Today in Terrible Trumpery

[Content Note: Assault.]

Another weekend, another Trump rally, another round of violence.

Protesters in Tucson, Arizona, took a cue from their compatriots in Chicago and mounted a protest ahead of Trump's rally there on Saturday:

For hours, the protesters—about two dozen in total—parked their cars in the middle of the road, unfurling banners reading "Dump Trump" and "Must Stop Trump," and chanting "Trump is hate." Traffic was backed up for miles, with drivers honking in fury.

Protesters were also chanting, "Donald Trump, shut it down, Phoenix is the people's town."

The road was eventually cleared and protesters marched down the highway to the rally site, weaving between Trump supporters who booed and jeered them.

"Learn to speak English," one Trump supporter shouted at the protesters.

Maricopa County Sheriff and nightmare human Joe Arpaio told the media that three people had been arrested: "Three of them are in jail. If they think they're going to intimidate the next president of the U.S., it's not going to happen." Swell.

Naturally, they had good reason to protest, since his rally again erupted into violence, with a protester being attacked by a man who turned out to be part of Trump's security team, and who was later charged with assault.

Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who last week was accused of physically assaulting a Breitbart reporter, also was seen grabbing a protester by the collar. The campaign denies it.

So Trump's campaign continues to be super terrific, basically.

And by "super terrific," I mean "a horrifying display of violent nationalistic rage."

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] In related news, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus said yesterday on ABC News' This Week that "he no longer thinks a contested convention is an extreme hypothetical and party officials are trying to be transparent to 'take the mystery away from what an open convention looks like... I think it's possible and we're preparing for that possibility,' he said."

I mean, if there's one thing this Republican primary needs, it's more chaos.

Good grief.

Meanwhile, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is assuming the helm of Trump's reality show Celebrity Apprentice while Trump runs for president and tries to destroy the country, has endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich and walked the fuck out of interview in which he was asked about Trump's campaign: "This is an interview that I only do about fitness and health, not about politics or my relationships." All right then!

And finally! While the Democrats are getting Ready for Hillary, Hillary is getting ready for Trump:

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and her allies have begun preparing a playbook to defeat Donald Trump in a general-election matchup that will attempt to do what his Republican opponents couldn't: show that his business dealings and impolitic statements make him unfit to be commander in chief.

...They are now focused intently on researching the billionaire real estate mogul’s business record, dissecting his economic policies and compiling a long history of controversial pronouncements that have captivated and repelled the nation in this tumultuous election season.

...Given Trump's willingness to attack his opponents — and his pivot to going after Clinton in recent days — one clear presumption has emerged about the fall contest: It will be ugly.

That's one reason the former secretary of state plans to counter Trump with high-road substance, policy and issues, according to one senior campaign aide. The idea is to showcase what Clinton's backers see as her readiness for the job without lowering her to what they describe as Trump's gutter.

On Friday, Blue Nation Review put together an awesome video showing what a debate between Clinton and Trump might look like:

Video Description: Set to some funky music, the video intersperses clips of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at debates, town halls, or campaign events.

Text Onscreen: Are you ready for a Trump v. Clinton showdown?

Trump: I would build a great wall. And nobody builds walls better than me, believe me.

Clinton: I'm going to keep talking about tearing down all the barriers.

Trump: We're gonna make America great again.

Clinton: We don't need to make America great again; America has never stopped being great!

Text Onscreen: Let's start with foreign policy...

MSNBC Anchor Mika Brzezinski, to Trump: Who are you talking to consistently, since we have some dire foreign policy issues?

Trump: I'm speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain.

Clinton: I listen to a wide variety of voices. [edit to new clip] This job requires you to be ready on all aspects of it on the first day. It's North Korea with those missile tests; it's Russia; it's enforcing the Iran agreement—you have to do it all at once.

Text Onscreen: A woman's right to choose...

Trump: And I am very, very proud to say that I am pro-life. I hate the concept of abortion.

Clinton: Under Roe v. Wade, which is rooted in the Constitution, women have this right to make this highly personal decision. [edit to new clip] We've gotta continue to stand up for a woman's right.

Text Onscreen: Speaking of women...

Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelly: You've called women you don't like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs," and "disgusting animals." Your Twitter account—

Trump: Only Rosie O'Donnell.

Kelly: No it wasn't.

Clinton: When I was Secretary of State, I put women's rights at the center of our foreign policy. I looked across the table at dictators and authoritarians and chauvinists and sexists and misogynists...! [deep breath and a smile] Yeah, I did.

Text Onscreen: Torture...

Trump: Now we're talking about waterboarding. I said it's fine—and if we wanna go stronger, I'd go stronger, too—because, frankly, that's the way I feel.

Clinton: He embraces torture! That doesn't make him strong; it makes him wrong!

Text Onscreen: Stay tuned for Part 2...

LOVE.

I'm not looking forward to the prospect of Donald Trump getting one step closer to the presidency, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing (presumably) Hillary Clinton stop him in his despicable tracks.

[Note: As you've certainly noticed, I've been doing some writing for Blue Nation Review lately. To be abundantly clear: I am not required to promote any other content produced in that space, so if I share something here or on Twitter from BNR, it's because I think it's GREAT, not because I'm obliged to promote it.]