Presumptuous Politics

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Trump easily wins Washington primary, moves closer to securing GOP nomination

Dr. Carson on why it's time for GOP to unify behind Trump

Facing no active opposition, Donald Trump easily won the Republican presidential primary in Washington state Tuesday, inching him closer to the magic number of 1,237 delegates necessary to wrap up the GOP nomination.
With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Trump had garnered 76 percent of the vote. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich each earned 10 percent of the vote, while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson earned 4 percent of the vote. In all, approximately 115,000 votes out of 482,000 were cast for former Trump rivals.
Trump's convincing victory came days after Washington state's GOP convention awarded 40 of its 41 elected delegate slots to Cruz supporters. However, under party rules, each delegate is bound to the primary results for the first round of voting at the national convention.
Republicans in Washington were to allocate all 44 delegates to this summer's national convention in Cleveland based on the primary results. Trump had secured at least 27 delegates as of late Tuesday, leaving him 41 short of the number needed to clinch the nomination.
Trump is expected to easily secure the nomination on June 7, when GOP contests are held in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota, with a total of 303 delegates at stake.
Washington has both a presidential primary and a caucus system. But Democrats will ignore the results of Tuesday's primary, which frontrunner Hillary Clinton was projected to win, having chosen to use the party caucus system to allocate their national convention delegates.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders handily won the Washington Democratic caucuses in March, receiving 74 delegates to the national convention in Philadelphia to Clinton's 27.
Cornell Clayton, director of the Foley Institute for Public Policy at Washington State University, said even though the Democratic primary is nothing more than a poll, there's still value for the campaign that prevails.
"They're going to tout this as the will of the people," he said.
Clinton is just 78 delegates short of clinching the Democratic nomination for president. She is on track to do so in early June, even if she loses all the remaining contests.
When superdelegates are included, Clinton has 2,305 delegates and Sanders has 1,539. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.
About 1.3 million voters had already sent in their ballots prior to Tuesday's election. Election officials said that as of Tuesday evening, 31 percent of voters have returned their ballot. There are more than 4 million registered voters in Washington state, who can either vote by mail or by dropping their ballot at an election drop box.
The record number of presidential primary ballots counted in Washington was nearly 1.4 million in 2008, according to the secretary of state's office. The record percentage return was 42.6 in 2000. Both of those elections were held in February. Under state law, the presidential primary is held on the fourth Tuesday of May, unless the parties agree to change it, which they did in both of those years.
Last year, Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman pushed to have this year's primary moved to March, but the move, opposed by Democrats, failed to get the two-thirds vote required by the Presidential Primary Date Selection Committee.
The inevitability of the Republican race doesn't sit well with some voters who say they are not ready to support Trump.
Daniel Emborg said Tuesday he voted for Cruz. Emborg, who was depositing his ballot at a drop box in Everett, said if Trump is the GOP nominee, he will vote for a third-party candidate.
However, Tom Lasswell said he voted for Trump because "you need to instigate change."
"I like Ted Cruz, but I believe Donald Trump can pull this together, and I'm willing to give him a chance," he said.

Protests turn violent outside Trump New Mexico event

Little Mexicans burning the American Flag, because they want to be U.S. Citizens.

Man without a Job.

This makes me want to vote for Trump even more.

