Here’s your open line. What’s up?
Clinton maintains big polling lead
Harry Enten at fivethirtyeight says the news remains good for the Clinton campaign:
Hillary Clinton’s post-convention polling surge is showing no signs of fading. She leads Donald Trump, on average, by about 7 percentage points in national polls, and is an 83-percent favorite to win on Nov. 8, according to our polls-only model. Our polls-plus model — which accounts for the “fundamentals,” as well as the tendency for a candidate’s numbers to temporarily rise after his or her convention — gives her a 76 percent chance. Those are her largest advantages since we launched our election forecasts back in June.
None of the above
Michael Pakko, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas, was asked to give his pitch for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, on Capitol View this morning. He replied: “We’re not Trump and we’re not Hillary.” Rep. David Meeks and Rep. Nate Bell have both stated that they are considering voting for Johnson.
Westerman won’t dump Trump
Also on Capitol View, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman was asked about Republican nominee Donald Trump. Westerman bobbed and weaved in the typical fashion. He said that it would be better to focus on Republican talking points (or what he calls “the real issues”) rather than “side issues.” Westerman has elsewhere declined to comment on Trump’s comments on the Kahn family.
Westerman traveled to Israel during the RNC (he said the timing of the trip had nothing to do with the RNC and that he would have attended the convention if not for the trip).