Hillary’s challenge and suggested strategy for borderline states. Crown King Donald.
Donald Trump has now been crowned King of the Republican Party. It’s semi-official now. Hillary’s strategy of minority and women should net her most of the large population states. But what about the states with low minority citizenship? Those mostly went for Bernie and Donald. Well, you first have to differentiate between those that are Trump strongholds according to the polls–despite Trump’s high “unfavorables.” The others are considered borderline states, i.e., Trump may be favored, but under the right circumstances they are winnable for Hillary, even in the face of her own very high “unfavorable” ratings–again according to the latest polls.
On paper Hillary has a tough challenge to win any of those borderline states. Her minority base just isn’t there. And face it, among blue-collar white male voters, and their issues with her gender, combined with Tump’s already demonstrated appeal with to them, Hillary Clinton is not going to gain much traction. What potential inroads she does have, will not work without a new zinger issue that hits home. And “home” to blue collar workers of any gender means economic security.
So Clinton needs a strategy to deal with the borderline states beyond her, already proven unsuccessful in States with low minority populations, promotion of her usual campaign issues. So what campaign theme would work? The most obvious one is to argue that the Republican Congress, held in hostage by the far right, has blocked every attempt to pass job creating infrastructure proposals that President Obama has made. This Congress has also blocked attempts by Democrats and moderate Republicans to raise the minimum wage beyond its current, pathetically low, $7.25 an hour. These Republicans have held programs that deal with worker’s welfare hostage to their right-wing ideology.
The Hillary campaign staff is already aware that although President Obama has low approval ratings–his ratings are only 50 percent, plus or minus a couple of points, the Republican controlled Congress’s ratings are a much lower 14 percent. Congress receives the brunt of the hatred nearly all Americans feel towards, Washington, that is demonstrated by those approval numbers. Logically, the Republican controlled Congress must be Hillary’s point of attack.
Now how do you attack a Republican Congress that has steadfastly blocked any legislation that would help create jobs and improve the wages for working Americans? Harry Truman showed us the way. He pulled an historic upset victory in similar circumstances in 1948. He campaigned, and with gusto, against what he described as: “The do-nothing 80th Congress.” He did this repeatedly, staying firmly on message. It became his campaign theme. By the way, Truman didn’t fail to remind voters that this “do-nothing Congress” was Republican controlled, one that looked out for big business interests and not that of the ordinary American worker or small businessman. Oh, by the way, he never failed to remind workers how bad life had been under Republican administrations and how they prospered under the Democrats.
And how can you expect a Republican President to change anything? Especially a billionaire businessman, who by his own admission has always worked to game the system? His tax plan benefits the wealthy. And Trump has already demonstrated that he can’t counted upon. He will change his mind about anything that will give himself momentary advantage. Hillary should easily find many examples of that.
The path to victory is clear, Keep reinforcing her appeal to minorities and women, but campaign strongly against the “Republican Do-Nothing Congress,” especially in those borderline states!! Note that I’ve capitalized “Do-Nothing” this time. It should become such a widely used phrase that that it becomes a slogan that voters will remember to such a degree that it becomes a proper noun in itself that will deserve to be a capitalized name in itself.
