ChrisWeigant.com

Archive of Articles in the "2016 Elections" Category

Why I'll Be Watching The "Kids' Table" Debate

[ Posted Monday, July 27th, 2015 – 17:09 UTC ]

As I've been predicting for a while now, the fight for the final two slots in the first primetime Republican presidential debate has begun to heat up. When Fox News announced that they would be limiting the number of candidates invited to their debate to only the top ten in polling, it was inevitable that there would be a struggle to get on the main stage. But there will also be a "consolation prize" debate (better known as the "kids' table" debate) earlier in the day, which will feature those who didn't make the cut -- and it could wind up being even more interesting and quotable than the main event.

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Friday Talking Points [354] -- Following The Trump Whirlwind

[ Posted Friday, July 24th, 2015 – 16:57 UTC ]

Two weeks ago, we kind of went out on a limb (the polling evidence was not all that clear when we wrote it) and subtitled our previous column: "Donald Trump, Frontrunner." Since that time, such a statement has gone from being a wild prediction to becoming an equally-wild reality. The first Republican presidential debate is happening in less than two weeks, and Donald Trump is not only guaranteed one of the ten slots, he will quite likely be at the center of the stage, since his poll numbers currently dwarf all the other GOP contenders.

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The Last Gay Rights Legislative Battle

[ Posted Thursday, July 23rd, 2015 – 16:17 UTC ]

There's a battle beginning in Congress over civil rights. Those in favor of gay rights are attempting what might become the last legislative battle they ever have to fight. Those against gay rights are attempting to legalize discrimination against gay people -- married gay people in particular. Both are reactions to the Supreme Court ruling that gay marriage is a civil right for everyone in America, of course. And, because of the timing, both issues will likely resonate in the presidential nomination contests currently underway.

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Feeling The Bern

[ Posted Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015 – 16:47 UTC ]

Yes, it's true. This past weekend, I joined 11,000 other people in Phoenix to "feel the Bern," as the supporters of Bernie Sanders would put it. Sanders held a rally in the city immediately after the Netroots Nation conference concluded, which made it pretty easy for me to attend (and take a few photos). Netroots routinely draws a crowd of around 3,000, so even if everyone from the conference went to the Bernie rally (actually, not everyone did), the conference crowd could only roughly have been about a quarter of the people there to see Bernie. The rest were locals from a very red state. All there to feel the Bern, as it were.

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The Republican Race Tightens

[ Posted Tuesday, July 21st, 2015 – 14:34 UTC ]

It's time once again to take a look at the vastness of the Republican field of candidates for president. The last time I devoted an article to the Republican primary race was back in May, so like it or not, the time has come again.

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Where Was Hillary?

[ Posted Monday, July 20th, 2015 – 17:20 UTC ]

As for the Netroots Nation convention itself, the most notable thing was that two Democratic candidates for president showed up, and three did not. Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley were both on hand to court Lefties, but I had to wonder where Hillary Clinton was. Lincoln Chafee seems to barely be running, so it's easy to see why he might not have had the cash on hand for a plane ticket. Jim Webb seems to only be courting Southern white voters, so he may have made a conscious decision to snub Netroots. But Hillary's absence was indeed notable.

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Candidate Speech Series: Bernie Sanders

[ Posted Friday, July 17th, 2015 – 15:39 UTC ]

Today, we stand here and say loudly and clearly that: "Enough is enough. This great nation and its government belong to all of the people, and not to a handful of billionaires, their Super-PACs and their lobbyists."

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Candidate Speech Series: Hillary Clinton

[ Posted Thursday, July 16th, 2015 – 16:51 UTC ]

I know how hard hit Nevadans were by the Great Recession. This state in particular suffered some very tough blows. There was a much higher than average foreclosure rate, for example. A lot of people lost their jobs or their hours were cut dramatically, which made it more difficult for them to continue to make a good living.

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Candidate Speech Series: Lincoln Chafee

[ Posted Wednesday, July 15th, 2015 – 14:00 UTC ]

We must deliberately and carefully extricate ourselves from expensive wars. Just think about how better this money could be spent.

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Candidate Speech Series: Martin O'Malley

[ Posted Tuesday, July 14th, 2015 – 13:27 UTC ]

I want to talk with you today about The American Dream we share -- its powerful history, its current condition, and most importantly, its urgent need for rebuilding.

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