NEWS AND OPINION:
A big, bodacious majority of Americans appear to believe that it is not an unreasonable request to ask a voter for a photo ID when they arrive at the polls. A new Gallup poll reveals that 80 percent of Americans favor “requiring all voters to provide photo identification at their voting place in order to vote.” There’s a partisan divide, of course. Among Republicans, 95 percent approve of a photo ID requirement; among Democrats, the number is 63 percent. It is interesting to note that 81 percent of white voters and 77 percent of “non-white” voters also favor the indisputable photo ID.
“Voter ID laws are most popular among residents living in the South (84 percent) and Midwest (84 percent), the regions in which eight of the strictest state voter ID laws are enforced. Nationally, election laws requiring voter identification exist — with some variation of the requirement — in 34 states, 33 of which are in effect for the 2016 election,” Gallup analyst Justin McCarthy noted.
HILLARY: HELLO HOLLYWOOD
Private fundraising is on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s schedule. There were two for the candidate’s campaign on Monday with the California touch, one hosted by basketball great Magic Johnson in Hollywood, the other by a spate of movie and media titans from Disney and elsewhere in Beverly Hills. Things are buzzing even louder on Tuesday.
Mrs. Clinton herself is scheduled to appear at another moneymaking event, this one hosted by pop star Justin Timberlake and actor Jessica Biel, who took the place of Leonardo DiCaprio; the actor is apparently inconvenienced with a sudden scheduling conflict. There are also two more fundraisers for Mrs. Clinton in nearby Laguna Beach, one at a major resort, the other at a private home.
Meanwhile, Bill Clinton will host his own event in Palm Beach, Florida. Yes, most of these sparkling events feature tickets as high as $33,400 each. But wait, there’s one more for Tuesday. Vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine also attends a private fundraiser at a rustic Italian restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee where the menu includes lobster ravioli and pesto-roasted salmon.
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The campaign reports it currently has “about $103 million in the bank.”
MR. TRUMP: HOWDY, TEXAS
Tuesday mans Texas for GOP nominee Donald Trump. He will attend a power lunch fundraiser at the City Club of Fort Worth, situated in a very Trump-like skyscraper in that city. Then it’s on to Austin for a second fundraiser, followed by one of his signature jumbo public rallies at the Travis County Exposition Center. Rick Perry is eager to attend both the Austin events, and it is strongly suggested that Texas State land commissioner George P. Bush — son of Jeb Bush — may attend as well.
The locals are watching with keen interest, meanwhile. Austin is quite the Democratic town. Indeed, the aforementioned Bill Clinton will be in the town himself for a fundraiser on Thursday.
“For Mr. Trump to come to Austin — the blueberry in the tomato soup that is Texas — should certainly ruffle the feathers of some very liberal politicians who are more concerned with being politically correct than addressing the many issues facing the citizens of Austin,” notes state Republican Party Chairman Tom Mechler.
THE PENCE TOUCH
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GOP vice presidential nominee Gov. Mike Pence has a certain Hoosier grace and straightforward clarity about him which adds a positive dimension to the Donald Trump’s campaign. The two gents appear to have a cordial relationship: the pair often speaks several times a day. Mr. Pence described his experiences when the two nominees visited flood-ravaged Baton Rouge, Louisiana — a place President Obama will tour on Tuesday.
“What was most humbling to us was to see the volunteers showing up, particularly from religious community and people pouring their lives, their resources, their hearts in to total strangers. We were driving through a neighborhood at one point and Donald Trump made the decision to get out of the car, an unscheduled stop. We walked down to the driveway, we met the family where almost all of their earthly possessions were piled in the front lawn,” Mr. Pence told Fox News.
“And they were starting to piece their life back together. But we not only met that family, but we also met the family that had just arrived in from Tennessee to help them put their lives back together. And to see total strangers coming alongside hurting families and hurting Americans, it’s very humbling, it was humbling for both of us, and just such a reminder of what a great country this is.”
HOLA REPUBLICANOS
The Republican Party continues a focused outreach to Latino voters continues, releasing a series of Spanish-language videos that point out that Democratic promises may amount to, well, nada. The latest outreach features former attorney general of Puerto Rico Jos Fuentes Agostini explaining the finer points of a future Clinton presidency.
“Two million Hispanics are newly in poverty under President Obama, but Hillary Clinton still says he should get an ’A’ for his handling of the economy,” observes Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus. “Our nation cannot afford more of the disastrous Obama economic policies which have kept wages flat and left Hispanic families behind, but that’s exactly what Hillary Clinton represents. Donald Trump is focused on creating jobs and lowering taxes, and his agenda is going to be one that creates prosperity for all Americans.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 76 percent of Americans say drone airstrikes against terrorist targets are effective; 82 percent of Republicans and 77 percent of Democrats agree.
• 75 percent overall say terrorism is the “most important threat” facing the U.S.; 83 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats agree.
• 65 percent overall say sending “U.S. trainers and Special Operations Forces” against terrorist target is effective; 69 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of Democrats agree.
• 60 percent overall say sending “U.S. combat troops to fight terrorists abroad is effective; 72 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey of 2,061 U.S. adults conducted June 10 to June 27 and released Monday.
• Churlish remarks, reassuring observations to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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