John, Much has changed in our nation's politics in just the past few weeks. With President Joe Biden dropping out and Vice-President Kamala Harris entering the race, it's transformed the dynamic of this election dramatically. Whereas it seemed like Trump was cruising to an almost certain win over Biden, now his campaign seems to be struggling to adapt to the new reality that he is running against a much different candidate.
Little that Donald Trump says or does surprises me anymore, but I admit to being especially confused by his recent decisions to focus his remarks on crowd sizes and attack Kamala Harris personally rather than hitting on the key issues that Americans are concerned about: problems like the economy, the border and her record.
As I said in an interview the other day, this is the same playbook Trump used in 2020, and it's a losing strategy. If he allows this election to be about personalities instead of the real challenges facing the country and his vision for the future, he is going to lose this election. You can watch my comments here: |
The Democratic Party is in Chicago this week for their national convention. What I'll be watching for is whether they can have as successful a convention as Republicans did and come out of it seemingly as unified as the GOP did last month in Milwaukee.
Shortly after Harris accepts her party’s nomination, we'll soon head into Labor Day weekend. After that date is when we'll really start to get some reliable polling data that will indicate how voters feel about these two candidates.
There are plenty of polls out there now, but I don't take them too seriously because we know that historically independent voters don't often make their decision until after Labor Day. And these voters are the ones who are likely to decide this election in key battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
I also wanted to call your attention to two other important items:
For those who have worked in or around New Hampshire Republican politics, you likely know the name Ruth Griffin. I was saddened to hear about her recent passing. She was such an incredible lady and I was proud to call her a friend. You can read more about her here.
Also, I recently wrote an op-ed to educate folks about the history of Congress' control over America's budget. You may remember that I spent much of my 18 years in Congress as a member of the House Budget Committee, ultimately serving as its chairman. I’ve also travelled the country urging state legislatures to vote for a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution.
The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, signed by President Nixon while he was facing risk of impeachment, established the House and Senate Budget Committees and the Congressional Budget Office to guide lawmakers in establishing and enforcing spending plans. That historic law also created a process for Congress to create a budget each year along with procedures to enact the spending and revenue measures that that budget envisioned.
You can read the full op-ed in the L.A. Times (here).
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I'm so appreciative for your ongoing support. Thank you! -John |
