For the Record: Bring on the wild cards
If presidential campaigns are entering the fall doldrums, why not shake things up? Let’s rap about issues and find some wild card candidates to talk about. Why not?
Kanye West, presidential speechwriter
Republican candidate Ben Carson is excited about Kanye West’s possible 2020 run for president, saying the rapper would “be able to explain things.” But why wait another four years to unleash Yeezus’s genius on voters? He already has a ton of songs that, with a few tweaks, could help candidates easily explain big issues like campaign-finance reform. Can you hear it now? “We’re not saying she’s a gold digger/ but she’s messin’ with those Koch brothers.”
Phishers of men
Every campaign wants your money – er, support. But think twice before you share your name or e-mail on candidates’ websites. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Online Trust Alliance found that most sites routinely share your information with third parties. Republican Ted Cruz even has the cojones to routinely access contacts on your mobile device (you give the campaign permission by registering on the site, according to its security policy). Dude. That is so not cool.
Biden poll is a ‘big f-ing deal’
What does it say about the race when a guy who isn’t running is more popular than any other candidate? Voters view Democratic Vice President Joe Biden more favorably than the frontrunners of both parties, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. He also polled significantly higher than Hillary Clinton in theoretical general-election matchups. To quote Biden's open-mic Obamacare gaffe, that's a “big f-ing deal” for the future of the Democratic ticket.
About those wild cards
What if Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee got primetime slots at the next Republican debate on Oct. 28, and Donald Trump and Ben Carson were relegated to an earlier event? That’s what Lindsey Graham’s campaign would like to see, lobbying Republican leaders to host two debates that night and randomly divide candidates among them. Such an approach probably won’t get the TV ratings sponsors want to see. But it could expose voters to candidates they hadn’t previously considered. And that might pleasantly shake up GOP Throwdown 3.0 (The One After Everyone Stopped Caring).
Smoke 'em if you understand 'em
Should marijuana be legal? Voters in multiple states are expected to face yes-or-no ballot propositions in 2016. But ask presidential candidates to answer similar questions and most of their responses are, well, hazy. According to a Forbes.com analysis, Republican Marco Rubio says states should be able to make their own decisions on pot. But he’d also enforce federal laws outlawing what states have legalized. Wait – how does that work, again?