Arizona, Comey and strip clubs

In the five days I am spending in Arizona, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence have or will (tomorrow) appear in this newest of swing states. Tim Kaine will be here on Thursday and Donald Trump Jr. on Friday. It’s a strange state of affairs for a state that has been solidly red and the Arizona Republic, the state’s primary newspaper, has been in the center of the firestorm.

   

It started with the Republic’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton, the first Democrat to be endorsed in the paper’s 126 year history. The endorsement generated a lot of criticism and news coverage, and in this piece, an insightful discussion about the role of editorial boards vs. reporters. (This honest piece responding to the criticism is simply amazing. It draws on our common humanity, a theme that is woefully absent from politics.)

Today, the Republic issued an editorial criticizing James Comey’s decision to publicize additional investigations into Clinton’s emails. “Comey had no idea when he sent his letter to Congress whether there was anything the public needed to know. [He] interjected himself recklessly into the presidential race.”

The editors will undoubtedly receive criticism for this opinion as well. But I have to give them kudos for being fair. The more that is revealed about Comey’s decision the more irresponsible it seems. In the words of the editorial: “Comey offered no substance, no evidence. There’s only the suggestion of new scandal, which means Clinton can offer no defense.”

The suggestion of an investigation feeds into Trump – and the alt right’s – larger narrative about Clinton’s emails as the “biggest scandal since Watergate.” The question is whether undecided voters – the ones who matter right now – really buy it. Given the significant election fatigue, I highly doubt it. It’s simply additional fodder for Trump supporters – like the woman I sat next to on the plane who told me, “I like going to strip clubs, why shouldn’t Donald Trump?”