Police in riot gear and mounted patrol units faced off against a violent crowd of protesters outside a Donald Trump campaign event in Albuquerque Tuesday night.
Hours after Trump and some 4,000 of his supporters left the Albuquerque Convention Center, approximately 100 demonstrators remained in downtown. Smoke grenades were used in an effort to disperse the crowd, while protesters threw rocks, plastic bottles, burning T-shirts and other items at officers.
Albuquerque police said on Twitter late Tuesday that "several" officers were being treated for injuries as a result of being hit by rocks. At least one person was arrested.
Inside the Trump rally, demonstrators shouted, held up banners and resisted removal by security officers. The banners included the messages "Trump is Fascist" and "We've heard enough."
Trump responded with his usual bluster, mocking the protesters by telling them to "Go home to mommy."
He responded to one demonstrator by asking, "How old is this kid?" Then he provided his own answer: "Still wearing diapers."
Trump's supporters responded with chants of "Build that wall!" At one point, a female protester was physically dragged from the stands by security. Other protesters scuffled with security as they resisted removal from the convention center.
The altercations left a glass door at the entrance of the convention center smashed. During the rally, protesters outside overran barricades and clashed with police in riot gear. They also burned T-shirts and other items labeled with Trump's catchphrase, "Make America Great Again."
Trump supporters at the rally said they appreciated his stance on boosting border security and stemming the flow of people crossing the border illegally, but some said they were frightened by the violent protests outside.
Albuquerque attorney Doug Antoon said rocks were flying through the convention center windows as he was leaving Tuesday night. Glass was breaking and landing near his feet.
"This was not a protest, this was a riot. These are hate groups," he said of the demonstrators.
Karla Molinar, a University of New Mexico student, said she participated in disrupting Trump's speech because she felt he was attacking members of her family who are living in the country illegally. She said she believes Trump is using them as scapegoats for the nation's problems.
Tuesday marked Trump's first stop in New Mexico, the nation's most Hispanic state. Gov. Susana Martinez, head of the Republican Governors Association and the nation's only Latina governor, has harshly criticized his remarks on immigrants and has attacked his proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The governor did not attend the rally and has yet to make an endorsement.

Trump read off a series of negative statistics about the state, including an increase in the number of people on food stamps.
"We have to get your governor to get going. She's got to do a better job, OK?" he said, adding: "Hey, maybe I'll run for governor of New Mexico. I'll get this place going."
The governor's office fired back, saying Martinez has fought for welfare reform.
"The potshots weren't about policy, they were about politics," said spokesman Michael Lonergan. "And the Governor will not be bullied into supporting a candidate until she is convinced that candidate will fight for New Mexicans, and she did not hear that today."

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

TSA Cartoons

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe under investigation by DOJ over possible illegal campaign contributions

Federal officials are investigating whether Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's 2013 campaign accepted illegal campaign contributions, sources familiar with the investigation confirmed Monday to Fox News.
The Democratic governor and Clinton ally is the target of a Justice Department investigation into whether he violated campaign finance laws.
The probe, first reported by CNN, involves a $120,000 donation from Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang through his U.S. businesses. U.S. election law prohibits foreign nationals to donate to political races.
McAuliffe's attorney, Marc Elias, said in a statement his office was not aware of the investigation, but would cooperate if contacted by federal officials.
"We cannot confirm the CNN report. Neither the Governor nor his former campaign has knowledge of this matter, but as reported, contributions to the campaign from Mr. Wang were completely lawful," Elias said. "The Governor will certainly cooperate with the government if he is contacted about it."
A spokesman for Wang told CNN the businessman holds permanent resident status in the U.S.
Wang also has been a donor to the Clinton foundation, pledging $2 million, CNN reported.
McAuliffe now becomes the second consective Virginia governor to be investigated by the Justice Department.
McAuliffe's predecessor in the governor's mansion, Republican Bob McDonnell, was convicted on federal corruption charges but has appealed his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Before winning his gubernatorial campaign in 2013 over Republican Ken Cuccinelli, McAuliffe made his name in national Democratic politics as a prolific, well-connected fundraiser with close ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Although McAuliffe is close to the Clintons, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the investigation of McAuliffe is unconnected to a separate FBI investigation looking at the legality of private email servers that Hillary Clinton used while serving as secretary of state.
Last year, McAuliffe's political action committee, Common Good Va., returned a $25,000 donation from a company with ties to Angola's state-owned oil company after The Associated Press raised questions about its legality. Federal law prohibits campaigns at any level from receiving money from outside the U.S.
McAuliffe's international business connections also came under scrutiny prior to his gubernatorial campaign. He served as chairman of GreenTech Automotive, a company that hoped to bring supercompact automobiles to the U.S. market.
The company attracted hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign investment, in part through a federal program that granted visas to investors who met certain job-creation thresholds.
McAuliffe resigned from the company in December 2012. GreenTech, which received millions of dollars in economic incentives from state and local officials to build a plant in Mississippi, faced criticism for falling well below expectations in production and job creation.

