Salem, N.H. :
Hours after a new poll gave Donald J. Trump a strong lead in the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton arrived here to blast his proposed prohibition on Muslims entering the country and accuse other Republican presidential candidates of maligning Muslims in their own ways.
While many of his Republican rivals have condemned Mr. Trump’s idea, candidates like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida would keep out Syrian Muslim refugees, but take in Christians from that war-torn country, while Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey wouldn’t allow Syrian orphans into the nation. Mrs. Clinton has called for the United States to admit 65,000 Syrians and urged Americans to focus on defeating the Islamic State and other “radical jihadists” and not cast suspicions on Muslims.
“Their language may be more veiled than Trump’s, but their ideas are not so different,” Mrs. Clinton contended about the other Republican candidates during a town hall meeting at a school gymnasium here. “They are all driving the same argument that jihadists are trying to advance – that we are at war not with barbarous jihadists but with an entire religion.”
Mr. Bush, for one, reiterated his disgust with Mr. Trump during his own campaign swing through New Hampshire, arguing that “you’ve got to find the proper balance of believing in American values and being serious and real about keeping us safe.” But he also suggested that Mrs. Clinton would only benefit politically from the broad, bipartisan furor over the notion of barring Muslims.
“I just don’t believe that Republicans are going to buy this language that guarantees that Hillary Clinton has a far better chance of winning,” Mr. Bush told reporters in Manchester.
The latest CNN/WMUR poll published on Tuesday found that Mr. Trump had expanded his lead here, drawing support from 32 percent of likely Republican voters. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida had 14 percent, while Mr. Christie had 9 percent and Mr. Bush was at 8 percent.
After beginning the town hall here by saying Mr. Trump is “trafficking in prejudice” and by criticizing the other Republicans, Mrs. Clinton pivoted to the economy and announced a new tax credit to help communities create manufacturing jobs after a major plant closure or round of layoffs. The proposal, which would come at a cost of several billion dollars, according to campaign aides, would provide tax relief for a variety of manufacturing-related goals – depending on what the cities and towns need most – such as long-term investments that might lead to new jobs and renovations and refurbishments of shuttered or outdated plant facilities.
“This proposal can help us prevent the downward spiral that can happen after a major economic shift or layoffs,” Mrs. Clinton said. The hourlong town hall meeting drew questions for Mrs. Clinton about alleviating climate change, financing Social Security, and providing better health care and other support for veterans. She delivered familiar answers, but did so with an ease and confidence that underscored the relative lack of missteps or bad news for Mrs. Clinton and her campaign over the last two months.
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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday added his voice to the chorus of condemnation of Donald J. Trump’s vow to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country, calling it a “very, very dangerous brew for America” and predicting that if Mr. Trump wins the Republican nomination, Hillary Clinton would beat him “in a walk.”
In an interview with Bloomberg News on Air Force Two returning from a visit to Ukraine, Mr. Biden said he did not “know what his motive is” but suggested that Mr. Trump, a former reality show star, was saying things he does not believe to gain attention.
“Is this a guy doing ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ for himself?” Mr. Biden asked. “Is this just a guy who’s an entertainer? It may have started there, but I now think now he wants to be president. But I don’t think there’s much chance of that.”
Mr. Biden added that “I believe he’s smart enough to know half of what he’s saying makes no sense.”
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MANCHESTER, N.H. – Jeb Bush on Tuesday outlined his plan to overhaul Social Security at a forum here hosted by AARP. He gave a stump speech focused on protecting the nation from the threat of Islamic terrorism. He answered voter questions on topics including the Iran nuclear deal and immigration.
But no matter what he said or promised to do, Mr. Bush couldn’t escape the specter of Donald J. Trump, whose bombastic, colorful candidacy has overshadowed Mr. Bush’s more earnest, policy-focused campaign, and who dominated the airwaves once again this week with his call to block Muslims from entering the country.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Bush – who on Monday called Mr. Trump “unhinged” – said that the billionaire developer’s most recent proposal simply helps “his buddy, Hillary Clinton, for sure.”
“I don’t think Donald Trump is serious, and what he’s saying isn’t a serious plan,” Mr. Bush said. “I just don’t believe that Republicans are going to buy this language that guarantees that Hillary Clinton has a far better chance of winning.”
But after being pressed on Mr. Trump, Mr. Bush flashed a note of exasperation.
“I’ve just laid out comprehensive plans to destroy ISIS,” he said, “and to deal with the refugee challenges and to deal with our entitlement problems and our tax code and all this, and he’s playing you guys like a fine Stradivarius violin. This is what he does. He’s an expert at this. He’s phenomenal at garnering attention.”
