Tuesday Open Thread [6.9.15]

The National Journal has an inside look at Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) courting and winning over of the Council for National Policy — “a shadowy nonprofit populated by the Hill staffers, think-tankers, consultants, donors, and ideological mercenaries who call themselves ‘movement conservatives.’ They meet several times each year around the country to discuss legislative initiatives and political strategy, always in secret and always off the record.”

I’m telling you now, Ted Cruz will be the Republican nominee.

Eugene Robinson at The Washington Post:

After months of trying to weaken Hillary Clinton by pounding her with everything they’ve got, the amount of progress Republicans have made is pretty close to zero. […] On the Democratic side, meanwhile, those who were hoping that Clinton would be challenged, if only to hone her skills for the general election, are getting their wish. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, promises to get more traction with the party’s liberal base than former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, former Virginia senator Jim Webb or former Rhode Island senator Lincoln Chafee.

But only in relative terms: Clinton has the support of nearly two-thirds of Democrats, according to the Post-ABC poll, leaving the rest to share the remaining third. Of those who have announced they are running, only Sanders manages to outscore “No Opinion,” and not by much. […] The big question about Clinton’s candidacy is whether she can inspire the coalition that twice elected President Obama — young people, minorities, women. Voting rights is an issue that reliably sends African Americans to the polls in large numbers. I’ll be surprised if Clinton doesn’t soon have major messages for Latinos on immigration policy and women on issues of reproductive rights.

How cynical, Republicans complain. Translation: How effective.

President Obama has created six times as many jobs as George W. Bush, a stat made even more remarkable due to the fact that almost all of the job losses caused by the 2008 Great Recession took place in 2009.

Taegan Goddard looks at the lack of unity in the GOP:

Trying to understand the dynamics of the 2016 Republican presidential race is like trying to watch a three-ring circus: There’s too much going on to absorb all at once.

The circus analogy may be overused, but thinking of the party in terms of three rings — or to be more precise, wings — can be very useful. Ronald Reagan was the first candidate to unite the three wings of the modern Republican Party: Christian conservatives, national security hawks, and the Wall Street establishment. His coalition dominated national politics in the 1980s and every GOP nominee since has tried to copy that same electoral formula. […]

The Republican candidate that can unite these three wings has the best chance to prevail against the Democratic candidate in the general election. It’s still too early to say who might be able to do it — but we can at least conclude that only three candidates out of the GOP primary circus have a real shot.

Bob Cesca says the GOP circus highlights some frightening policy positions among the Republican field:

[W]hat does this tell us about the status of the Republican Party? It tells us that Obama Derangement Syndrome and frenetic screeching, as heard all across the AM radio dial and on Fox News, has become the standard for Republican behavior. True leaders who understand the nature of American politics and especially the necessity of moderation and compromise have been all but shouted out of the party. The traits that normally compose traditional gravitas have been superseded by the ability to pander to voters who are self-sequestered inside the bubble. Whoever ends up being the GOP nominee will be well-versed, more than any other time in recent memory, in the language of the raging horde rather than the language of statesmanship.

The good news is this: The Clinton campaign has likely been eating its own weight in popcorn as the Republicans behave like the Three Stooges trying to fix the plumbing. Every time Rubio or Walker or Bush commits another unforced error, it makes Clinton look better and better. Specifically, it amplifies Clinton’s standing as a stronger leader; a more savvy politician; and significantly more presidential. At this point, there isn’t a president anywhere near the GOP stage. While that’s great news for the Democrats, it should been harrowing news when considering how far we have to go before Election Day 2016.