NEWS AND OPINION:
A form of primary panic has taken hold of our White House hopefuls as they realize Super Tuesday is but a mere 48 hours off, give or take a few hours — it is a dreaded, hair-raising, exhilarating day. Can the candidates hit a dozen states and one territory with primary elections in motion? Some would if they could, flying in and flying out, the campaign jet idling at some regional airport.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump journeys to Texas and Oklahoma on Friday, Tennessee and Arkansas on Saturday, Alabama on Sunday plus Georgia and Virginia on Monday. Sen. Ted Cruz is all about Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Georgia, where he’ll appear at 11 events over the weekend. His father Rafael Cruz will be campaigning for him in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio will begin in Oklahoma and Texas before he exits for Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia — joined at one point by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has endorsed him. Ben Carson has seven events in Texas and Tennessee while Gov. John Kasich concentrates on Vermont and Massachusetts.
And the Democrats? Fresh off a week that has included 20 campaign private fundraisers in six states, Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton is in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Virginia in that order this weekend. Former President Bill Clinton will campaign for his wife in Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina while pregnant daughter Chelsea Clinton — her second baby is due in the summer — appears at four events in Minnesota. Sen. Bernard Sanders stages multiple rallies in Illinois, Minnesota and South Carolina, fresh from appearances in Oklahoma, Missouri and Ohio.
TRUMPALICIOUS
“I’m going to do what Mitt Romney was totally unable to do — WIN!”
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump defends hiring foreign workers, says he couldn’t find Americans for jobs
— A finale in a series of 10 tweets from Republican front-runner Donald Trump, following a brief skirmish with Mitt Romney. The 2012 presidential candidate suggested Mr. Trump publicly release his tax returns for the past two years, implying that something was amiss. The billionaire tweeted that Mr. Romney “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics.”
Mr. Romney, however, struck back with a series of tweets in the aftermath, noting, “No legit reason Donald Trump can’t release returns while being audited, but if scared, release earlier returns no longer under audit,” and “Donald Trump taxes for last 4+ years are still being audited. There are more bombshells or he would release them.”
PERRYLESS
“Political scandals make for juicy journalism, but apparently a politician being cleared of wrongdoing isn’t even worth a mention,” says Mike Ciandella, an analyst for NewsBusters.com.
He’s referring to the treatment of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was indicted while in office after vetoing funding for a public integrity unit two years ago. The district attorney in charge of the unit refused to resign following a drunken-driving conviction.
The “Big Three” broadcasters — ABC, CBS, NBC — were all over the story at the time, devoting 25 minutes to the initial news followed by much speculation that the controversy could “end any chance” for Mr. Perry in 2016.
SEE ALSO: Bernie Sanders: I can beat Donald Trump; Hillary Clinton can’t
“But when Perry was cleared of any wrongdoing, all three networks were silent,” Mr. Ciandella points out, adding, “A Texas appeals court threw out the case against Perry Wednesday, saying that the charge violated the Texas Constitution’s separation of powers provision by improperly limiting the governor’s veto authority.”
MILLIONS WASTED, SORT OF
Ad Age recently revealed that White House hopefuls have dropped $297,429,091 on broadcast ads. They could spend $4.4 billion on such fare by the time election day arrives. But it could be for naught.
“Jeb Bush’s downfall proves political TV ads don’t work any more,” says Issie Lapwosky, a political analyst for Wired, who adds, “The sheer volume of social media noise has drowned out the traditional 30-second television spot.”
Mr. Bush, indeed, spent millions on a sophisticated menu of ads but found few voters hungry for his campaign cuisine.
“Candidates today are already overexposed. By the time a scandal breaks and an attack ad is scripted, produced, and aired, the conversation about whatever that scandal was has already come and gone online, transforming a once potent tactic into background noise,” notes Ms. Lapwosky.
TRUTH DROWN OUT BY THE DIN
Rita Kirk, a communications professor and pollster at Southern Methodist University, says voters she has interviewed are angry at a spectrum of things — “all over the board,” she says. But the voters also revealed that truthfulness was still very important to them — and that they would vote against a dishonest candidate.
But they also said it’s very difficult to sort out fact from fiction,” Ms. Kirk notes. “They felt there was so much political wrangling — that the noise was so high — they couldn’t make good determinations about who was telling the truth. The big thing is this: truth is the victim in this election.”
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: “Diamond in the Rough” mansion, built in 1935 in Paris, Texas. Three bedrooms, two baths, 3,264 square feet. Stately entry way, exterior tower with bay windows, rocking chair porch, original exterior lattice work. Formal dining and living rooms, parlor and sitting room, original floors, doors, woodworking and hardware; three brick fireplaces. Needs kitchen and bath upgrades and other repairs. Sold ’as is.’” Priced at $29,900 through C21php.com; found here.
POLL DU JOUR
• 55 percent of Americans favor diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba; 34 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 74 percent of Democrats agree.
• 51 percent overall approve of President Obama’s decision to visit Cuba; 21 percent of Republicans, 46 percent of independents and 82 percent of Democrats agree.
• 48 percent overall favor ending the trade embargo on Cuba; 34 percent of Republicans, 44 percent of independents and 64 percent of Democrats agree.
• 39 percent overall say they would vacation in Cuba; 22 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 56 percent of Democrats agree.
• 30 percent overall consider Cuba friendly or an ally; 14 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 19-22.
• Cheers, jeers, quips to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.