Pro golf groups will continue to hold events at Trump courses

Three major golf events will proceed as scheduled at golf properties owned by Donald Trump, U.S. Golf Association and PGA of America officials tell Fox News.
The announcement was made despite much hand-wringing and public outrage from golf industry leaders.
Golf’s governing bodies came together in June 2015 after Trump announced his White House bid in a speech that included controversial comments about Mexican immigrants, which cast doubt on whether the groups would continue to hold their largest events at Trump properties.
On Monday, several prominent golf professionals joined Trump’s daughter Ivanka at the Trump National Golf Club, in New Jersey, to promote the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.
Concerned about negative publicity that could come from staging one of its prominent events at a Trump course, USGA Executive Director Mike Davis said last summer that his organization would be “evaluating things.”
A spokesperson for the USGA confirms to Fox that the event remains on the calendar for mid-July 2017.
“While our position on Mr. Trump’s views has been well documented, we are singularly focused on conducting a stellar U.S. Women’s Open at the course, where we have successfully conducted championships in the past,” the spokesperson also said.
The PGA of America also confirmed to Fox that it intends to host next year’s Senior PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club, near Washington D.C.
The group will host its premiere event, the PGA Championship, in 2022 at Trump’s course in Bedminster, N.J.
Another PGA event, set for October 2015 at the Trump golf course near Los Angeles, was scrapped following the controversy.
Instead of going to a different venue, the PGA decided to eliminate its Grand Slam of Golf altogether.
Last summer, the country’s leading golf organizations issued a joint statement to distance themselves from the billionaire businessman.
“While the LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour and USGA do not usually comment on presidential politics, Mr. Trump's comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf,” the statement read.
Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America put out statements in recent months explaining why they’ve decided to keep their future events at Trump courses.
In March, Trump briefly left the campaign trail to play host at his Doral Resort, in Miami, which has hosted an annual PGA Tour event for decades.
The contract with event sponsor Cadillac has expired, and PGA Tour executive Ty Votaw tells Fox News no decision has been made on whether to keep the event at Trump National Doral or permanently sever the relationship.

Sanders warns Democratic National Convention could be 'messy'

LOS ANGELES – Bernie Sanders predicted Monday that the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia could be "messy" as he pushed the party to adopt his progressive agenda, but added, "Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle."
The Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press that his supporters hoped to see a platform at the July convention that reflects the needs of working families, the poor and young people as opposed to one that represents Wall Street and corporate America.
The Vermont senator said he will "condemn any and all forms of violence" but his campaign was bringing in newcomers to the process and first-time attendees of political conventions. He said the Democratic Party could choose to be more inclusive.
"I think if they make the right choice and open the doors to working-class people and young people and create the kind of dynamism that the Democratic Party needs, it's going to be messy," Sanders said. "Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle but that is where the Democratic Party should go."
Asked if the convention could be messy, Sanders said: "So what? Democracy is messy. Everyday my life is messy. But if you want everything to be quiet and orderly and allow, you know, just things to proceed without vigorous debate, that is not what democracy is about."
Sanders is vying for support ahead of California's June 7 primary, a day that also includes contests in New Jersey and four other states. Rival Hillary Clinton has 271 more pledged delegates than Sanders and is just 90 delegates shy of clinching the nomination when the total includes superdelegates, the party officials and elected leaders who can support the candidate of their choice.
Sanders said he had a "shot" at winning the June 7 California primary against Hillary Clinton and said, given his delegate deficit, it was "imperative" that he perform well.
"What happens if I win a major victory in California? Will people say, 'Oh, we're really enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton despite the fact that Bernie Sanders has now won whatever it may be, 25 states, half the states?'" he said.
If that happens, he added, superdelegates "may rethink that. That is why you want the process to play out."
The senator spoke after the Democratic National Committee announced a 15-member platform drafting committee, which write the first draft of the party platform and will include allies of both candidates.
Sanders said the drafting of the platform would be an "excellent time to educate the American people. There are two sides to every issue and I'm sure that Secretary Clinton will have very vigorous proponents of her point of view, as we will have."

