Because the one thing that the SDMB is lacking is another thread about Trump…
I was talking with some friends this past week, and we were talking about how the media kept getting it wrong when it came to predictions about Trump’s candidacy and likelihood of being elected.
That being said, “common sense” kinda looked like each misstep would be his last, yet he continually prevailed.
So, let’s say you’ve been tasked with the sole purpose of preventing Trump from being elected as the 45th President of the United States. The replacement could be your least favorite (remaining) candidate, but if that’s the person who has the best chance, that’s who you have to help.
You are the most trusted adviser of any candidate from the 2016 primaries (in any party), and they’ll listen to your advice. You’re by their side from the moment Trump announced his candidacy until the November election.
How do you help them?
(Personally, I really don’t know. I think the best way to have stifled his popularity would’ve been a decrease in media coverage but I didn’t make that an option, because that’s a very broad order, and they did it for ratings, much like they are covering him now.)
If the candidate is actually going to listen to what I say, the easiest way is to tell Hillary to focus on winning the election and not racking up popular vote. If she spent her time making appearances in swing states like WI and PA and spending money there, instead of trying to rack up huge totals in NY and CA, then it’s pretty likely that she would win.
Not quite. Wait until he’d made fun of Cruz’ wife. Then at the beginning of the next debate, kick him in the balls and stomp him. Then turn to the camera and say, “You don’t talk bad about a Latino’s wife.”
Get me, I wouldn’t want Cruz to win but that would have shaken up the race something fierce.
And by that I mean I would implore the DNC not to hobble his campaign for the purposes of nominating Clinton.
Hell, could I bring proof that I’m from the future? I might just tell Hillary “You’re great and all, but I am from the future and you will lose. If you don’t want to watch President Trump get inaugurated, bow out now and let Bernie take it from here.”
The same thing might have worked but with Biden instead, but then you have to talk him into it. Bernie was already running. I really think almost any Democrat could have beaten Trump, and Bernie sure had the energy and excitement on his side. Of course, I thought almost any Republican could have beaten Trump, too, so what do I know?
They saw a candidate that was exciting, and they did not know that “may you live in interesting times.” is a curse.
So, for whoever candidate I would get behind, I would try to make them seem more exciting, more interesting.
I’d get Bill out on the trail for her more, get him to be a bit controversial and in the news to soak up Trump’s spotlight.
If I could convince people of my foreknowledge, I would have a discussion with some of the late night hosts, and ask them to not give him free air time.
Nuts to that. I’d get a few burly helpers, land my time machine next to James Comey two weeks before the election, have my helpers get him inside, jump forward to November 9, and have them push him out again.
This. Also, fewer “Trump is an asshole” ads belaboring the obvious and more economic-focused ones (relentless repetition of that “Wages are too high” sound bite, frequent appearances from small-business contractors ruined by Deadbeat Don’s chicanery, etc).
They did not provide a mainstream, reasonable candidate that could meet the hopes of the majority of their base and also draw some voters across the aisle. All of the primary candidates were flawed. It was Mitt Romney’s time, he would have been viable, too many years too late. Trump was an entertaining side show. But he voiced many common concerns of the base and blew up the media coverage so that every day, every story, was about him. Free exposure without paying for the air time. He worked the media and owned their product. He played the media like a broken banjo.
For the Democrats.
Hillary was presented as an incumbent, the natural choice of the party. Ok, but her campaign was poor. She was just waiting for the inevitable melt down from Trump, which was absolutely going to happen, any day now, but he kept getting media coverage while she sat on her hands, waiting. Poor strategy. Her campaign avoided the issues, the areas, the fly over country that she needed. All waiting for the final Trump melt down. That never came. Because he was playing the new media and she was waiting.
The Third Party that threw this election was the New Media. Get the click bait out before someone else does. It can de a complete fabrication, a lie, but it will dominate the first 24 hour news cycle. Any retraction once actual facts are vetted is ignored. The news consumer of the New Media doesn’t care, and won’t pay attention. No body gives a shit about the actual, investigated truth. That is old story stuff. Yesterday’s issue. The first lie is now the truth.
Trump mastered the click bait news cycle, for free, and is still doing this with his tweets. There is no room in the internet news cycle for fact checking, and no one wants to change their mind after the initial outrage for an issue.
First lie is the first news. Get it out there and the news consumers will never call you on the retraction.
This might be the least effort with the biggest chance of changing it: Call in a bomb threat at whatever the hell airport Bill Clinton went wandering around.
I have no idea. Trump is made of teflon, no criticism of him seems to hurt. No failing on his part seems to harm him with voters. He was right, he can shoot someone and not lose votes.
If I could go far enough back in time, I’d go to the 80s or 90s and use my knowledge of what would happen with stocks and businesses to become extremely rich, then use my wealth to bankrupt him and keep him bankrupt. Also hire private investigators to dig up whatever dirt they could and widely publicize it. That way he wouldn’t have the credibility to run in 2016, but who knows.
I’d get someone other than Hillary to run if I could only go back to the election starting. there are millions of people who hate her due to 20 years of right wing smears, and a different democrat wouldn’t have that problem.