Odds and Ends Tuesday (With Update)

Looks like Benghaaaaazi!!! is finally over:

After spending more than two years and $7 million, the House Select Committee on Bengha[aaa]zi[!!] released a report Tuesday that found — like eight investigations before it — no evidence of wrongdoing by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or other members of the Obama administration.

Although Benghaaaaazi!!! is one of my all-time favorite fake scandals, I do think that whole exercise has run its course.  Republicans clearly lost interest in it, probably because they have bigger fish to fry these days (i.e., how to deal with the fact that the GOP may end up nominating a fascist as its presidential candidate).

And you can put this one in the Oh For Christ's Sake!! file:

James C. Dobson, one of America’s leading evangelicals, *** said Mr. Trump had recently come “to accept a relationship with Christ” and was now “a baby Christian.”  ***  In an interview recorded at the event by a Pennsylvania pastor, the Rev. Michael Anthony, Dr. Dobson said he knew the person who had led Mr. Trump to Christ, though he did not name him.

And finally, I have been telling friends lately that I do not think Trump will end up being the GOP nominee.  In fact, I made a bet the other day that he would not secure the nomination.  And why do I think that? Because it does not appear to me that Trump is actually interested in being president -- he only seems interested in the free advertising he gets by running for the job. 

Eric Boehlert recently asked this question, and I think it is the right one:  "Do the two red flags of Trump’s seeming unwillingness to commit resources to genuinely compete for the White House, combined with his desire to fill his companies’ own coffers, suggest that his campaign is actually some sort of large-scale scam or con?" 

Although I happen to think that it is in fact a con, you might ask why I think that is a problem.  And my answer would be that if Trump really is not going to be the nominee, then why should Hillary and her Super-Pac waste millions of dollars attacking him now?

Well, it turns out I am not the only one worried about this:

Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers are encountering an unexpected obstacle a month out from the party conventions: big money donors suddenly reluctant to give for fear of running Donald Trump out of the race before he locks up the nomination.

“They’re worried about giving money to attack Trump before the convention,” said longtime Clinton ally James Carville, who has been raising money for the campaign in New York. “A lot of New York people think he’ll just quit. People think they will run his ass out of there real quick.”

Now I know it makes good political sense in presidential politics to brand your opponent as early as possible.  The Democrats did that in 2012 with Romney -- by the time Mitt made his now-infamous 47% Speech, the Dems had already successfully branded him as a rich dude who didn't give a shit about average folks.

But Trump presents a different problem entirely.  I just don't think he'll end up being the nominee, mostly because it would just be too fucking awesome if that happened.  Hillary should spend her money trying to improve her favorability numbers and forget about trying to brand Trump for the time being.  After all, Donald seems to be doing a pretty good job of branding himself.

UPDATE:  Looks like Trump's status as a "baby Christian" just might be in jeopardy:

Despite assuring evangelicals last week that he would appoint anti-abortion judges and cares deeply about the anti-abortion cause, Donald Trump has so far been silent about the Supreme Court’s major abortion rights ruling on Monday. And conservatives are not happy.

I'm staggered by the political malpractice Trump and his campaign commit on pretty much a daily basis.  There is just no excuse for it.