The Fix’s week in politics
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Version 0 of 1. They held firm on their decision not to consider anyone President Obama might nominate to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, even if he picks a Republican. Last week Obama briefly floated Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, a moderate and popular Republican, as someone he was vetting. Suggesting a Republican may not have been a coincidence, as it came a day after Senate Republicans said they wouldn’t even meet with an Obama nominee. But top Republicans didn’t blink at the prospect of having to say no to one of their own. They’re banking that by playing hardball on this, they can rally their base in November to win the White House, keep control of the Senate and get to decide who fills this Supreme Court vacancy — and possibly others. Sandoval pulled his name out of consideration after less than 24 hours. Donald Trump looks unstoppable on his way to the Republican nomination. If he wins big on Super Tuesday, as expected, it would be hard for anyone to beat him. That is potentially good news for Democrats. In the RealClearPolitics average of head-to-head general election matchups, Trump is the only Republican candidate who trails Hillary Clinton, if only by two points. (We’ll add a heavy caveat here that general-election polling this early in the race isn't that reliable, since we don't yet know who will be the nominees.) But Democrats would almost certainly rather take their chances with the polarizing Trump — a recent Washington Post/Univision poll indicated eight in 10 Hispanics have an unfavorable view of the bombastic billionaire — than Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) or Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). — Amber Phillips The number of states that will hold a Republican or Democratic primary or caucuses on Tuesday, the single-biggest nominating contest this election cycle. The number of Hispanic voters who said Trump's hard-line and controversial views on immigration are not indicative of the Republican Party as a whole, according to a Washington Post/Univision survey. The speaking time (in minutes), as tallied by Politico, for Ben Carson in Thursday's two-hour-plus GOP debate. Carson spoke for about half as much as one of the leading candidates, Ted Cruz. |