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How the Russia Investigation Helps Trump
Townhall.com ^ | May 23, 2018 | Ben Shapiro

Posted on 05/23/2018 5:37:26 AM PDT by Kaslin

This week, for the first time in months, a generic ballot poll showed Republicans beating Democrats in the midterm elections. According to Reuters, Republicans are now leading by six points. And while that poll is obviously an outlier, the movement of the generic ballot in the direction of Republicans isn't: The average lead for Democrats has been dropping steadily since late February, from a nine-point lead to a four-point lead.

Why?

Certainly, the economy has something to do with it: The job market continues to boom; the stock market continues to hover around 25,000; and GDP continues to grow steadily. And, certainly, foreign policy has something to do with it: There are no catastrophic foreign wars on the horizon, and President Trump's gutsy calls to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem resulted in zero serious backlash.

Democrats opposed the Trump tax cuts and have whined incessantly about Trump's Middle East foreign policy, even going so far as to demonstrate a certain level of warmth toward terrorist group Hamas. This isn't exactly brilliant politicking.

But there's another reason Democrats seem to be dropping like a stone, too: their Russia obsession. The reality is most Americans think the Russia investigation is going nowhere. As of early May, just 44 percent of Americans though the FBI special counsel investigation of President Trump and his associates is justified; fifty-three percent thought that the investigation is politically motivated. Three-quarters of Americans think Trump should cooperate with the probe, but Americans are skeptical that there is a there there.

And so far, Americans have been right. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation has resulted in indictments of Trump associates on a charge of lying to the FBI, but there have been no indictments related to the original brief of his investigation: election collusion with the Russians. Meanwhile, each day seems to bring new headlines regarding the extent of the FBI investigation, dating all the way back to mid-2016. Americans aren't going to read all the details of the various stories -- they're just going to take away that law enforcement was all over the Trump campaign, has come up with nothing thus far and continues to hound the Trump White House.

Furthermore, Democrats are getting discouraged. They were promised a deus ex machina-- an alien force that would swoop in to end the Trump presidency. They hoped it would be Mueller; they were convinced the election was stolen. It wasn't, and it's unlikely Mueller will end Trump's presidency.

So when Trump fulminates about the supposed sins of the "deep state," few Americans are exercised. Most shrug; some even nod along. Democrats seethe but have no new fodder for their ire -- and every day that passes with the media chumming the waters and coming up empty drives down enthusiasm even more. And Trump's focus on Russia means that he spends less time tweeting about other topics -- which helps him, since he's less likely to make a grave error on those fronts.

If Mueller truly has nothing, there's a serious case to be made that the Russia collusion investigation actually helped Trump more than it hurt him. And Democrats might just have to come up with a plan for dealing with Trump's policies other than praying for an avenging angel to frog-march him from the White House.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
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1 posted on 05/23/2018 5:37:26 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

I see it this way: The hidden Deep State deals in corruption, treason and secrecy. They wanted to stop Trump, so they accused him of corruption treason and secrecy. Collusion with Russia! Can you imagine?? Classic projection.

And the public said, “Corruption? Treason? Secrecy? How awful! I heard about it on the news! Somebody save us!”

And after a very long investigation, Mueller has found nothing on Trump. No taint. But now we enter the second half. Trump is now unrolling the long list of corruption, treason and secrecy about Comey, Obama, Clinton, Lynch, Holder and all the rest.

And the public is fully primed to say: “Aha! Corruption! Treason! Secrecy! I hate those guys! Let’s get ‘em!!”

Hoist on their own petard. Bigly.


2 posted on 05/23/2018 5:44:08 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: ClearCase_guy

Is Ben on our side yet? Or still too smart for his own good?


3 posted on 05/23/2018 5:48:20 AM PDT by Dr. Pritchett
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To: Kaslin
With "support" like Shapiro's, who needs enemies?

"SHAPIRO: I Will Never Vote For Donald Trump. Here's Why."

4 posted on 05/23/2018 5:50:29 AM PDT by drpix
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To: Kaslin

It may be turning slowly BUT the worm turns!


5 posted on 05/23/2018 5:59:25 AM PDT by t4texas (If you can't run with the big dogs . . . STAY ON THE PORCH!)
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To: Kaslin

Mueller has to be seeing this is going no where and he can’t indict the President. Perhaps what will happen is an ‘October Surprise’ by Mueller like a Comey press conference when he excoriated Hitlery and then said he wouldn’t prosecute...


6 posted on 05/23/2018 6:41:43 AM PDT by Old Teufel Hunden
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To: Kaslin
They were promised a deus ex machina-- an alien force that would swoop in to end the Trump presidency. They hoped it would be Mueller...

The Mueller investigation is just the latest incarnation. First came the Jill Stein recounts that were supposed to flip Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Hillary lost votes in Wisconsin and the Michigan recount was quietly ended when it was determined that due to "irregularities", more votes were cast in Detroit than there are voters there.

Their next hope was to flip electors in the electoral collage. Despite valiant efforts this was a bust.

The next attempt came when the house and senate met on January 6, 2017 to cast the electoral college votes. Despite many members' attempts to twist parliamentary procedures to derail or at least disrupt the election, good old Joe Biden wouldn't go for it and Trump was elected.

While I'm confident that Mueller's efforts will fail like all the rest he has disrupted the administration and thwarted the will of the American people for over a year. Trump deserves to be president because he won the election fair and square. Sessions should be fired and barred from ever again entering the District of Columbia. Mueller belongs in jail.

7 posted on 05/23/2018 6:55:12 AM PDT by InABunkerUnderSF (Time to BLOAT again.)
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To: drpix

Hey Kalifornia Never Trumper Ben Shapiro... Sorry but it is President Trump to you!


8 posted on 05/23/2018 7:07:03 AM PDT by fireman15
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To: Kaslin
If Mueller truly has nothing, there's a serious case to be made that the Russia collusion investigation actually helped Trump more than it hurt him.

Which is why Trump refused to fire him. 4D Chess.


9 posted on 05/23/2018 7:18:40 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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