Wednesday Open Thread [7.9.14]

The GOP decided yesterday that they will hold their 2016 convention in Cleveland. Some say it is smart and may help the Republicans win Ohio, which they have to do in order to win the Presidency. I say the reverse is true: it will give Ohioans, especially those in the Cleveland collar counties that may think about voting GOP, a close up and personal look at the freak show that is a GOP convention, especially when you consider that the most likely nominee will either be Rand Paul or Ted Cruz. Meanwhile, Politico tells us that the Cleveland convention for the GOP will be held much earlier that usual this time, like at the end of July or beginning of August. Well, actually, that is the way it used to be. Conventions were not held back to back at the end of August or beginning of September. The person who started that tradition was none other than George W. Bush, who wanted to move the 2004 convention to the week of September 11 so that he could fully and cravenly politicize the terrorist attack that he allowed to happen on his watch. Such a late convention for the GOP forced the Dems to move theirs up to late August so that it would not be three months since their convention. And that pattern stuck around in 2008 and 2012. Normally, the opposition party held its convention in July, and the incumbent party held theirs in mid August.

NATIONAL–GENERIC CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT–Quinnipiac : Democrats 41, Republicans 39. This is the same result Republicans had in 2010 at this time of year (i.e. in ’10, the GOP led 41-39).

NEW HAMPSHIRE–GOVERNOR–WMUR-TV Granite State: Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) 55, Walt Havenstein (R) 29; Hassan (D) 54, Andrew Hemingway (R) 28.

MASSACHUSETTS–GOVERNOR–WBUR/MassInc: Martha Coakley (D) 41, Charlie Baker (R) 28.

MASSACHUSETTS–GOVERNOR–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–Boston Globe: Coakley (D) 52, Steve Grossman (D) 19.

MASSACHUSETTS–GOVERNOR–Boston Globe: Coakley (D) 40, Charlie Baker (R) 31.

Dana Millbank:

“Imperial Japan taught its soldiers that death was preferable to surrender. The tea party’s code is similar: Stand firm, regardless of the odds of success or the consequences of failure. I’ve argued before that the struggle between the Republican establishment and the tea party is no longer about ideology — establishment figures have mostly co-opted tea party views — but about temperament.”

“It has become the amiable vs. the angry, the civil vs. the uncivil, a conservatism of the head vs. a conservatism of the spleen. The division now is between those who would govern and those who would sooner burn the whole place to the ground — and, in this struggle, McDaniel carries a torch.”

And you see that difference in the impeachment calls. You see, the tea party, represented by Jodi Ernst of Iowa and Sarah Palin of Dumbfuckistan, are openly calling for impeachment. Conservatives of the head, like Boehner and the House leadership, are attempted to mollify this fever by doing this lawsuit thing. It won’t work.

NATIONAL–IRAQ WAR BLAME–Quinnipiac: 58% of Americans believe President Obama’s decision to withdraw troops from Iraq in 2011 was the right thing to do. 61% said that George W. Bush’s decision to invade in 2003 was the wrong thing to do and 51% of voters blame Bush for the current problems in Iraq.

NEW YORK–GOVERNOR–Wall Street Journal/WNBC-TV/Marist: Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) 59, Rob Astorino (R) 24.