Mr. Bush could use some attention of his own, especially in New Hampshire, a state his supporters say will be critical if he is to revive his faltering candidacy. A top finish here in the Feb. 9 primary, they say, would allow him to leverage his large campaign organization and financial advantage (the “super PAC” supporting him, Right to Rise, has raised over $100 million) to catapult him as the voting gets underway nationally.
And so on Tuesday, Mr. Bush made his 16th visit to the state this year, kicking off a three-day swing here.
Despite slowly growing into a more agile campaigner, Mr. Bush has continued to languish in the single-digits in polls. A CNN/WMUR poll released on Tuesday of likely voters in the New Hampshire primary had Mr. Bush at 8 percent, and another CNN poll placed him even lower nationally, at just 3 percent.
His aides, supporters and donors have argued that New Hampshire voters will be receptive to a more establishment candidate like Mr. Bush, who is increasingly trying to position himself as a serious leader who can take on the threat of the Islamic State and terrorism.
On Tuesday, Mr. Bush made the pitch himself, complimenting the “discerning voters” here.
“As you get closer to the election, my belief, my guess, is that you are going to want to know who is going to sit behind the big desk, not necessarily who is fueling my frustrations,” he said. “At some point we are going to transfer that to who can make the tough decisions so my frustrations can subside.”
But Mr. Bush still faces significant challenges in the state. The crowded field, with several moderate Republicans all vying for the same pool of voters, could make it tough for any one candidate to break out, and Mr. Trump has also commanded an outsize share of the state’s news media and voter attention.
A common refrain among Bush donors seems to hinge on a combination of wishful thinking and forces outside their control. If several of Mr. Bush’s immediate rivals, like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, drop out – which seems unlikely before the New Hampshire primary – Mr. Bush would finish near the top here, donors say.
At a gathering of Bush donors in Miami over the weekend, Mr. Bush’s team sounded a similar note, presenting internal polling that showed that in New Hampshire, where terrorism and national security are the top issues, Mr. Bush remains “within the margin of error competing for second place.”
Mr. Bush received a blow recently when Mr. Christie picked up the endorsement of The New Hampshire Union Leader, an influential newspaper in the state.
“Governor Christie and Governor Kasich and Senator Rubio are all threats to Governor Bush, and conversely, Governor Bush and Governor Kasich and Senator Rubio are all threats to Governor Christie,” said Steve Duprey, a Republican National Committee member from New Hampshire, who has not endorsed a candidate. “It’s a brawl. It’s a village-by-village brawl.”
And the Bush team is doing its best to stay competitive. This month, the campaign added eight paid staff members and four regional offices in the state, bringing its total to 20 paid staff members and five offices.
Mr. Bush’s campaign recently went on the air here with an ad featuring Medal of Honor winners talking about why they think Mr. Bush would be the best commander in chief. And Right to Rise announced a roughly $3.7 million buy for two ads that will run in the four early-voting states, as well as nationally on Fox News, including one that attacks Mr. Bush’s rivals as unprepared to occupy the Oval Office.
The group also recently produced a 15-minute documentary introducing Mr. Bush to voters that will be shown both online and on the New England Sports Network.
But one reporter’s question on Tuesday – Would he consider dropping out for the sake of his party to help prevent Mr. Trump from winning the nomination? – underscored Mr. Bush’s new reality.
“I’m running to win,” he said, with grim determination. “I’m running to win.”
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Donald J. Trump has widened his lead in New Hampshire, according to a poll released on Tuesday that showed him beating his closest rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by a margin of more than 2-to-1.
A CNN/WMUR survey found that 32 percent of likely Republican voters in New Hampshire support Mr. Trump, up from 26 percent in September. In second place was Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, at 14 percent, followed by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey at 9 percent and Jeb Bush at 8 percent.
The poll follows a spate of terrorist attacks around the world and the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., that have made national security a central issue in the 2016 race, but it was taken before Mr. Trump’s provocative proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States. However, two of Mr. Trump’s campaign chairmen in New Hampshire said they approved of his plan.
While polls show Mr. Trump locked in a tight race in Iowa with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Mr. Rubio has become his top challenger in New Hampshire. Mr. Trump has taken a commanding lead there, but Mr. Rubio has the highest-favorability rating of any of the candidates, suggesting that he has the potential to gain ground.
Voters see Mr. Trump as the candidate best suited to take on the Islamic State, manage government spending and win in a general election, the poll found.
There were also some shifts among the second tier of candidates. Mr. Christie, who has secured several key endorsements in New Hampshire, received a bump in his support from September, while Carly Fiorina, who was surging a few months ago, has seen her support collapse.
The poll had a margin of error of five percentage points.
(International New York Times)
