Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… In his presidential announcement Tuesday, John Kasich noted that “everybody doesn't get a trophy for showing up.” Which is both an important point about the ideology of personal responsibility AND excellent advice for at least fifteen Republicans running for president.
THE LID: JULY 21, 2015
’16 AT 30 THOUSAND: This morning, our big sib First Read asked whether or not John Kasich could break through the clickbait behemoth that is The Donald. We’ll obviously have to see what coverage looks like over the next few days -- and where Kasich ends up in the polls -- but as of this writing, it ain’t looking great for the Ohio governor. One, Kasich didn’t do himself a lot of favors with his teleprompter-less speech, which -- while it struck important notes on his experience and the identity of the GOP at large -- came off as unpolished and disjointed. And two, media outlets largely zeroed in to Trump’s Olympic-level troll game against Lindsey Graham, which included reading the senator’s cell phone number aloud in retaliation for Graham calling him “a jackass.” By the way, by illustrating again today his willingness to go absolutely nuclear on rivals who attack him, Trump is certainly making some very unorthodox debate prep necessary for any candidate hoping to share the stage with him in August.
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POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
John Kasich made his presidential bid official Tuesday, saying “the sun is going to rise to the zenith in America again.”
Perry Bacon Jr. offers his take on what Kasich would need to do to win.
Trump gave out Lindsey Graham’s cell phone number at an event in Graham’s home state.
Even Rand Paul is getting pulled into the Trump troll game, writes msnbc’s Anthony Terrell.
NBC’s Perry Bacon Jr. writes that Trump is getting an assist from an unlikely ally: the press.
President Barack Obama used a speech at the VFW convention to defend the nuclear deal with Iran, NBC’s Halimah Abdullah and Kristin Donnelly report.
CAMPAIGN QUICK READS
BUSH: Jeb Bush received donations from at least 136 top-tier donors to his brother in the first 15 days of his presidential campaign, the Wall Street Journal reports.
CLINTON: It turns out that Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump are actually buddies, the LA Times reports.
PAUL: He’s going to great lengths to grab some attention in the saturated 2016 media environment. And it involves a chainsaw.
TRUMP: Bloomberg talked to a dozen Republican senators about Donald Trump. They’re eager for him to go away.
FOR THE RECORD…
“Probably getting a new phone. iPhone or Android?”
- Tweet from Lindsey Graham after Donald Trump gave out his cell phone number
TOMORROW’S SKED
Jeb Bush takes a tour of a pregnancy center in South Carolina before holding a town hall and traveling to New Hampshire for an evening event.
John Kasich, fresh off his entry into the 2016 race, holds two events in New Hampshire, where Lindsey Graham also campaigns.
Rick Perry attends an Opportunity & Freedom PAC forum in Washington DC.
