#PNUT4PREZ: Meltdown On The Campaign Trail
#PNUT4PREZ: FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Rock Bottom: After a cringeworthy build up to the second debate, the most awkward 90-minutes on television and then a week of mud-slinging the only thing America could agree on was that we want this to be over. But, alas, we still have 22 days until the election. That being said, with just over three weeks left it seems that Donald Trump has bottomed out in the polls, down to his core supporters who won’t abandon him no matter what. FiveThirtyEight gives Hillary an 83% chance of winning, predicting a five point lead come election day. Must win states like Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Nevada are pulling out of his reach and his campaign withdrew resources from Virginia, conceding defeat.
Civil War: Trump’s poll numbers have the GOP leadership in a panic. Paul Ryan, who was never a big fan of Trump, decided he would no longer back Trump but didn’t formally withdraw his endorsement. Worried that Republicans could lose control of the House and Senate as well as the White House he counseled his party members to do what was best for their own reelection chances, aka forget about winning the White House.
Donald Trump went on the offensive, expressing gratitude at being “unshackled” and tweeting that Ryan should focus on his job rather than fighting with him. Newt Gingrich told the leadership that they are either with Trump or against him. RNC members put pressure on their leadership to remain behind Trump, something they eventually affirmed. The rift was particularly intense in must-win Ohio where the Trump campaign “declared war” on the Ohio GOP Chairman.
Actual Civil War: Over the past week, both candidates have insisted that this is a make-or-break election for the US and that their opponent should not be trusted with their finger on the nuclear trigger. Hillary Clinton reiterated that she believes she is the “last thing standing between you and the apocalypse.” Meanwhile, Donald Trump offered a fantastic conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton, global banks and the destruction of US sovereignty. He’s also repeatedly stated that the election is “rigged” against him.
As if to underscore that point, a woman at a Pence rally spoke of staging an anti-Clinton revolution if Hillary was to win. Luckily, Pence was able to quiet her down. Also on Friday, the FBI shut down a plot to bomb an apartment complex housing 120 Somalis in Kansas by a group called the “Crusaders” who wanted to “wake people up” by, presumably, killing a bunch of them. Finally, a GOP office in North Carolina was firebombed and a swastika with hate speech was painted on the building next door. Now, to be clear, no candidate has called for a revolution or advocated for attacks on people but it is a friendly reminder that, perhaps, everyone should dial it down a few notches…
Accusations: As if the 2016 election couldn’t get any worse, by Sunday morning Vox counted twelve different women who came forward and accused Trump of sexually harassing them in the past. Almost all the stories resemble what Trump himself said he did during an Access Hollywood tape leak and during interviews with Howard Stern. Trump, who claims that was just “locker room talk” said these claims were all lies and part of a media onslaught against him. In a bizarre moment, he implied that the women weren’t pretty enough to warrant harassment from him. Michelle Obama weighed in on the debate with a powerful speech and attacked Trump for his behavior, without even having to use his name.
More Emails: While most of the week was spent trying to unravel Trump’s alleged sexual abuse scandals, Wikileaks kept the pressure up on Hillary Clinton releasing batch after batch of hacked emails from her campaign chairman John Podesta. The emails show a candidate unable to craft a clear message, much more centrist than she claimed to be publicly and involved in possible conflicts of interestbetween the Clinton Foundation and her role as Secretary of State. Her emails drew fire from Donald Trump who took them to the next level, embracing conspiracy theories and claiming that “Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty.” Based on our best knowledge that is not true…
Rigging: With Trump sinking in the polls a few weeks before election day he’s already begun laying the groundwork for why he’s lost the election claiming it was“rigged” against him. The claim is the most dangerous one yet, threatening to undermine people’s faith in the democratic process itself and even prompting one supporter at a Pence rally to call for a “revolution.” Pence, Trump’s running mate, quieted her down and promised to accept the election result. Paul Ryan, meanwhile, said he saw no reason to believe the election was rigged.
Other Reads:
- Our take on what is driving the GOP civil war?
- Why is the 2016 election not like Brexit.
- Should the GOP hurry up and confirm Merrick Garland?
- Glenn Greenwald on the Democratic echo chamber and their own conspiracy theories.
PNUTTY VIDEOS
Michelle Obama gave a speech so powerful that even she got emotional.
Seth Meyers took a closer look at leaked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.
President Obama explains how the GOP produced Trump.
The presidential election may bring on the end of democracy in America, so we could all use a good laugh. Here are the four funniest responses to Trump’s horrific comments about women.
