss Piggy." He called Maxine Waters "an extraordinarily low IQ person." He said Megyn Kelly "had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." At a debate in October 2016, Trump uttered what is arguably the biggest lie he's ever told: "Nobody has more respect for women than I do." Wow.

Joe Biden is winning female voters by a historic margin

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/polit...sis/index.html

Amidst all the "Black Lives Matter" protests and demonstrations, King Donald the First is trying to paint himself as a "law and order" candidate. That tactic worked for Richard Nixon in 1968 but it is not working for Trump in 2020. The New York Times says Trump's combative, inflammatory, pro-police, anti-protester stance more closely resembles that of George Wallace, the segregationist and former governor of Alabama who ran as a third-party candidate in 1968. Wallace used federal troops and fire hoses to disperse protesters. Trump uses federal troops and tear gas. Other than that, there isn't much difference between the two men.

State polls show clear shift toward Democrats since protests began

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/14/polit...sts/index.html

I really hate the term "a person of color." Everybody has some color. I've never yet met anyone whose body was clear and transparent. Anyway, the Presidential election is only 137 days away. Hurry up and pick a running mate, Joe!

Amy Klobuchar pulls out of Vice President consideration, urges Joe Biden to pick 'a woman of color'

https://people.com/politics/amy-klob...consideration/

Six campaign workers at King Donald's Tulsa rally have tested positive for COVID-19 and are now in quarantine. King Donald, of course, refused to wear a face mask at the rally. Trump spews his lies, threats, insults, accusations and conspiracy theories on Twitter. He doesn't really need to hold rallies where he can do the same – except it's a big boost to his ego to be surrounded by blindly loyal supporters who love him as much as he loves himself.

Tom Petty's family issues a cease and desist order to Trump campaign
CNN, Jun 21 2020 1:26 PM ET

The family of the late Tom Petty has filed a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign after one of the musician's songs was played at the President's campaign rally in Tulsa. Petty's 1989 hit I Won't Back Down was played on Saturday evening at the rally, which drew a smaller-than-expected crowd of supporters. "Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind," the family said in a tweet Saturday. "Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/21/polit...rnd/index.html

In 2016, Presidential candidate Donald Trump declared that the polls are rigged, the debates are rigged, the debate questions are rigged, the nominating conventions are rigged, the primaries are rigged, the ballots are rigged and the election is rigged. After the Electoral College awarded him the Presidency (even though he lost the popular vote), he quit saying everything is rigged. In 2020, candidate Donald Trump is at it again.

Trump baselessly claims 2020 election is 'RIGGED' months before any votes are cast
HuffPost, Jun 22 2020 11:19 AM ET

President Donald Trump today baselessly claimed the general election in November will be "RIGGED" because of mail-in ballots, a method for voting that the President himself has used multiple times. "This will be the Election disaster of our time," Trump tweeted, citing an article from right-wing website Breitbart that featured comments Attorney General William Barr made Sunday during an interview with Fox News.

Barr told Fox News that voting by mail "opens the floodgates to fraud." He warned a foreign country could "print up tens of thousands of counterfeit ballots" and it would be hard to figure out which ballots were valid. Barr has not publicly provided any evidence to support his claim. And election administrators in multiple states have disputed this theory, stating it would be virtually impossible for a foreign country to peddle phony ballots undetected. Nonetheless, Trump declared the process compromised, months before any votes have been cast in the general election.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/202...cast/24532347/

In a series of tweets today, King Donald the First continued to spew his false claims that vote-by-mail will lead to massive fraud and an "undermining of election integrity." As usual, he provided no evidence to support his claims. The Biden campaign wants Facebook and Twitter to remove King Donald's posts but they won't do so. It seems lies, accusations, false claims and unfounded conspiracy theories do not violate their policies. Unfortunately, King Donald's blindly loyal followers believe everything he says – and almost everything he says is a lie.

Biden campaign asks Twitter, Facebook to remove Trump posts bashing mail-in voting

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN23U022

Donald Trump cozies up to Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman and other dictators. He insults and alienates our allies. He seeks election help and re-election help from Russia, Ukraine and China. He constantly attacks his own Justice Department, intelligence agencies, the FBI and the Supreme Court. He ignores the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Is it any wonder so many former security officials see Trump as a danger to our nation's democracy? One hundred thirty-three days till election day.

Dozens of Republican former US national security officials to back Biden
Reuters, Jun 22 2020 8:52 AM

Dozens of Republican former US national security officials are forming a group that will back Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, people familiar with the effort said, in a further sign that President Donald Trump has alienated some members of his own party. The group will publicly endorse Biden in the coming weeks and its members plan to campaign for the former Vice President who is challenging Trump in the November 3 election, the sources said. It includes at least two dozen officials who served under Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, with dozens more in talks to join. They will argue that another four years of a Trump presidency would endanger national security and that Republican voters should view Biden as the better choice despite policy differences.

The initiative is being led by John Bellinger III and Ken Wainstein, according to the people involved, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Both held senior posts under George W. Bush. Bellinger served as legal adviser to the National Security Council and State Department. Wainstein served as Bush's homeland security adviser and as chief of staff to former FBI Director Robert Mueller.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN23U2LY

A lot can change in the next four and a half months but right now the chance of Donald Trump getting 270 electoral votes is shrinking. FiveThirtyEight.com just updated its average of nationwide Presidential polls. Biden now leads Trump 51% to 41.7%. Biden is also leading in four of the states that Trump needs to win if he's to be re-elected. Biden leads by 4.4 points in Arizona, 5.4 points in Pennsylvania, 7.0 points in Wisconsin and 9.4 points in Michigan.

Analysis: The electoral map just keeps getting worse for Trump

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/polit...map/index.html

Among black voters, Biden leads Trump by double digits. Among Latino voters, Biden leads Trump by double digits. Among female voters, Biden leads Trump by double digits. Among independent voters, Biden leads Trump by double digits. Any questions?

Biden leads Trump by 14 points in New York Times/Siena College poll

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/24/polit...oll/index.html