Leid Stories – Taking Stock of the Political Landscape, Which Way Forward? – 06.28.16

The duopoly’s national conventions are just weeks away—the Republicans meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18-21; the Democrats, in Philadelphia, Pa., July 25-28. Political and party fireworks leading up to the nominating conventions are likely not to change the predetermined outcomes: Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee; Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, in the general election.

Hence, our discussion today: Which way forward for those who find both candidates, and the parties and process that have produced them, detestable?

Leid Stories – Election 2016: It’s Judgment Day, Kinda – 06.07.16

It’s a big day in presidential primaries—with contests in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota that will further enshrine Donald Trump as the Republican nominee and help Hillary Clinton finally to put Bernie Sanders out of her field of dreams. By the end of the day, the delegate count will “predict” the outcome of the parties’ nomination conventions next month (July 18-21 in Cleveland for the Republicans, and July 25-28 in Philadelphia for the Democrats).

Trump’s 1239 delegates (1,237 needed for nomination) and stunning, though controversial, victories that edged out 16 other candidates in primary contests have all but secured his position as standard bearer in the general election. But Clinton hasn’t been able to shake a persistent Sanders, despite delegate/superdelegate support (1,812/571, respectively) that yesterday brought her to the 2,383 threshold and the advantages of political longevity, big-money donors and a well-oiled campaign machine.

Leid Stories looks at where the 2016 political season stands right now and why, with today’s roster of primaries, it’s Judgment Day, kinda.