Thursday Open Thread [7.2.15]

This chart above reflects how many of the counties in each of the states affected by last week’s Marriage Equality ruling are actually issuing marriage licenses to gay or lesbian couples. Courtesy of Ballotpedia.

“For Democrats, Donald Trump amounts to a kind of divine intervention. With the Republican Party on an urgent mission to woo Latino voters, one of its leading presidential candidates has been enmeshed for two weeks in a nasty feud over his inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants,” the Washington Post reports.

“The comments — and many more since — have prompted an uproar among Latino groups and acrimonious breakups between Trump and various corporate partners. His outlandish rhetoric and skill at occupying the national spotlight are also proving to be dangerously toxic for the GOP brand, which remains in the rehabilitation stage after losing the 2012 presidential race.”

The New York Times says that the “Democrats relish the situation.” I am always a more “be careful what you wish for person.” I remember when everyone wanted that idiot Bush junior to run because he could be easily beatable. But then again, there is always the Christine O’Donnell Factor: sometimes you are just so fucking crazy that no one will vote for you.

New York Times on whether Scott Walker has run too far to the right.

“To protect his lead in Iowa, a state with a heavily conservative Republican electorate, Mr. Walker has taken a harder line on a number of issues than his allies had anticipated. Now a growing number of party leaders say Mr. Walker is raising questions about his authenticity and may be jeopardizing his prospects in states where voters’ sensibilities are more moderate.”

“His response to the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage most emphatically demonstrated his sharp shift to the right: Mr. Walker called the court’s ruling ‘a grave mistake’ and reiterated his call for a constitutional amendment that would allow states to ban same-sex marriage. It sent a clear message to social conservatives, and one that was noticeably not echoed by two of his leading rivals, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush — who warned last year that Republicans would need to campaign as if they were willing to lose the nomination if they hoped to win the general election.

They all have run too far to the right, with the possible exception of Lindsay Graham of all people.

NATIONAL–PRESIDENT–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–CNN/ORC: Bush 19, Trump 12, Huckabee 8, Carson 7, Paul 7, Rubio 6, Walker 6, Perry 4, Christie 3, Cruz 3, Santorum 3, Jindal 2, Kasich 2, Fiorina 1, Graham 1, Pataki 0

NATIONAL–PRESIDENT–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–CNN/ORC: Clinton 57, Biden 16, Sanders 14, Webb 2, O’Malley 1, Chafee 0

NATIONAL–PRESIDENT–CNN/ORC:

Clinton 54, Bush 41
Clinton 56, Rubio 39
Clinton 56, Christie 37
Clinton 59, Trump 34
Clinton 57, Walker 38

IOWA–PRESIDENT–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–Quinnipiac: Clinton 52, Sanders 33, Biden 7, O’Malley 3, Webb 1, Chafee 0

IOWA–PRESIDENT–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–Quinnipiac: Walker 18, Trump 10, Carson 10, Paul 9, Cruz 9, Bush 8, Rubio 7, Huckabee 5, Perry 4, Santorum 4, Fiorina 3, Jindal 3, Kasich 2, Graham 1, Christie 1, Pataki 0

MICHIGAN–PRESIDENT–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–Public Policy Polling: Walker 15, Trump 14, Bush 14, Carson 14, Rubio 9, Huckabee 8, Christie 5, Cruz 5, Paul 4, Fiorina 3, Kasich 3, Santorum 2, Graham 1, Perry 1, Jindal 0, Pataki 0

MICHIGAN–PRESIDENT–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–Public Policy Polling: Clinton 57, Sanders 25, Chafee 5, Webb 2, O’Malley 1

Chafeementum!!!

MICHIGAN–PRESIDENT–Public Policy Polling:

Clinton 47, Bush 38
Clinton 49, Carson 41
Clinton 44, Christie 38
Clinton 49, Cruz 39
Clinton 46, Fiorina 38
Clinton 47, Huckabee 42
Clinton 45, Paul 42
Clinton 46, Rubio 40
Clinton 49, Trump 39
Clinton 46, Walker 42

The U.S. economy grew by 223,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning.

The CNN/ORC poll released earlier this week shows that most Americans support both of the Supreme Court’s major rulings last week upholding the Affordable Care Act and overturning same-sex marriage bans nationwide.

According to a new CNN/ORC poll, 63% support the Court’s ruling upholding government assistance for lower-income Americans buying health insurance through both state-operated and federally-run health insurance exchanges. Slightly fewer, 59%, say they back the ruling which made same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states.