2016 elections - because it's never too early

[Martinus]

What's unique is the open racial/ethnic nature of the attacks.  As @NewtGingrich pointed out, if liberals said Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from civil rights cases, we (conservatives) would go crazi.

That's not what Berkut, Minsky and others are arguing. In fact that's the point Dorsey made that they are disputing.

[The Minsky Moment]

Let's be clear.  Ken Starr was a special prosector not a judge in Whitewater.  He never actually brought a case against the Clintons.  Instead he concluded that he lacked the evidence to bring such a case.  Nonetheless he published a report recommending impeachment, which is wholly and entirely a political act.  Even then I am not aware of any instance where either Clinton publically attacked Starr's integrity.  (although surrogates certainly did)

Jones v. Clinton was an actual case that was heard by multiple judges on trial and appeal.  The Eighth Circuit court of appeal ruled against Clinton.  The Supreme Court also ruled against Clinton.  I am 100% sure Clinton never said anything attacking the integrity of either of those courts or the judges writing the opinions.  I am 90% sure no surrogate did so.

This is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

[The Minsky Moment]

Oh and almost forgot: the district judge in C v. J fined Clinton for contempt and recommended disbarment .  Again I am aware of no statement attacking her for bias or lack of integrity.  Is it even remotely conceivable that something like that could be ordered against Trump without him foaming at the mouth with attacks on the judge?  It's silly to pretend there is any kind of behavioral equivalency here.

[Phillip V]

Obama will meet Sanders tomorrow and will not endorse Clinton until perhaps next week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/us/politics/obama-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders.html

Is there a high profile position ("czar") left in the Obama Administration that he can offer Sanders so that the latter gets a primary-ending win and new national podium from which to push his agenda?

I am not sure that Clinton can offer Sanders and his supporters anything, at least not till 2017.  Obama can be the party unifier.

[Capetan Mihali]

Oh and almost forgot: the district judge in C v. J fined Clinton for contempt and recommended disbarment .  Again I am aware of no statement attacking her for bias or lack of integrity.  Is it even remotely conceivable that something like that could be ordered against Trump without him foaming at the mouth with attacks on the judge?  It's silly to pretend there is any kind of behavioral equivalency here.

Huh, apparently he ended up settling the professional misconduct case (arising out of the contempt finding) in 2001 by agreeing to a 5-year suspension of his Arkansas law license plus another $25,000 fine (presumably paid to the Ark. bar this time).

[Admiral Yi]

Another Republican, Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, has unfriended Trump over Curiel.

[garbon]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-warren-exclusive-idUSKCN0YU2R8?

Senator Warren to endorse Clinton, sources say

Senator Elizabeth Warren will soon endorse presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and, while not currently interested in serving as her running mate, has not ruled it out, several sources close to Warren told Reuters.

Advisers to Warren, a fiery critic of Wall Street and a popular figure among progressive Democrats, have been in close contact with Clinton's campaign team and the conversations have increased in frequency in recent weeks, the sources said.

Warren, 66, represents her home state of Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. The sources said that foremost in her thinking is how best to help the Democratic Party defeat the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election and advance issues such as income inequality which top Warren's agenda.

An endorsement of Clinton could come within a week or two, one of the sources said. Clinton has been appealing for Democratic Party unity. On Twitter over the weekend, Warren echoed that call and emphasized the importance of the party coming together to beat Trump.

"Get ready, Donald," she tweeted. "We're coming."

Warren has stayed neutral in the Democratic primary race, notably remaining the only woman senator not throwing her support behind the first woman presidential nominee of a major political party.

Not all that surprising given her stance on Trump, but hopefully this will calm some progressives down.

[Jaron]

Pocahontas!

[Martinus]

Another Republican, Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, has unfriended Trump over Curiel.

That's horrible. Without the support of GOP establishment, Trump's campaign is going to implode any moment now.

[Admiral Yi]

That's horrible. Without the support of GOP establishment, Trump's campaign is going to implode any moment now.

That's not so horrible.

[Jaron]

Trump's campaign has had a bad week for sure.

Obama is trying to unite the Democrats right now. I'm not sure if he'll pull it off, but if he does then Trump is probably not going to have a successful run. We need to remember that for Trump to win he needs to flip Florida or PA. Even a small drop in either state will be fatal to his campaign. The only bright spot right now for him is that Florida leans Trump and the last poll from Oregon showed Trump with a +1 lead. That means he could flip a state long considered a solid blue state if the poll is accurate.

It will really just depend on how much damage control the GOP can do on Trump before November. I don't think anything Trump has said is super bad when taken in context, but most voters aren't going to bother searching for that context.

[Gups]

Sure.

First of all, I don't recall Clinton going on any tirades during press conferences about how the judge was biased against him. So I don't agree that his conduct is anything at all similar to Trumps as it relates to the lawsuit itself. Indeed, Clinton mostly seemed to be very careful to NOT be seen as trying to influence the investigation, at least not publically.

He vigorously promoted his side of the case, which was ultimately inaccurate and led to significant sanctions against him personally (fines and the loss of his law license), and had white house staff do the same.

Is anyone complaining that Trump is defending himself in the proceedings? If not how is this a response to Berkut's point?

[Legbiter]

Trump's campaign has had a bad week for sure.

It is evident that Donald Trump has rewritten the rules of political campaigning, leaving the so- called experts, analysts, journalists and even the GOP itself puzzled by the power and effectiveness of his approach.

Whether you agree with him or not, his rise and political success is undeniable. He has activated a sentiment in people that appeals to the raw emotion of Washington frustration. On the other hand, he has also set a tone in which public labeling, divisive rhetoric and racially charged comments are "OK" in the public eye, and has unraveled a whole new way of freedom of speech in America.

But even with all this, after insulting women, attacking public figures, mistreating journalists, judging the judge and calling Mexicans criminals and rapists, his appeal is on the rise even among Hispanics.

....Based on big data analysis over the last 30 days as of June 1st, Trump reports 37 percent of Hispanic positive sentiment versus 41 percent for Clinton. Surprisingly, the candidates tie in negative sentiment across Hispanics at 38 percent, discounting the fact that Latinos default as Democrats or are completely turned off by Trump's off-color comments. After all, over 50 percent of Latinos identify as political independents.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/opinion/2016/06/07/opinion-big-data-reports-latino-support-for-trump-on-rise-at-37/

[Grey Fox]

He has one quality that cannot be refuted, taken away from him in almost every way. He is not Hillary Clinton & for some that is enough.

[Phillip V]

Trump's campaign has had a bad week for sure.

Obama is trying to unite the Democrats right now. I'm not sure if he'll pull it off, but if he does then Trump is probably not going to have a successful run. We need to remember that for Trump to win he needs to flip Florida or PA. Even a small drop in either state will be fatal to his campaign. The only bright spot right now for him is that Florida leans Trump and the last poll from Oregon showed Trump with a +1 lead. That means he could flip a state long considered a solid blue state if the poll is accurate.

It will really just depend on how much damage control the GOP can do on Trump before November. I don't think anything Trump has said is super bad when taken in context, but most voters aren't going to bother searching for that context.

Clinton-Trump tied in latest Pennsylvania poll:  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/pa/pennsylvania_trump_vs_clinton-5633.html