For the Record: Between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

Trump supporters are pretty hardcore. Hillary's "I'm with her" crowd has been with her for a decade. Bernie's supporters are building a movement. But how passionate can you possibly get about a placeholder on a ballot? We're about to find out.
Be in the know if a #NeverTrump movement ever successfully finds an alternative candidate —

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The advisory board has found only one candidate that we all can agree on: an American flag flapping majestically in the breeze. (Photo: Getty Images/VStock RF)

The latest #NeverTrump effort is a Republican-backed group called Better for America, which hopes to rally anti-Trump, anti-Clinton voters around ... someone. Who's it going to be? Look at you with all the questions. They haven't figured it out just yet, so just sit tight, all right?
The movement echoes efforts in 2008 (Unity08) and 2012 (Americans Elect), which sought to provide another alternative to the major-party nominees. Neither one of those groups were able to settle on a candidate via online, crowdsourced voting; the difference this time around is that Better for America will turn to an advisory board to select the final candidate. Right now, their immediate task is to collect signatures to get on the ballot in 48 states — the deadline has passed to get on the ballot in Texas and North Carolina — and figure out who they'll nominate down the road.
If there's reason for optimism for any third-party run, it's that 41% of Americans identify as independent, significantly more than both Democrats (30%) and Republicans (27%). The only problem is that those 41% aren't all in the same place ideologically; unaffiliated voters are each unhappy in their own way. For some, the ideal candidate would be someone who wants to dismantle the Department of Education; others would want a challenger who would ban guns; still others want a president who would repeal "Godfather III."
Wait, maybe we can all agree on that last one. At least it's a starting point.

Trumpin' 2: Electrump Boogaloo

Part of the campaign revamp is that Trump will stare into your very soul.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the first Lewandowski-free week for the Trump campaign, now with Paul Manafort taking the reins. A reset for Trump couldn't happen at a better time, as two polls have Hillary Clinton expanding her national lead. A Washington Post/ABC News poll has Clinton up by 12 (the same poll had them tied last month); an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has Hillary up by 5 (last month, the poll gave her a 3-point lead).
Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence says that attendance at Trump's rallies is getting smaller, with smaller-than-average crowds in Richmond, Virginia and Phoenix. Maybe enthusiasm is waning, or maybe he's suffering from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"-style overexposure. "People know who he is and they've made up their mind," said David Berman, an Arizona State University professor emeritus of political science and a senior research fellow at ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. "I don't know if you're going to hear anything new or see anything new. Once you've seen him, I don't know if you'd want to see him again."
So it's time to hear new material from Trump, right? Expanded policy positions, detailed agendas, maybe a VP nominee? Manafort appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday to talk about the timetable for the Trump Train: "Our campaign, frankly, is getting organized," Manafort told NBC's Chuck Todd. "This week we'll be making some major announcements ..."
— yes, this is it —
"... of people who are taking over in major positions of our national campaign, as well as our state campaigns."
Well, hell. All things being equal, we'd rather hear something other than who's going to be the deputy organizing director of northern Idaho.

Clinton says cities are where things are 'getting done,' implies deserts, caves aren't pulling their weight

"And don't even get me started on sand dunes and tidal marshes. Ain't nothing getting done there." (Photo: Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar)

Hillary Clinton was the first presidential candidate to address the U.S. Conference of Mayors, giving the crowd a glimpse into what a Hillary Clinton speech transcript might look like. If elected, she said she would work to make use of government funds more flexible for cities to allocate to housing, infrastructure and re-entry programs for former offenders released from prison.
Clinton's speech didn't contain many specifics. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” Clinton said. “We need to listen and respect one another. That’s why I will never plan for you. I hope we will plan with you ... Instead of solving problems, Washington is too often making them worse.” Clinton praised mayors for doing their jobs when they're bumping into constituents during grocery store runs and T-ball games. "You’ve actually got to deliver results because you know you are going to see them.”
The gathering of more than 200 mayors took place over the weekend in Indianapolis, although Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is expected to deliver a speech today. Donald Trump hasn't confirmed if he'll make an appearance.