Tipsheet

Lewandowski: Trump's Gonna Put Massachusetts in Play, You Guys


No, he won't. But we'll humor you anyway. Go ahead, Corey:


I reacted to this on twitter by chuckling that those must be some powerful drugs he's taking, to which Trump's relentless online mob primarily responded in two ways: First, they furiously accused me of literally accusing Trump's campaign manager of drug use, evincing both profound humorlessness and a devotion to politically-correct "safe spaces." I did not apologize for "triggering" any of the precious snowflakes who pretend to love un-PC insults -- unless and until they're directed at Mister Trump. In which case, they melt down. Second, I was predictably and repeatedly informed that 'TRUMP won Massachusetts in a blowout!' This is true. Trump crushed his opponents in the Bay State's Republican primary, narrowly missing an outright majority amid a much more crowded field at the time. But Massachusetts is Massachusetts. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary on the same night. Her raw vote totals in that race surpassed the top three Republicans' support combined.  So did Bernie Sanders, incidentally, who came in second place.  And since I've been preaching that -- altogether now -- primary turnout doesn't predict general election outcomes, let's layer in a more compelling piece of evidence that Lewandowski's assertion is pure fantasy:


When reason is abandoned, wish-casting and visceral emotions take charge. That's what leads people to vigorously nod along as Team Trump makes tremendous predictions of coming glory, believe them. Piggybacking off of Lewandowski's delusions, the candidate reiterated to an Indiana audience today that he'll have a good chance to win New York State in November.  Over the last nine polls, Trump has trailed Hillary Clinton by roughly 20 points in the Empire State, breaking 40 percent support in exactly zero of them. As Trump & Co. appeal to blind faith about his capacity to "expand the map," actual polling data reveals that Mrs. Clinton is competitive in the reliably Republican states of ArizonaMississippi and Utah.  One team's map is likely to expand in the fall, just not Trump's.  I'll leave you with my analysis of the delegate chase -- which Trump fans will probably enjoy -- as well as new Trumpstablishment hero John Boehner's 'Lucifer' remarks: