Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… A man is currently climbing Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan, using suction cups for his ascent. Somewhere Donald Trump is jotting down “Note to Self, WALL CANNOT BE MADE OF GLASS!!!”
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‘16 from 30,000
Nauseating. Painful. Screwed. Those were the words “Walmart moms” used to describe the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in two focus groups observed by NBC News. The overall feeling of 20 middle-class mothers who participated in the Phoenix, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio, panels could be described as...well...depression over the state of the presidential race.
Multiple women called it a choice between the “lesser of two evils.” One equated the choice to “choosing which arm to cut off.” The descriptions of both candidates, which ranged from harsh to downright brutal, mirror polling that shows the two hold historically low favorability ratings. “Walmart moms” have supported the winning candidate or party in every election since 2008, except in 2014 when the broke for Democrats in the midterms. And though only seven of the 20 said they were leaning towards supporting Clinton (with eight either undecided or looking at third party candidates), nearly all of them said they think Clinton will win. But the overall disdain shown by these women towards this year’s election has us wondering if they are going to show up to the polls at all come November. As a participant in Phoenix said, “I morally, in good conscience, could not vote for either one of them.”
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
Alex Seitz-Wald reports on the conspiracy theories fueled by WikiLeaks regarding a DNC staffer’s death.
You can read more from one of us(!) about the Wal-Mart moms focus group here.
If you live in - say - Florida, it ain’t going to be fun to watch TV for the next few months unless you really like political ads. Here’s why.
There are still a lot of registered Republicans who still doubt Barack Obama’s citizenship.
“An aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told a colleague that their boss lied at a 2013 press conference during which he told reporters that top staffers knew nothing of a scheme to punish a political opponent with lane closures at the George Washington Bridge, court documents released Wednesday alleged,” Jon Schuppe writes.
How likeable is Melania Trump?
FOR THE RECORD…
"He acts like a 2-year-old. I have a 2-year-old, I see the similarities,"
- Deanna, a mother of four in Phoenix who participated in a “Wal-Mart Moms” focus group Tuesday night.
TOMORROW’S SKED
Trump addresses the National Association of Homebuilders in Miami, then speaks to pastors and holds a rally in the Orlando area.
Hillary Clinton campaigns in Michigan.
Tim Kaine speaks to the Progressive National Baptist Convention in New Orleans.
Mike Pence is in Wisconsin.
