Obama Don't Blame Me Cartoon

Finger-pointing: Obama unloads on Trump, GOP and conservative media

President Obama has a simple message when it comes Donald Trump: Don’t blame me.
But then he continues with a not-so-simple message that happens to fit with Democratic campaign themes.
The capital may be buzzing about the visit by Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, but at yesterday's White House news conference, the press quickly got to The Donald.
CBS reporter Margaret Brennan asked whether Obama and his administration were “contributing to the rise of someone as provocative as Donald Trump.”
The president seemed bemused, saying: "I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they’re selecting for their party is novel.”
Embedded in the question, it seems to me, is the implication that the Trump phenomenon is a bad thing and Obama might bear some responsibility—beyond the obvious fact that voters often choose a president who is far different from his predecessor. Commentators have spent all kinds of ink and airtime trying to “blame” the media, the culture, and the Republican Party itself for Trump’s dominance in the primaries so far.
In fact, Obama soon pivoted to faulting the GOP—which happens to be a prime Hillary talking point. And no, I am not shocked that he is trying to help his former secretary of State (who he pretty obviously favors over Bernie Sanders) in the race to succeed him.
Obama accused the Republican Party of “creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive. He’s just doing more of what has been done for the last 7-1/2 years.” Then he zeroed in on immigration: “It’s not as if there’s a massive difference between Mr. Trump’s position on immigration and Mr. Cruz’s position on immigration.  Mr. Trump might just be more provocative in terms of how he says it, but the actual positions aren’t that different.”
In other words, those Republicans, they’re all a little crazy. This, of course, ignores the fact that Cruz and Rubio are aggressively attacking Trump as unqualified for the presidency, and Trump is hitting them back even harder.
And hey,when Obama spoke of a GOP “crackup” and “circus,” some Republicans and conservative commentators have used similar language in ripping Trump’s impact on the party. It’s hardly amazing that a Democrat would pile on.
But Obama also wandered into familiar territory: blaming the conservative media.
He said he regrets the “polarization” and “nasty tone” of politics, and that he does “soul-searching” about how he can better unify the country.
But the president also said—“objectively”--that “the Republican political elites and many of the information outlets -- social media, news outlets, talk radio, television stations -- have been feeding the Republican base for the last seven years a notion that everything I do is to be opposed; that cooperation or compromise somehow is a betrayal; that maximalist, absolutist positions on issues are politically advantageous; that there is a ‘them’ out there and an ‘us,’ and ‘them’ are the folks who are causing whatever problems you’re experiencing.”
Well, some conservatives have worked hard to block Obama, and the Republican Congress hasn’t been very cooperative, with the Senate even ruling out action on a Supreme Court nominee before the president has picked anyone. But that is a two-way street, and Obama and the Democrats have also failed to find common ground.
But on the business about TV and radio and social media outlets: The president of the United States has the biggest megaphone of all. He can drown out any talk show host, blogger or tweeter. He often seems to use media criticism as a crutch to explain away his shortcomings and setbacks.
And now he has a new target in the Republican front-runner who wants his job.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz. 

Trump triumphs at GOP debate. Rivals and moderators can't lay a glove on front-runner

A chastened Republican field took the stage Thursday night in Miami, determined to focus on substance and policy without personal attacks or discussion of hand size.
It only benefitted the front-runner.
Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich did their best to underscore their policy acumen and to highlight Donald Trump’s lack of substance.
It backfired.
Neither his opponents on stage nor the debate moderators laid a glove on Trump.  When Trump repeatedly called Putin a “strong leader” without refusing to place a value judgment on his leadership, neither moderator Jake Tapper nor his opponents on stage pressed him.  When Tapper asked Trump about his violence-inciting rhetoric at rallies, none of Trump’s opponents called him out for refusing to disavow it.
There is no bigger indicator that Trump’s opponents on stage were simply going through the motions.  Trump spent the night running down the clock and the remaining candidates spent the night checking the boxes. For at least two of them, this was their last chance to distinguish themselves in advance of what will likely be the most crucial primary day of the cycle next Tuesday.
Rubio, in particular, seemed most chastened by his earlier decision to get in the gutter with Trump. Gone were the snide remarks about genitalia, orange makeup and pants wetting.  Instead, Rubio seemed to be playing for his political legacy by focusing on the issues.  He did not make a particularly solid argument for why he should win the Florida primary next Tuesday but he did make a strong case for salvaging what was left of his reputation as an adult.
This debate was the most substantive of the cycle, even if the substance was often wrong.  But what does it matter when facts are wrong, if everyone played to type?
Did Trump know that it is false to claim, as he did, that “GDP was zero, essentially, for the last two quarters” or is he so ignorant of the facts that he did not realize that GDP had risen during that time period?
Did Rubio know that it would be impossible to balance the federal budget if he were to provide the tax cuts he has promised and increase military spending by the amount he has pledged?
It seemed at times that the debate veered towards what passes for substance because Trump’s opponents had tried every other tool to bring him down and all that remained of the kitchen sink was civility and substance.
Barring all else, Cruz and Rubio took a tool out of the Kasich playbook and tried to kill Trump with kindness. They realized, belatedly, that Trump has dined on their negativity and has been strengthened by their attacks.  But at this late date, with the prospect of Florida and its 99 delegates looming large, their tactics looked more like a Hail Mary pass than a well-thought out plan to stop Trump from the nomination.

