For the Record's week in review: We play the ‘politics newsletter’ card
There’s a certain magic to Donald Trump’s rhetoric that lets him alter the very meanings of words as soon as they leave his mouth. Take, for instance, the phrase “like a dog.”
As others have noted, Trump has described his enemies as getting “fired like a dog” (though dogs don’t hold jobs), as “sweating like a dog” (though dogs don’t sweat), and as “begging for money like a dog” (though dogs only beg for Beggin Strips).
This week, the Republican front-runner dusted off the phrase “the woman card,” and we’re still not entirely sure what he means.
The ‘What does that even mean, Mr. Trump?’ Card
After sweeping five primaries Tuesday, Trump turned to his presumed general election opponent Hillary Clinton. Trump attributed her campaign’s success solely to “the woman’s card,” which likely induced eye-rolling among Clinton’s supporters (and maybe Trump supporter Mary Pat Christie – we’re not quite sure).
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Asked to elaborate Thursday on the Today show, Trump said that “without the woman’s card, Hillary would not even be a viable person to even run for city council positions.”
So by “the woman’s card” Trump meant that Clinton’s gender let her pick up support she otherwise wouldn’t have. OK. Got it. So do women vote for Clinton because of her gender, then? Nope, Trump said, not at all.
"No, I think they vote for security. I think they vote for jobs,” he told Today. “And that's why I'm doing so well.”
So to recap: Clinton uses the “woman’s card,” Trump said, but the card itself offers no advantage. But there other cards, too. As Trump tweeted in December: “Be careful Hillary as you play the war on women or women being degraded card."
Of course, the “war on women or women being degraded card." We always forget that one.
That other fight this week: ‘Lucifer in the flesh’
No one gets along with everyone they work with, but it’s rare anyone would describe a former colleague the way former House speaker John Boehner characterized Ted Cruz during an appearance at Stanford University on Wednesday. Of the Texas senator, Boehner said he’s “Lucifer in the flesh” and that he’s “never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”
Cruz didn’t seem too bothered by Boehner’s assessment, reponding that he barely knew him and that the former speaker was letting his “inner Trump come out.”
If there were a Capitol Hill version of The Office, sounds like the Boehner-Cruz episode would’ve been a doozy.
In lighter news ... Fiorina serenades during VP announcement
Ted Cruz’s announcement that Carly Fiorina would join him on the GOP ticket was unusual for a couple of reasons. First, there was the obvious political one, which is that Cruz is trailing Donald Trump badly in delegates — particularly after Trump’s five-state primary sweep on Tuesday — and the announcement of a running mate almost always comes after a candidate has clinched the presidential nomination. In fact, the last time someone did so in advance of securing the top spot on the ticket was Ronald Reagan in 1976, in what was ultimately a losing bid to defeat Gerald Ford at the Republican convention.
The other reason the Fiorina announcement was a bit unconventional? She sang to Cruz’s daughters during her speech, with lyrics that included: “I know two girls that I just adore, I’m so happy I can see them more.”
While we did not conduct an exhaustive review of past announcements to determine whether this was a historical first, we’re reasonably certain Joe Biden and Dick Cheney did not break into song when they were tapped as running mates.
ICYMI: Other serious and not-so-serious developments on the campaign trail
- That whole Cruz/Kasich alliance thing? Eh, never mind. (USA TODAY)
- Number-crunching: Sanders might be fading, but he still has millions more votes than Cruz (USA TODAY)
- Ted Cruz, you're going to need a bigger runway (The Indianapolis Star)
- This guy spent $12 million on a congressional race — and lost (USA TODAY)
- No #womancard jokes here: Female candidates will be key as Dems pursue Senate majority (USA TODAY)
- Kasich & wife discuss his political future over laundry (The Cincinnati Enquirer)