This Election Is About 'Volatility,' And That Starts At The Top
These midterm elections are hard to game out.
That's because there are a lot of factors that could cancel each other out, and there is no single issue that appears to be breaking through.
"Frankly, it is about volatility," said a Republican operative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid about strategy. "It's very volatile out there."
That volatility starts at the top with President Trump. The president sometimes vacillates from one position (might not believe the U.S. intelligence assessment on Russian election interference) to another (he means he does believe it).
His trade policies, that many worry amount to a war, has introduced a new level of volatility. Elected officials in his own party have been speaking out against this president's tariffs because farmers and manufacturers in their states have been hurt by it.
The president, though, breathed a much-needed sigh of relief Wednesday when he brought European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker out to the Rose Garden — just as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's hearing on Capitol Hill was beginning, at which he reaffirmed