Ben Carson to endorse Trump

Ben Carson, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race just last week, will endorse front-runner Donald Trump on Friday.
Trump confirmed the endorsement during the Republican presidential debate Thursday night.
The retired neurosurgeon plans to hold a press conference at 9 a.m. ET Friday to announce his support, sources told Fox News.
The backing from the outsider ex-candidate, who captivated conservative voters with his unconventional campaign, could give Trump a boost as the candidates charge into critical primaries next Tuesday in Florida, Ohio and three other states.
It also serves as a potential counterweight as other ex-candidates weigh in against him. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina endorsed Ted Cruz earlier this week, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is meeting with Trump’s rivals, though it’s unclear whether he might endorse someone before Tuesday.
The Washington Post first reported on Carson’s expected endorsement. Sources told the Post that Carson agreed to the endorsement after a meeting with Trump at the billionaire's Mar-a-Lago luxury home in Palm Beach, Fla.
As Trump builds his delegate lead with a string of recent primary wins, the GOP candidates also faced off at a debate Thursday night in Miami.
Earlier on Thursday, Carson said he was "certainly leaning" toward endorsing Trump over Texas Sen. Cruz, during an interview with Fox News Radio's John Gibson.
"There are two Donald Trumps," Carson told Gibson. "There's the Donald Trump that you see on television and who gets out in front of big audiences, and there's the Donald Trump behind the scenes. They're not the same person."
He said the other Donald Trump is “actually a thinking individual” and “someone you can reason with very easily.”

