“The Sunday Political Brunch”—June 12, 2016

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Mark Curtis, GoLocal Contributor

Happy 5th birthday to “The Sunday Political Brunch!” We’ve been publishing this column for five years now, from every corner of the country. I appreciate your continued readership and comments! This year marks the tenth Presidential campaign I have covered – in whole, or in part – so I bring a lot of perspective to the table. There is a lot to “brunch” on this week:

“The Last Man… (And, Last Woman) Standing!” – The stage is set. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, will be this year’s nominees to be President of the United States. On Friday they held campaign events within one mile of each other in Washington, DC. Expect this often. This will be the most “in your face” campaign in U.S. history. This just three days after Clinton secured the nomination: I predict they will be “within shouting distance” often as we head to November.

“Bernie’s Late Night” – I know the Sanders campaign was mad at the Associated Press, which the night before “Final Tuesday” calculated that Hillary Clinton already had enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee. "Voter suppression," they charged, and maybe to some extent the AP story lowered turnout in California. But Clinton won by over 400,000 votes and it’s hard to imagine that many people who were “feeling the Bern” stayed home. Clinton would have won California fair and square, though the margin may have been closer without AP’s “help.”

“History” – The significance of Clinton’s nomination should not be lost, whether you like her or not. I’ve had a mom and stepmom. I have four sisters, and four step-sisters. I have a wife and a daughter. I loved my grandmas. My mother-in-law lovingly edits this column every week. Women are important in our lives and in our country. The fact that one has finally been nominated for the highest office in the land should be celebrated, a mere 97 years after women were finally allowed to vote. This is not an endorsement of Hillary Clinton, or of gender politics. Let the chips fall where they may. But it is historic, and should be saluted as such!

“On the Road Again” – I got the “Trump Tour” email today. It was a laundry list of campaign events over the next two weeks. Smart move! Trump will be in Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Georgia for multiple stops in the next five days. Just when I thought he was going to take the week off, he is instead taking the show on the road. A campaign that looked like it might “phone it in” in the weeks leading up to the convention is instead being very aggressive. If you want to win, you have to go “press the flesh.” Maybe Trump gets retail politics after all.

“Senate Snatch” – Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) rescinded his endorsement of Trump this week. I was on KGO-Radio 810-AM in San Francisco with host Brian Copeland and noted, “This is more a Mark Kirk problem, than a Donald Trump problem.” Look, control of the U.S Senate is almost as important as the White House race this year. Republican Senate seats such as Kirk's and those of his fellow Senators in Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania could flip Democratic this year. If they do, the Supreme Court could change dramatically. Some GOP candidates may “Dump Trump” trying to save their own seats.

“Hillary’s Muted Moment” – The oddest - yet perhaps most accurate - headline of the week came on CNN.com. It noted the presumptive nomination with the headline, “Hillary’s Muted Moment.” It was chillingly accurate. Her great historic achievement was greeted – by and large – with a huge yawn. Clinton’s rallies – and I’ve been to many – are, in a word, dull. In 2008 she was bland, compared to the inspirational Barack Obama. In 2016, she was crushed by the deep passion and anger stirred by Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Her support may be the proverbial “mile-wide, but only an inch deep.” It makes me wonder whether she will have the “dull personality, but vast experience” resume that carried George H.W. Bush to the White House in 1988.

“Prompting the Prompter” – Donald Trump’s advisors (and Republican Party fathers) finally prevailed Tuesday night. He delivered his victory speech from New York reading a teleprompter! Yes, his vast appeal has been his unscripted, spontaneous rants; but at some point you need a disciplined campaign theme that stays “on message.” Trump sounded downright Presidential Tuesday night, although a bit bland compared to his normal stump speech. It's hard for the press (and voters) to relate that canned speech to Trump's usual bloviating and rambling discourses.

Well, what are your thoughts? Trump vs. Clinton, and why? Post your comments at http://www.MarkCurtisMedia.com.