Jul.17

electoral-vote.com

Dem 51

   

GOP 49

...Or about the Assassination Attempt

We doubt you've already forgotten that there was an attempt on Donald Trump's life. Certainly, you didn't forget it if you watched any part of the RNC, since there were constant references to his heroism on that day, not to mention people wearing ear bandages that mirror the former president's. As a sidebar, (Z) was also once shot at with a semi-automatic weapon, and he also ducked to avoid being killed (though his shoes remained in place). Please send e-mails congratulating him on his heroism to comments@electoral-vote.com.

Anyhow, the RNC might be the big story of the day and the week, but there has still been news on the assassination front. Here's a rundown:

• Polls: There have been three national preference polls conducted since the shooting. Reuters/Ipsos has it Trump 43%, Biden 41%. Morning Consult has it Trump 46%, Biden 45%. Redfield and Wilton Strategies has it Trump 43%, Biden 42%. In all three cases, the numbers were basically the same before the shooting.
  
  There's also one other poll that may be of interest; it is from InsiderAdvantage/WAGA (Atlanta). According to their numbers, Biden lags Trump in Georgia by three points, 47% to 44%, while Kamala Harris lags Trump in Georgia by ten points, 47% to 37%. We do not know which voters are with Biden but not (yet) Harris, but it's clearly the case that a switch in candidates would mean a loss of support in some key states. The $64,000 question is whether that loss would be temporary or permanent.
  
  
• Calls: While 95% of the attention has been paid to Donald Trump, the real victim of the shooting was Corey Comperatore, who died protecting his family from injury. As of Tuesday morning, one of the two major-party candidates had called Comperatore's widow Helen to express condolences, and it was not Trump. She declined to take the call from Biden, given that she is a Trumper. Later in the day, someone brought the oversight to Trump's attention, and he finally put in a call to Helen Comperatore. This is reminder #729 that empathy just isn't Trump's thing. Some people have it, some don't, and he doesn't.
  
  
• Demolition Ranch: It has now been reported that the shooter was wearing a Demolition Ranch t-shirt. Demolition Ranch is a YouTube channel for gun lovers. This is being treated as VERY IMPORTANT. We do not know why, but we pass it along, in case it says more to readers than it does to us.
  
  
• $15: Many Democrats are hanging their hats on the fact that the shooter was a Republican. Many Republicans are hanging their hats on the fact that the shooter once donated a few bucks to a lefty group. For a day or so, there was a story circulating that the $15 donation to Progressive Turnout Project was actually from a different guy with the name Thomas Crooks. Snopes points out that is not the case; the donation and the voter registration have the same address.
  
  At this point, if there was some obvious indication as to the motivations behind the shootings, it would surely have been found by law enforcement, or reporters, or both. That no such evidence has come to light strongly suggests we're not going to learn much more than we already know. And based on the information that is currently available, it looks a lot like the shooter was just a loner looking to lash out, and was not politically motivated.
  
  
• Profit Motive: If you had "3 days" in your "How long before Trump tries to make money off this?" pool, you're a winner. Yesterday, a Trump-owned company announced a limited-edition commemorative assassination attempt shoe:
  
  
  
  These beauties can be yours for the low, low price of $299. But hurry, because you wouldn't want your friends to show up at your place wearing their assassination shoes before you're able to get yours.
  
  
• Israel: You surely didn't expect to see this here, but it's a strange world. In short, the once-warm relationship between Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu grew somewhat frosty because Netanyahu had the temerity to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory in 2020. "Fu** him," was Trump's exact response, and they have not spoken since. Since Saturday, the PM has been using the shooting to rekindle his relationship with the former president, primarily by making the case that he knows what it's like to feel unsafe in public.

And that's the latest news on this front. (Z)