You Can’t Just Wing It
It wasn’t all that long ago that Trump was riding high.
He got the bump that he was looking for from his convention and many around the country were starting to talk about what a Trump presidency would look like.
But as quickly as he rose, he fell.
He couldn’t allow the spotlight to shine on anyone else.
Even after Clinton stumbled in an interview about her dealings with the FBI, Trump produced a virtual waterfall of “news” that turned the spotlight back on himself. In more or less chronological order he:
1. Attacked a Gold Star Muslim family who spoke out against his immigration policies.
2. Said that the NFL sent him a letter complaining about the debate dates (NFL said it sent no such letter).
3. Claimed that Russia would not invade Ukraine only to have to backtrack when informed that they already did in 2014
4. Criticized a fire marshal enforcing the occupancy code at a Columbus rally.
5. Praised Paul Ryan’s primary opponent.
6. Told a woman with a crying baby to leave his rally.
7. Less than a day after the NYT documented his Viet Name draft dodging, accepted a Purple Heart from a vet with the statement, “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart, this was much easier.”
8. Refused to endorse Ryan, McCain, and Ayotte (he backtracked on this too later in the week).
9. Claimed that the November elections would be rigged against him.
10. Claimed to have seen a top secret Iranian video of money being unloaded from a plane when what he actually saw was publically available video shot in Switzerland that had nothing to do with delivery of money to Iran. His campaign quickly corrected him. Then he repeated the lie again.
He has played right into Clinton’s hands with this strategy. Her campaign has portrayed Trump as a dangerous choice and then patiently waited for Trump to prove it.
As Trump’s poll numbers dropped, a parade of Republican incumbents have abandoned him.
Mr. Trump “lacks the character, values and experience” to be president and “would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.”
Mr. Trump, the officials warn, “would be the most reckless president in American history.”
Mr. Trump responded by laying the blame for the world “mess” at their feet. He blamed them not only for the Iraq war, but also for the deaths in Benghazi and the rise of ISIS. The latter two are curious since they occurred during the Obama administration when all of these officials were out of power. But that’s about par for the course for the Trump campaign.
Here’s the basic problem.
The strategy that Trump used to monopolize the news cycle during the primaries is backfiring. During the primaries the gaggle of other candidates were spending all of their time responding to Trump’s endless stream of insults and bravado.
In the general election cycle, the press is trying to inform the voters about who Trump is. They hold him accountable for every gaffe. They document the responses of experts when he says something dangerous. But the sheer volume of this information simply reinforces Clinton’s claim that she is the more mature and experienced choice. Her most effective strategy has been to remind people that she isn’t Trump.
If Trump were able to stay on message for more than a day, he would have a real chance in this election because Clinton IS well known and has high negatives with many voters. But his campaign is like the shop floor “days without an accident” sign that fails to get past one day.
At this point, it may be too late. 90% of voters have made their choices and Clinton has a commanding lead. Trump seems determined to terrify the remaining undecided voters.
The Walmart moms are just one example. They are undecided married women in their 30’s and 40’s. They used to a dependable Republican voting bloc. This year they don’t like either candidate, but Trump is far more frightening. As a result, Trump is only getting 72% of a group that broke 93% for Bush II and Romney.
Stephanie, who works in sales and customer service in Phoenix, said, “I don’t trust that [Clinton] would protect our country, but I also think that Trump would get us right into World War III.” Washington Post
Trump is his own worst enemy because under the pressure of this campaign his true nature is on display for the whole country. That nature is an unstable thin-skinned narcissist with an insatiable appetite for the spot light. Fortunately the public has seen lots of people who suffer from that obsession on reality TV. We always find out that these characters don’t really have wings, just wax and feathers. At that point everyone knows how the story will end. The only remaining question is how big will the fall be.
