Ramaswamy schedules ‘Stop World War III’ rally

NEWS AND OPINION:

Presidential hopefuls can host many noteworthy or unusual events in their many months on the campaign trail. Vivek Ramaswamy is no exception. The Republican candidate sent this particular notice to Inside the Beltway of such an event.

“Political outsider and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will host a rally on Tuesday night to ‘Stop World War III’ in Miami ahead of the next GOP presidential debate,” his campaign advised in a written statement.

The event will be staged in a museum and performing arts center, but there were not many details about the activities, except that the gathering begins at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

The candidate has mentioned World War III before on the campaign trail, however.

“I am worried we’re about to repeat some of our foreign policy disasters as we speak, as we march towards World War III,” he says in a 60-second campaign spot titled “How to Avoid World War III,” which was released Nov. 1.

“My moral obligation as your next president is to look after the interests of Americans here in the homeland — period. Not to fight somebody else’s war,” he advises viewers.

“As your next president, my top objectives when it comes to foreign policy is to keep us out of World War III, to declare economic independence from Communist China and then to secure this homeland — starting with our own borders and our own missile defense systems in the United States of America. That’s how I’m going to lead this country,” Mr. Ramaswamy concluded.

Former President Donald Trump also mentioned the ultimate conflict, fretting in a campaign outreach on Monday that President Biden now “pushes America to the brink of World War III.”

TUESDAY: WHAT TO WATCH

So Tuesday is Election Day. Should you pay attention? Why, yes.

“Voters in several states will head to the polls to choose their leaders at the state and local level. As in years past, these off-year elections will serve as an important bellwether for next year’s election and the future of our country. As the results come in, here’s what you should be watching,” advises Firehouse Strategies — a public affairs firm based in the nation’s capital — in a written report shared with Inside the Beltway.

It offered some terse advice, and focused on four pivotal states: Virginia, New Jersey, Kentucky and Ohio.

“While there are elections every year in Virginia, this year is particularly unique with Gov. Glenn Youngkin investing heavily in early voting through his ’Secure Your Vote Virginia’ initiative to help his party regain control of the Virginia Senate and hold the House of Delegates’ slim majority. Will these efforts help?” the report asked.

“Another noteworthy election to keep an eye on this cycle is the Kentucky gubernatorial race between Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear and the state’s current attorney general, Republican Daniel Cameron. Some may point to Donald Trump’s sizable 2020 victory in Kentucky as reason for Democrats to panic, but political insiders in the state are quick to point out the fact that Cameron was forced to spend much of his war chest to win the Republican primary earlier this year, which could cause problems for him,” the report said.

Then it’s on to New Jersey.

“While the number of registered Democrats still outweighs the number of Republicans in the state, political operatives in the state could see Republicans winning some races in north Jersey. Though this might not be enough to change the state legislature’s control from blue to red, these races will be an important indicator of whether Republicans can drive turnout and make gains in Democratic-leaning areas,” the report said, noting that Republican-leaning precincts in south Jersey and swing precincts in north Jersey were of particular interest.

Which brings us to Ohio.

“Keep a close eye on heavily Democratic areas — if turnout here is high, it shows that reproductive rights and marijuana legalization are still strong motivating factors for Democrats heading into next year. Also, take a look at moderate Republican areas — if these voters back both initiatives as they did the one in August, it shows Republicans can be persuaded to cross party lines on these issues,” the report said.

40 REASONS

Most people don’t need 40 different examples of evidence on whether “Bidenomics is a bust.”

The Republican Party, however, offers a list of, yes, 40 reasons why President Biden’s economic policy is foundering and floundering on the political stage at the moment.

Indeed, GOP analyst Jake Schneider has compiled a list of 40 factors reflecting the dismal economic outlook for the typical American. Importantly, each item comes with a direct link to the actual source of the information.

Here are just 10 items from Mr. Schneider’s list, which was released Monday:

• Credit card debt has surpassed $1 trillion for the first time.

• Middle-class households have lost, on average, more than $33,000 in real wealth over the past year.

• Americans need to earn a record $114,627 a year to afford a median-priced home.

• Prices have risen by 17.7% since Mr. Biden took office.

• Most Americans report living from paycheck to paycheck.

• Most Americans report feeling “financially stressed.”

• Business bankruptcies shot up 30% over the last fiscal year.

• A record number of Americans are spending $1,000 or more on their monthly car payments.

• The average child care payment is up by 32% since 2019.

• A majority of Americans say they’re not on track to comfortably retire.

Find the complete list at the GOP.com/rapid-response/40-reasons-bidenomics-is-a-bust/” target=”_blank”>RNC website, GOP.com.

POLL DU JOUR

• 64% of U.S. adults think having a gun in the house makes it a “safer place” to be.

• 32% believe that having a gun in the house makes it a “more dangerous” place to be.

• 56% say laws governing the sale of guns should be made “more strict.”

• 31% say gun laws should be “kept as they are now.”

• 12% say gun laws should be “less strict.”

• 44% have a gun in their home or on their property.

• 30% own a gun.

• 27% say there should be a law that would “ban possession of a handgun” except by the police and other authorized people.

SOURCE: A Gallup Poll of 1,009 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 2-23 and released Monday.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin and on Facebook at HarperUniverse.