Rubio shifts tactics; Trump sticks to themes, seeks unity at subdued GOP debate

Marco Rubio, needing a breakout performance going into Tuesday's Florida primary, changed tactics and used substance during Thursday night's GOP debate to attack Donald Trump on several fronts – while Trump, subdued and trying to look more presidential, held steady to the campaign-tested themes that have made him the front-runner.
At the end of the two-hour debate, Trump — coming off a string of primary wins — summed up the reality that Rubio and rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich face: that only “two of us” can get the delegates to win – meaning Trump and Cruz — and “two of us” cannot, referring to Rubio and Kasich.
“That is not meant to be a criticism … that’s just a mathematical fact,” Trump said, urging the party to “be smart and unify.”
The reminder amounted to just about the toughest criticism of the night, at a debate where personal attacks were replaced by more substantive policy discussion.
But Rubio, in particular, who drastically changed his campaign approach in recent weeks to turn up the heat on Trump and even mock his physical appearance, dialed all that back onstage Thursday – after having said he regrets some of those personal insults.
Instead, he hit Trump on his defense of his “Islam hates us" remarks, Trump's suggestion he'd do a deal with the Palestinians and his vow that he wouldn't touch Social Security — despite warnings it would start running out of money in two decades.
Trump's rivals, though, did not criticize him after he was asked about whether his tone is encouraging violence at his rallies, a reference to a recent incident where a protester was punched.
“I hope not, I truly hope not," Trump said, saying he does not "condone" violence but also that some protesters are "bad dudes." 
One of the most pointed debate clashes came over the diplomatic thaw with Cuba — a huge issue in Florida, host of the CNN debate and next week’s critical primary. Trump tangled with his rivals as he claimed he’s “in the middle” on the issue.
Trump said “something” should take place after a decades-long freeze, but, “I want to get a much better deal.”
“Here’s a good deal,” Florida Sen. Rubio snapped back. “Cuba has free elections. Cuba stops putting people in jail.”
Whether Rubio’s performance is enough is the big question. Pressure was already mounting on him to drop out, and Texas Sen. Cruz added to that pressure Thursday night.
“There are only two of us who have a path to winning the nomination -- Donald and myself,” Cruz said, while also jokingly referring to Trump as the “son of a businessman.”
Rubio entered the debate clinging to life in the GOP primary race after a string of losses. He depends on winning his home state of Florida on Tuesday – but polls show Trump well ahead there, and even if Rubio wins Florida, it’s still unclear whether he would have any path to the nomination.
But he – along with his rivals – did their best Thursday to draw distinctions between them and Trump.
Oftentimes, Trump seemed to lean on his “art of the deal” to explain his approach to global challenges. But it earned him criticism from the others on stage.
Cruz hammered Trump for suggesting he’d be able to re-negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.
“I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal,” Cruz countered.
Trump also took heat from Rubio and others as he defended his claim that “Islam hates us.”
The Republican front-runner said there’s “tremendous hatred” in the Muslim world and called for new laws to confront the threat.
“We better expand our laws or we’re being a bunch of suckers, and they are laughing at us,” Trump said.
But Rubio and Cruz both said “of course” they would not want to allow the targeting of family members of terror targets, as Trump has called for. And they chided him for his remarks.
“The answer is not scream all Muslims bad,” Cruz said.
“The problem is presidents can’t just say whatever they want,” Rubio said. “I’m not interested in being politically correct. … I’m interested in being correct.”
Trump’s rivals noted America must work with other Muslim nations to confront the ISIS threat.
Trump also took heat for saying he’d try to do a deal with the Palestinians, as well as the Israelis.
For the most part, Trump and his three Republican presidential rivals held their personal fire Thursday night during their last debate before next Tuesday's primary in Florida – which votes alongside four other states.
Trump even remarked on the subdued tone: “So far I cannot believe how civil it’s been up here.”
"I think it was good that we had a substantive debate," Cruz told Fox News' Megyn Kelly late Wednesday. "The last two debates were pretty ridiculous [and] I was glad to see that nonsense ending."
Ohio Gov. Kasich also stressed at the debate that he’s run an “unwavering positive campaign” all along.
But on the domestic front, they did battle on the best way to save Social Security -- with Trump breaking from his competition by saying he'd leave it alone despite warnings it would start running out of money in two decades.
“I will do everything in my power not to touch Social Security,” Trump said. He said he’d instead get rid of waste, fraud and abuse — including by ensuring the government bids out contracts.
Rubio, though, said, “You’re still going to have hundreds of billions of dollars of deficit that you’re going to have to make up.” He called for gradually raising the retirement age to 70.
Cruz echoed that call, saying the program is “careening toward insolvency.”
“We need to see political courage to take this on and save and strengthen Social Security,” he said.
Kasich also called for changes, though not necessarily to the retirement age.
Trump, meanwhile, openly discussed his plan to hit pause on green cards.
“I would say a minimum of one year, maybe two years,” Trump said.
As Trump consolidates support and builds his delegate lead, though, he kicked off the debate with a pointed message to the so-called “Republican establishment,” effectively telling them to get on board with his campaign.
He started his opening statement by claiming his campaign is bringing in Democrats, independents and others in huge numbers to the polls.
“The Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace what’s happening,” he said, addressing tension between his campaign and senior GOP leaders. “We are going to beat the Democrats.”
The candidates faced off ahead of next week’s critical primaries in five states – including the valuable contests in Ohio and Florida, where the winner of each will take home all delegates at stake. Front-runner Trump is riding high after notching three more victories this past Tuesday, and is threatening to sideline his remaining rivals next week.
Pressure is highest on Rubio and Kasich, who each have vowed to win their home states; doing so widely is seen as essential for them to stay in the race. Meanwhile, Cruz is positioning himself as the best Trump alternative and the only candidate who could still defeat him.
He was buoyed Wednesday by the endorsement of former candidate Carly Fiorina.
Trump, though, is set to receive a significant endorsement of his own from an ex-candidate, Ben Carson – who, according to sources, plans to announce his support for Trump on Friday.