NEWS AND OPINION:
Pundits, press and the public continue to laud or condemn Republican front-runner Donald Trump with equal enthusiasm. Longtime culture observer Camille Paglia is among the friendlies, noting in a surprising Salon essay, “Trump’s fearless candor and brash energy feel like a great gust of fresh air, sweeping the tedious cliches and constant guilt-tripping of political correctness out to sea.” Conservative media maven Glenn Beck, on the other hand, says Mr. Trump is “a new low in presidential demeanor.”
And the candidate himself? He is busy taking care of business, of course. Mr. Trump will be in Florida, Missouri, Illinois and Ohio over the weekend — then it’s back to Miami on Monday for a rally at one of his own hotels — just a day before the all-important Florida primary.
Sen. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, has some star power this weekend. He will campaign with Carly Fiorina, Sean Hannity and the aforementioned Mr. Beck in Florida, followed by an appearance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Sen. Marco Rubio is all about the Sunshine State, appearing at multiple events. He has also received the endorsement of one George Patton Waters, grandson of General George S. Patton. Mr. Waters, a Navy vet, notes, “My grandfather was a fighter, and he would have been proud of Marco Rubio’s fight against Donald Trump. When Marco gets hit, he hits back. My grandfather once said, ’We got through on good old American guts.’ That will be the story of Marco Rubio.”
Not overlooked as he pines for more positive poll numbers: Gov. John Kasich, who is back on his home turf. He spends the weekend in Ohio for nine events, accompanied by Sen. Rob Portman.
FOR THE LEXICON
“Vote Trump, Get Dumped”
SEE ALSO: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Spike Lee among Hollywood stars denouncing Donald Trump
— A new website and social media push advising opponents of Republican front-runner Donald Trump: “Those who vote Trump should understand this: No sex. No dates. No chance. Join us by wielding your influence. Until Trump is defeated, we don’t date, sleep with, or canoodle with Trump supporters.” The effort was launched earlier this week by Blake and Chandler Smith, according to National Review. The Ohio-based couple has since started a public petition for their cause.
SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has released a report titled “Terror Gone Viral,” which parses 75 Islamic State-linked terrorist plots against the West to date. The unembellished takeaway: “The United States is overwhelmingly the group’s main target,” says the Texas Republican, who plans to release an additional analysis in April revealing “terrorist exploitation” of refugee patterns and open borders.
“Focus on ’do-it-yourself’ jihad has allowed them to franchise their attacks worldwide, achieving a tempo of violence that has surpassed even al Qaeda’s most violent years,” says Mr. McCaul. “However, this report reminds us that we cannot win by simply bombing terrorist safe havens. Today’s jihadists are finding shelter in virtual safe havens, too, and recruiting with the ease of a retweet. That is why a counter-ISIS strategy focused on Syria and Iraq just won’t cut it. We need a global plan to defeat Islamist terrorists and a robust coalition to see it through.”
MR. LEVIN HAS A SAY
Conservative broadcast kingpin Mark Levin has endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz for president, and here’s his rationale:
SEE ALSO: Ben Carson to endorse Donald Trump on Friday at Mar-a-Lago
“He appreciates, he embraces, he understands, and he has fought for the Constitution, the Republic, individual sovereignty, separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, family, faith, a secure border, our national security,” Mr. Levin said. “Nobody is perfect. My great idol Ronald Reagan wasn’t perfect. So it’s not that we seek perfection, or that we look for nitpicking ways to oppose somebody. You look at the whole picture, you take the whole life of the individual, you look at their entire career over a period of time. And when you do that it really is a simple decision is it not? If you’re a conservative, if you’re a constitutionalist, if you’ve been a tea party activist, if you’re a Reaganite or Reagan Democrat, it really is in the end a simple decision.”
AND DON’T FORGET THOSE EMAILS
The Republican National Committee is not about to let questions about Hillary Clinton’s emails fade into obscurity. The organization has launched ClintonEmailFacts.gop to explain the five rules Mrs. Clinton broke while using an unsecure, private server as secretary of state. There’s also an analysis the classified emails involved, and a timeline.
“Hillary Clinton and her campaign have attempted to distract, deceive and confuse the American people about the truth, and this site breaks down the facts so voters understand the full scope of her reckless conduct,” says RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “The truth is that on more than 2,000 occasions, Hillary Clinton sent or received classified information that ultimately put our national security and sensitive diplomatic efforts at risk. The ongoing investigation by the FBI, coupled with Clinton’s arrogant and dishonest claims, shows she can’t be trusted with the presidency.”
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POLL DU JOUR
• 83 percent of Americans agree that there “are different rules for the well-connected and people with money.”
• 76 percent say that America is not an ordinary nation and we should “protect our unique character in the world.”
• 75 percent feel that politicians “don’t care about people like me.”
• 68 percent say America is in a state of decline; 25 percent disagree.
• 64 percent say the U.S. is “on the wrong track.”
• 26 percent say the federal government is working for “the people’s best interests.”
Source: A Caddell & Associates poll of 1,950 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 23-March 3 and released Thursday.
• Nimble observations, slow-moving plots to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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