NEWS AND OPINION:
Many political campaigns have turned into data-driven enterprises that often compromise the cachet of the candidate, lost among shifting increments of poll numbers and micro-targeting. Should voter favorability prove elusive, strategists might consider a return to 1954 for practical insight. Witness President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who enjoyed a “soaring” 68 percent job approval rating nationwide, and throughout his two terms. How did he do that?
“American saw what they liked in Ike,” reports Gallup analyst Lydia Saad, who dug into the vaults of the venerable pollster to retrieve Eisenhower’s actual poll numbers.
“He was the type of leader onto whom Americans could project their own views. When asked if Eisenhower was more of a liberal or a conservative, 54 percent of self-described liberals said he was a liberal, while 71 percent of self-described conservatives saw him as a conservative,” says Ms. Saad.
Poll founder George Gallup himself wrote that the pattern was “a politically significant key to President Eisenhower’s great popularity among the nation’s voters.” The president appeared to embrace those liberal and conservative ideas which could shore up and unify the nation. The result?
“He remained politically ambidextrous even while serving as a popular Republican president, maintaining solidly positive approval ratings throughout his two-term presidency,” Ms. Saad observes.
The Associated Press, incidentally, is now offering “Dwight D. Eisenhower: An Associated Press Biography” — an e-book available for $5 on Amazon, Nook and other sites. It is a reissue of a biography written in 1969 by Relman Morin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning AP writer who noted that the 34th president “possessed an ability to communicate with the American people in a remarkable way. They saw in him a man of sincerity and instructive good will, and they trusted him implicitly.”
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NOW THERE’S A THOUGHT
Despite her campaign victories, Hillary Clinton still has a long road ahead according to political adviser Dana W. White, author of the new book “Leader Designed”, and a former adviser to Sen. John McCain and Sarah Palin.
“Mrs. Clinton’s not fit for the Oval Office — in fact, she’s her own worst enemy,” Ms. White observes. “Hillary fails to meet the most basic tenet of leadership. She lacks an inclusive vision. She assumes that people would share her dream of becoming the first woman president, but the problem is, people don’t want to be players in other people’s dreams.”
A NEW FORCE IN COLORADO
Ken Cuccinelli, president of the Senate Conservatives Fund, has good things to say about Darryl Glenn, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado who describes himself as “unapologetic Christian, constitutional, conservative, pro-life, Second Amendment-loving American.”
Mr. Cuccinelli, however, describes the candidate as “the worst nightmare for liberals in Washington,” adding that Mr. Glenn has “the passion of Allen West, the courage of Ted Cruz, and the principles of Ronald Reagan.”
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Mr. Glenn — a former Air Force officer, NRA member and attorney — was asked during a recent candidate debate whether he would work across party lines.
“The question exemplifies what’s wrong with America, and the frustration out there. You don’t get it. It’s not about reaching across the aisle. You need a leader to stand up there and represent the values of this country,” Mr. Glenn replied.
“It’s great to see someone pushback on this notion that Republicans are always supposed to compromise with Democrats while the Democrats steamroll us with their liberal agenda,” observes Mr. Cuccinelli. Find the candidate here: ElectDarrylGlenn.com
REFRAMING THE COMMENT
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan garnered global press coverage when he classified GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s recent remarks about a Latino judge as a “textbook definition of a racist comment.” Democratic strategists quickly played off the controversial moment, casting it as a symbol of disunity in the Republican Party, as did a spate of unfriendly op-eds. Mr. Ryan clarified his comment during an interview with Fox News Radio’s “Kilmeade & Friends” late Tuesday morning. Host Brian Kilmeade wanted to know: Does he really think Mr. Trump is “textbook” racist?
“I’m saying that the comment was. I don’t know what’s in his heart, I can’t speak to that. What I’m saying is to suggest that a person’s race disqualifies them to do their job is textbook — that’s what I’m saying,” Mr. Ryan replied. “I’m not saying what’s in his heart because I don’t know what is in his heart, and I don’t think he feels that in his heart. But I don’t think it is wise or justifiable to suggest that a person should be disqualified from their job because of their ethnicity.”
He later added, “And yes, I do support Donald Trump.”
AND WHAT MR. TRUMP SAID
“It is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage. I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent. The American justice system relies on fair and impartial judges. All judges should be held to that standard. I do not feel that one’s heritage makes them incapable of being impartial, but, based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial,” Mr. Trump said in a statement, noting that the press “reported one inaccuracy after another.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 89 percent of registered U.S. voters say adults who have a doctor’s prescription for medical marijuana should be able to legally use it; 81 percent of Republicans, 93 percent of independents and 94 percent of Democrats agree.
• 87 percent say Veterans Administration doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana “in pill form” in states where it is legal to military vets suffering from PTSD; 79 percent of Republicans, 92 percent of independents and 90 percent of Democrats agree.
• 54 percent overall say marijuana should be made legal in the U.S.; 36 percent of Republicans, 61 percent of independents and 65 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,561 registered U.S. voters conducted May 24-30 and released Monday.
• Ponderous explanations, happy talk to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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