NBC/WSJ poll pulls Trump back to earth, still first in Real Clear Politics poll average with 23.4%, 6.4 ahead of Carson

Trump in the middle of summer was +4 in the NBC/WSJ poll

Trump starts autumn at +1 in the NBC/WSJ poll

Trump's poll average hasn't changed much in the last eight weeks, indicating he's stopped persuading people to join him, while the average spread of his lead has dropped by 39% in the interim. This is because support is firming for candidates below him. 

While the names have changed in second and third, the level of support has improved for the person in second by 33% and remained more or less the same for the person in third over the period. Ben Carson is the most benefited, going from fifth to second, even as Fiorina rocketed up 1060% to take third, replacing Walker who dropped out.

Similarly the persons occupying fourth and fifth have improved their levels of support on average by 42%, but their names have changed, too. Marco Rubio in fourth has improved his support by 85% over the period, but Jeb Bush is the most hurt, going from second to fifth.

Ted Cruz is notably stuck in sixth in both snapshots, with the same average of support. He's persuading no one, either, except maybe so-called values voters to shift their votes around, unaware that they are just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Hey Reince Priebus! Show us Scott Walker's signed Pledge to Support the Nominee!

Gov. Scott Walker has large personal debt problems, consistent with reports of his negative net worth

Reported here:

"The Re­pub­lic­an pres­id­en­tial can­did­ate has cast him­self as both a fisc­al con­ser­vat­ive lead­er and a penny-pinch­ing every­man on the cam­paign trail, of­ten tout­ing his love of Kohl’s, the dis­count de­part­ment store. His newly pub­lished fin­an­cial dis­clos­ure shows that, like many Amer­ic­ans, Walk­er has few as­sets, some ma­jor debts (in­clud­ing more than $100,000 for stu­dent loans for his chil­dren), and a pun­ish­ing in­terest rate on his cred­it-card ob­lig­a­tions. Walk­er in­curred one cred­it-card debt with Barclays in 2014, ac­cord­ing to the fin­an­cial dis­clos­ure form, and owed between $10,000 and $15,000 at a 27.24 per­cent in­terest rate as of Ju­ly 2015. ... One of Walk­er’s cred­it-card debts, to Bank of Amer­ica, dates back to 2011, his first year as gov­ernor, ac­cord­ing to the dis­clos­ure form. Walk­er cur­rently owes between $10,000 and $15,000 on that one, with an in­terest rate of 11.99 per­cent."

Flip-flopping Scott Walker ends campaign for president, declares war on Trump

Scott Walker's entire political career comes to an ignoble end, lashing out at the man who seized the issue of the time, illegal immigration, from his hands.

Watch Walker triangulate again in the near future and moderate his position on amnesty back to what it was just a couple of years ago. Walker never really opposed amnesty. He just wanted the Republican base to think he did, and now proves it.

The Guardian had the money quotes, here:

“Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top,” Walker said. “With this in mind, I am suspending my campaign indefinitely.” Walker encouraged other candidates to do the same, “so that voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current frontrunner.”

A small man was he, not ready for prime time.

Estimated net worth of Republicans for president in 2016

Trump $10 billion

Fiorina $59 million

Carson $10 million

Bush $10 million

Santorum $5 million

Huckabee $5 million

Christie $4 million

Cruz $3.17 million

Perry $3 million (out already)

Jindal $2.7 million

Kasich $2.5 million

Paul $1.33 million

Graham $1.02 million

Rubio $443,500

Walker ($71,500), that's right, he's in the hole

Trump loses significant ground in CNN poll, still in first at 24%, Walker Jindal and Graham get goose eggs, Trump retains lead in Real Clear Politics poll average with 28.5%

Scott Walker talks tough on China now, but used to wear a US flag, China flag lapel pin

Video here.

Pesky symbols.

Scott Walker has nothing up his sleeve

In the last week Governor Scott Walker has stated he's for the 14th Amendment as currently (mis)interpreted, establishing birthright citizenship as the law of the land, for repealing birthright citizenship going forward, and against taking a position on the subject for now!

