The 2020 Trump strategy, and why scandal is our own worst enemy
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Given how well our economy is doing, Donald Trump is a surprisingly unpopular president. The only president who’s been less popular at any point in his term to date has been Harry Truman. Yet if the past is any measure (and I think it is), we know he’The 2020 Trump strategy, and why scandal is our own worst enemy
Given how well our economy is doing, Donald Trump is a surprisingly unpopular president. The only president who’s been less popular at any point in his term to date has been Harry Truman. Yet if the past is any measure (and I think it is), we know he’s going to play to his base. We’re going to see and hear about issues like the caravan and the wall even more as 2020 approaches. He knows he has to stoke racial fires in order to prevent people from voting differently after his first two years of tax cuts for the wealthy. Because his chances of reaching out beyond his base are low, the second part of the Republican strategy is to try to sow cynicism, fear, uncertainty, and doubt within the various constituencies that could align against him. We will see character attacks from all angles seeking to divide us. Already, we’re hearing that Kamala Harris is not black enough and that she inhaled marijuana. We’re hearing that Amy Klobuchar is angry with her staffers. That Beto O’Rourke isn’t progressive enough. Simultaneously, the entire field of Democrats is too progressive and what we really need is a billionaire centrist. Also, that Kirsten Gillibrand doesn’t eat chicken right. Some of this negative coverage may be seeded by various special interests who don’t want an actual populist, or it may just be the nature of the daily news cycle. If it bleeds, it leads—and these days, the competition for bleeding on the internet is fierce. As we get closer to the election though, look for more fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Much more of it will be seeded and eventually, they’ll only have one candidate to smear. Make no mistake though, this will be the strategy: try to divide any opposition, convince people not to vote, and/or bring other candidates down below Trump. The question then is: How do we fight back against a level of negative campaigning that might be above anything we’ve seen before? Read more