So when it comes to Trump’s utterances, you have to consider three things before coming to any kind of reasoned conclusion. First listen to what he said (not what is reported, as sometimes they differ), then try and decipher what he is actually trying to say as he is an awfully clumsy and frequently cryptic speaker, and then read how the media spin what he says to support their agenda (whether Fox on one extreme or MSNBC on the other). Only after doing all three can you make any kind of sense out of what at times seems like gibberish.
Based on my experience talking to a broad spectrum of Americans, it is simply impossible for someone who is a hard line Republican or a hard line Democrat to go through those steps, as they are generally stuck on the narrative from either Fox or MSNBC. The only opinions I actually pay any attention to these days are people who don’t use either as their source, and believe it or not that’s increasingly most people. The influence of the mainstream media is greatly overstated, most people see it for what it is and pay little attention to it.
On the issue of foreign help with elections, the head of the FEC came out today and stated categorically that it is illegal for anyone running for public office to solicit help from a foreign national. So what would Trump say in response to the charge? He would of course laugh and say that in the midst of the 2016 election cycle the DNC paid a UK spy to go to Russia and pay Russian operatives for dirt on candidate Trump. How is that not soliciting help from foreign nationals? The truth of course is that both parties have been doing it and it didn’t start recently.
Specifically on the Clinton emails and asking Russia for help, again the context there is that the DNC server had been hacked early in 2016 (long before the Podesta hack) and Russia was suspected as being behind the hack, and around the same time Clinton was under subpoena to produce her emails to congress. She at first refused and then later claimed that 30,000 emails were deleted or lost accidentally. Trump during one of the debates asked sarcastically if Russia (who apparently are so good at hacking) could find these lost or deleted emails. Again, if you went through the three steps I outlined above, that’s how any reasonably intelligent person would read it.
I think Biden has been harmed by this latest scandal and regardless of what you think of Trump its a bad optic for him. The reality that most informed people are aware of is that Hunter Biden was a substance abuser who was thrown out of the military, had a cocaine and crack habit, and somehow magically came up with a plum job in Ukraine that paid $600K a year, coincidentally just after Daddy was assigned by Obama to be the point person for matters related to the Ukraine. At the very least it sounds a little shady.
Cue @Sidney accusing me of supporting Trump, when what I am doing is answering your question honestly from the perspective of how I would say the majority of Americans view these issues. US politics is in an awful state, the ordinary person like myself regards both parties as completely and utterly corrupt and somewhat beyond redemption. Perhaps a Democrat like Warren can restore some hope, and I do believe she is genuine, but you would worry about her ability to withstand a Trump onslaught. In that regard I think Harris is better equipped as she would eviscerate Trump in the debates.
I see Bernie plans to participate in the next debate, I think it’s a mistake, time for him to bow out, the campaign trail is not place for a 78 year old with a faulty ticker.
Trump is going to brazen this out and fight tooth and nail, it would be suicidal for Democrats to underestimate him. There are a hell of a lot of people in this country who for all Trump’s faults honestly believe he has their best interests at heart. That might sound mad, but these are people who are utterly fed up of politicians from both parties ignoring their concerns for decades, while lining their own pockets.