Clinton declines Fox News invitation to proposed Dem debate

Hillary Clinton rejects Fox News debate invitation

Hillary Clinton's campaign has declined an invitation to a proposed Fox News-hosted Democratic presidential debate that her primary opponent Bernie Sanders tentatively accepted last week.
The campaign released a statement Monday, almost a week after Fox News invited both Democratic presidential candidates to a final debate in California before the June 7 primaries.
"We have declined Fox News' invitation to participate in a debate in California," Clinton Campaign Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri said in a statement. "As we have said previously, we plan to compete hard in the remaining primary states, particularly California, while turning our attention to the threat a Donald Trump presidency poses.
"We believe that Hillary Clinton's time is best spent campaigning and meeting directly with voters across California and preparing for a general election campaign that will ensure the White House remains in Democratic hands."
“Naturally, Fox News is disappointed that Secretary Clinton has declined our debate invitation, especially given that the race is still contested and she had previously agreed to a final debate before the California primary," Bill Sammon, Fox News VP and Washington Managing Editor said in a statement.
Sanders’ campaign tentatively accepted the invitation last week under the assumption they could reach a "mutual agreement” with Clinton.
Sanders said in a statement Monday night he was "disappointed but not surprised" by Clinton's decision not to participate.
“The state of California and the United States face some enormous crises. Democracy, and respect for the voters of California, would suggest that there should be a vigorous debate in which the voters may determine whose ideas they support. I hope Secretary Clinton reconsiders her unfortunate decision to back away from her commitment to debate.
"I also would suggest that Secretary Clinton may want to be not quite so presumptuous about thinking that she is a certain winner. In the last several weeks, the people of Indiana, West Virginia and Oregon have suggested otherwise," he said.
The Vermont senator echoed his statement at a campaign apperance in Santa Monica, Calif. Monday night.
"I gotta tell you this," Sanders said, "I think it is a little bit insulting to the people of California, our largest state, that she is not prepared to have a discussion with me about how she will help the Californians address the major crises that we face."
The campaigns earlier this year agreed in principle to hold a May debate.
California is one of six states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on June 7. The others are Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and North and South Dakota.

TSA head of security forced out amid furor over long airport lines

TSA administrator Peter Neffenger

The Transportation Security Administration's head of security operations was removed from his post Monday, law enforcement sources told Fox News.
The departure of Kelly Hoggan was one of a series of shakeups at the agency amid a furor over growing security delays at American airports.
Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee expressed outrage in a May 12 hearing over a $90,000 bonus package Hoggan received, even after reports surfaced of systematic security screening failures at airports around the country. Those security lapses were detailed in a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report last year.
TSA administrator Peter Neffenger announced Darby LaJoye, former head of security operations at Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, as Hoggan’s replacement effective immediately, according to the email obtained by Fox News.
In that same memo Neffenger said LaJoye’s expertise has “driven a renewed agency-wide focus on security effectiveness,” which is an issue TSA has been wrestling with since last year’s scathing DHS inspector general's report, and now, with passengers experiencing extraordinarily high screening line wait times at airports around the country.
Wait times have eclipsed three hours at many airports, a phenomenon Neffenger and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson have attributed, in part, to a shortage of TSA officers combined with heightened air traveler volume.
It is for those reasons the agency’s chief announced Monday the establishment of a national command center at TSA headquarters. The Incident Command Center will “closely track daily screening operations, shifting officers, canine resources, the National Deployment Force and other resources to meet mission demands in advance of predicted passenger volume,” Neffenger wrote in the email.
As part of an immediate strategy, Secretary Johnson and Administrator Neffenger unveiled a ten-point plan earlier this month aimed at streamlining TSA screening wait times. That effort expedites the hiring of hundreds of TSA officers, maximizes the use of overtime for existing staff, and reduces the size and number of carry-on bags passengers can travel with.
But despite TSA’s best efforts, the agency is still warning airline passengers to expect wait times and to “manage expectations” when preparing for travel. While acknowledging the hardship increased wait times pose, both Johnson and Neffenger have vowed not to compromise aviation security in the face of heightened passenger volume.