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Donald Trump Testing Fellow Republican Candidates’ Messaging

By U.S. News & World Report

As Donald Trump continues to overwhelm media coverage of the Republican presidential primary and threatens to defy traditional political logic by remaining atop the polls, rival GOP campaigns are beginning to diverge on how to handle him.

Some campaign teams are downright flabbergasted by his endurance. Others are privately unsure on what it will take for him to ultimately implode. But what’s abundantly clear is that all are burning time wrestling with how exactly to deal with The Donald on a day-to-day basis.

Scott Walker, for his part, is determined to keep calm.

After a steady if not splashy debate performance last week, the second-term Wisconsin governor said he had no interest in going after his fellow Republican rivals, even as the 2016 campaign moves into a more intense phase.

“To me, the real focus needs to be on the fall of 2016,” he told reporters at a Friday campaign stop in Cleveland. “We’re going to talk about how we match up best against Hillary Clinton going forward.”

Asked by U.S. News whether he would refrain from negative comments about all of his primary opponents, Walker said, “It’s legitimate to have contrasts. I’m just not looking to pick fights out there and I’m certainly not going to get personal.”

That may be easier said than done, though: Asked by Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer on Monday whether Trump’s presence threatens to consume the entire campaign, Walker responded with a jab, comparing the real estate mogul’s political endeavor to a pile-up.

“For a lot of us, it’s like watching a car accident instead of focusing on the direction we should be headed,” he replied. “I think he’s drowning just about everybody else out there.”

On “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also tried to take a higher road, declining to assess the fallout from Trump’s comments about Fox anchor Megyn Kelly, in which he said Kelly during the debate had “blood coming out of her eyes, out of her wherever.”

“We’ll let him answer for what he says,” Rubio replied, noting that Trump “has the poll numbers that justify him being on the stage.”

But while Walker and Rubio have largely tried to rise above the circus around them — attempting to move past questions about Trump by reverting to their own narratives — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is taking the opposite approach, deciding to aim squarely at The Donald.

In an opinion piece published in The Journal by IJReview on Monday, Paul calls Trump a “fake conservative,” pointing to his contrary positions on a litmus of issues and candidates.

Trump is a former Democrat who used to support late-term abortion and universal health care. Yet even as these past stands have come to light, his supporters have only dug in, concluding that his blunt talk and business acumen supercede past political preferences.

Paul says the only way to stop Trump from trying to “hoodwink” the tea party is to call him out.

“Frankly, it sounds too much like he is someone used to bullying to get his way. What do you do to a bully? You stand up to him. That’s what I did on the debate stage, and I was the only one,” Paul wrote.

But it’s not clear that Paul’s debate attack moved the needle for him.

A fresh Public Policy Polling survey of 619 “usual” GOP Iowa caucus voters over the weekend found Trump still resilient in the wake of another media storm.

His 19 percent led the caucus field, with Ben Carson and Walker tied for second with 12 percent apiece. Walker had held a regular polling lead in Iowa since February. That’s now gone.

Meanwhile, both Rubio and Paul were toward the back of the pack in single digits, with Paul’s fall in the Hawkeye State being particularly alarming. Once polling near the top the field, Paul’s now viewed negatively by 45 percent of caucusgoers, the worst of any GOP candidate.

Monday on Fox, Walker maintained that handling the Trump mayhem would be a good trial run for long-term message discipline.

“This will be a good test for us going into the general election. We’re not going to get distracted. We’re going to talk about what we’re for, not who we’re against or what we’re against,” he said.

But now suddenly, even he is playing from behind in Iowa, the key springboard to his path to the nomination.

In the short term, another Trump tirade has proven political prognosticators wrong again.

“Donald Trump’s public fight with Fox News might hurt him in the long run,” said Dean Debnam, president of PPP. “But for the time being he continues to lead the pack.”

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Donald Trump Testing Fellow Republican Candidates’ Messaging originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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