NEWS AND OPINION:
President Trump’s foes appear to be in permanent uproar, and no wonder. The former “Judge Brett Kavanaugh” is now “Justice Brett Kavanaugh.” Economic and employment trends are percolating, diplomatic gains continue. But worst of all for Democrats is the fact that the midterm elections are now 29 days off. That’s just 696 hours away, using simple math. Democratic panic is escalating, even as some surprising positive news coverage about Mr. Trump emerges from unlikely sources — such as an accounting of Mr. Trump’s “winning streak” from CNN:
“Trump may have never had a better time being President. Only a re-election party on the night of November 3, 2020, could possibly offer the same vindication for America’s most unconventional commander in chief as the 36 hours in which two foundational strands of his political career are combining in a sudden burst of history” wrote CNN analyst Stephen Collinson.
“Kavanaugh confirmation marks the triumph of Trumpism,” noted the New Yorker.
Meanwhile, the White House remains on task. A deft and often good-humored communications team continually reminds press and public about the administration’s gains, backed up with relevant news accounts and solid government data. The seemingly indefatigable Mr. Trump appears almost nonstop at “Make America Great Again” campaign rallies in pivotal states — a strategy which worked during his 2016 campaign, and appears to be paying off as the midterms approach.
Michael Glassner, CEO of the Trump campaign, now refers to these events as the “national midterm campaign tour.”
And it is a tour. Mr. Trump was in Topeka, Kansas, on Saturday. He’ll be in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Tuesday; Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday; and Lebanon, Ohio, on Friday — the 24th rally that Mr. Trump has held in the Buckeye State since he began his quest for the White House three years ago. At week’s end, the president will journey to Richmond, Kentucky.
These events draw national press coverage, along with 10,000 seated spectators — and another estimated 10-12,000 people at overflow viewing sites or simply lingering by the venue, happy to be part of what many consider to be a historic event.
“It was so festive and happy and well-mannered. It was just a great place to be. It was fun. Everyone was waving American flags,” one elated Trump voter recently told talk radio host Rush Limbaugh following a rally last week in Tennessee.
READY TO ROAR
Please meet the “Mama Bears” — a whole new category of “outraged” women. But in this case, they are Republican women disgusted over the treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“Democrats face backlash from ’mama bears’ angered by Kavanaugh hearing,” notes The New York Post.
“In Huntsville, Ala., mom Vickie Freeman wept for joy as she watched Brett Kavanaugh testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. And now that he’s been confirmed as the country’s 114th Supreme Court justice, she has a name for herself and other Republican moms galvanized by the tense and partisan confirmation process,” explains the New York Post.
“We are the ’Mama Bears,’ absolutely. And it has really fired us up to vote,” Mrs. Freeman told The Post.
AMERICANS AGREE ON ’NATIONAL DISGRACE’
Democrats are in high dudgeon over Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation; that’s a given. They are fundraising off the event, and it has inspired unprecedented partisan vitriol, and vows that the nation will rush to the polls to elect Democrats on Nov. 6.
Not necessarily.
A new Harvard-Harris poll found that 69 percent of Americans called the Kavanaugh hearing “a national disgrace,” with 55 percent agreeing that Democrats were “completely partisan” in their handling of the Kavanaugh matter. A new Rasmussen Reports poll also finds the public agrees that process became a “search and destroy” mission — a term Justice Kavanaugh himself used at one point.
“Most voters think he’s right. Even Democrats are conflicted,” the poll analysis said.
The survey found that 56 percent of all likely U.S. voters agreed the nomination was “a national disgrace” — that includes 77 percent of Republicans, 51 percent of independents and even 40 percent of Democrats.
TRUMP SALUTES COLUMBUS
“On Columbus Day, we commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition — all values we cherish as Americans.
Christopher Columbus’ spirit of determination and adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans,” noted President Trump in his official proclamation.
“On Columbus Day, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, and celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. His expedition formed the initial bond between Europe and the Americas, and changed the world forever. Today, in that spirit, we continue to seek new horizons for greater opportunity and further discovery on land, in sea, and in space,” the president said.
THRILLS FOUND ELSEWHERE IN WASHINGTON
While political terrors rise and fall around the nation’s capital, seasonal revelries take on a unique quality in the city for myriad reasons.
A few samples from ThingstoDo.com, a local events organization that monitors the big doings of the young and restless. Their suggestions, in where-else-but Washington:
“Halloween Haunted Scavenger Hunt of DC: Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue,” “Trick or treat Embassy Row walking tour,” “Black Tie Day of the Dead Gala at the Mexican Embassy,” “Ghost of Abraham Lincoln guided walking tour,” “Ghosts and Gargoyles: Haunted secrets of the Washington National Cathedral,” and the “Haunted limousine scavenger hunt.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 45 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court; 64 percent of Republicans, 36 percent of independents and 41 percent of Democrats agree.
• 33 percent have an unfavorable opinion; 20 percent of Republicans, 34 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats agree.
• 28 percent say the Supreme Court is conservative; 18 percent of Republicans, 21 percent of independents and 47 percent of Democrats agree.
• 32 percent think it’s “moderate”; 40 percent of Republicans, 32 percent of independents and 26 percent of Democrats agree.
• 13 percent say the court is liberal; 20 percent of Republicans, 13 percent of independents and 9 percent of Democrats agree.
• 26 percent are unsure about the ideology; 21 percent of Republicans, 34 percent of independents and 19 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 2.
• Enjoy your Columbus Day and thanks for reading Inside the Beltway.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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