Scott Walker is a fish out of water, flopping on the pier.

CNN (justly) crucifies him for it, here.

On the merits of the issue Walker's flip-flops clearly show that he perceives the acceptable establishment view to be out of step with what he thinks the voters feel about it. Regular middle class folks with whom Walker identifies hate it that they're footing the bill for people who cut in line, go on government assistance and even commit crimes without serious consequences.

On the politics Walker looks unprofessional and unready for primetime, and when you get down to it, divided in his own mind about the issue.

The real Scott Walker has always been a little soft on illegal aliens but keeps changing his position because he senses voters aren't soft on them.

In view of his previously stated support for a pathway to citizenship, it's pretty obvious Walker has never had the fire in the belly on this subject which the Americans whose vote he's angling for possess.

And it's too late to do anything about it now.

He's done.

If he were wise he'd find a way to bow out, throw his support to Trump, and hope for a position in a Trump administration where he can do to government unions nationally what he's done to them in Wisconsin.

Taking a position on birthright citizenship is above Scott Walker's pay grade

What a disappointment this guy has become. He is so finished.

We might as well wait for Godot.

John Kasich supports amnesty for illegals just like Jeb Bush, and Rubio and Walker formerly did but triangulated after being chastened

Reported here in The Wall Street Journal in 

"Kasich Backs Path to Legal Status for Undocumented Immigrants: Republican presidential candidate also calls for a guest worker program".

Notice the redefinition of terms we've seen before from countless others. Illegal immigrants are now just undocumented. The idea that we should let "law abiding" people cut in line ignores the fact that they cut in line, that they are already not law abiding people.

Meanwhile a guest worker program supplants millions of already unemployed American citizens and drives down wages for Americans.

Kasich. Going. Nowhere. Fast.

Immigration squish Scott Walker calls Hillary Clinton foreign policy mush

Allahpundit, here, last February:

"So Walker does support comprehensive immigration reform — although we already knew that, given that he was willing to endorse a path to citizenship for illegals on camera as recently as two years ago, when he was already surely thinking of running in 2016. Curiously for a guy who’s running as a conservative hero, he really makes no bones about being an immigration squish."

Scott Walker here yesterday:

“Under Obama and Clinton Putin has found far too many years of mush."

"Everywhere in the world that she has touched is more messed up today than it was when she and the president took office."

Governors Christie, Jindal, Perry and Walker allowed establishment of sanctuary cities in their states

So says The Washington Times here:

"[A]t least four Republican governors running for president next year ...  have had cities and counties declare “sanctuary” during their tenure, without suffering the dire consequences the candidates now say the federal government should bring to bear on recalcitrant jurisdictions."

Trump keeps rising in Real Clear Politics poll average: now has first with 23.2%, 10.4 points ahead of No. 2 Bush as Walker falls back to third

Trump vaults to 22.2% for first in Real Clear Politics poll average, +9.5 ahead of Walker, +10.0 ahead of JEB

Drudge excludes No. 2 Walker and No. 9 Kasich from headline photo, includes Pataki whose poll numbers don't even register

And Fiorina and Graham don't even poll 1% on average. Where's the love, man?

Trump in first with 20.8% in Real Clear Politics poll average, +7.5 ahead of Walker in second

Trump in first by 7.1 points in RCP average ahead of Walker, Jeb Bush a distant third

Trump is now +6.2 points ahead of WALKER as Jeb slips to third in Real Clear Politics average

Scott Walker "hires" the wrong guy

Brad Dayspring.

Story here.

Libertarian disunity on display in massive field aspiring to 2016 GOP nomination

14 GOP aspirants to date

Liberals have one serious candidate and a few other aspirants defining their side, but Republicans have twice as many with no clear front runner. This is because Republicanism is now overcome by a libertarianism which by definition is unable to agree about much of anything. It is a shrill and brittle ideology of "freedom from" instead of a more modest philosophical meditation about "freedom for". The latter recognizes that freedom is not an absolute, and is what conservatism is all about, but today you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone talking about that in the Republican Party, much less anywhere else.

7 Democrat aspirants to date