Rather than galumphing away like a sore loser, Sioux Falls Democrat and former chair candidate John Cunningham continues to offer his services to his party and its new chair, Paula Hawks. Along with his service, he offers his voice, his willingness to speak up for all Democrats and get folks talking about how right a national ship topsy-turvied by the Republican embrace of “the most corrupt, incompetent, lyingest, and UnChristian president in history.”
In this essay, Cunningham contends its time we Democrats work to make everything wrong with Trump, including his tariffs/taxes, stick to the Republicans as we boot them out of office in 2020:
A Lack of Democratic Strategy
Progressive Americans find it impossible to understand why 40% of American voters believe Trump is a good president, despite the fact that he is the most corrupt, incompetent, lyingest and UnChristian president in history. It does not appear that the Democratic Party has a coherent strategy to counter this.
I believe the difference is in facts. Progressives are obsessed with facts and knowledge. This is reflected in the “education gap” which shows that the more educated and knowledgeable a person is, the more liberal his/her views. The Republican base has no such obsession. The fact that our president puts out more “fake news” DAILY than all major media (including Fox) do in a month is irrelevant to them. Note that in the past election, we were faced with a candidate who focused on facts and policies and lost the critical blue-collar states. At the same time a lying, pompous candidate captured the blue-collar vote in enough states to win the electoral college vote (the only one that counts). What gives him that edge?
I believe the answer is in the relative importance of facts and perception. I have long held that perception is more important than facts. Nowhere is this more obvious than with our liar in chief. He lives in a world of “alternative facts” where truth is whatever he wants to believe it is. What he has been able to present to his base is a perception that he is a strong, capable leader with a vision of American greatness. This overrides any of his factual errors, and progressives ignore this to their detriment.
The voices of the Democratic Party are the Congressional leaders and the presidential candidates. They are focused on getting the “facts” from the Mueller report and the president’s tax returns. While they are important, they will not shake the confidence in the president’s 40% one bit no matter how damaging the facts are.
How do we shake that confidence? What kind of strategy do we need to employ?
Our leaders must attack Trump, not with the Mueller report or his taxes, but attack his perception. We have given him a pass on the perception issue and it is time to change that. Here are some suggestions on changing his perception.
Weak. He is obsessed with power, and presents himself as strong. This was really his only advantage over Hillary. We need to find ways to show him as weak. His base was upset that he caved in to Nancy Pelosi on the shutdown. After that meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, Trump sensed that he was in a weak position and he backed off and gave himself some wiggle room. The right-wing pundits (Coulter, Ingraham, Limbaugh) bullied him and he caved. THAT was the cave that hurt him. We needed at that time to show him as too weak to stand up to the right-wing bullies. I am not sure we can resurrect that issue. We did not show him as weak in the face of right-wing opposition. We let him escape and not exploit the rift
Incompetent. His greatest vulnerability is the wall. He promised that Mexico will pay for the wall. Our leaders need a concerted chorus: “We will appropriate funds for the wall as soon as you are able to fulfill your promise and get the money from Mexico. However, you have not fulfilled your promise and have not even had the courage to ask them for the money. When that check clears and you have shown the ability to fulfill your promises, you will get your wall. However, we will not make the American taxpayer pay for your failure and lack of courage.” This counters his perception of strength and his “I have fulfilled more promises than I made” statement. It shows him as weak and cowardly both. His base respects strength.
Ignorant. Another area that is becoming a liability for him and which Democrats need to exploit is his trade fiascos. As the economy falters, we can show that his trade wars and were not good for the economy and the tax cuts didn’t do anything. We need to present the case that these were done because he doesn’t know what he is doing.
“Mr. president, we request that you end your trade wars and begin negotiating with Europe and China. By negotiating with Canada and Mexico rather than invoking trade wars with them, you were able to obtain some small improvements in NAFTA. Negotiation created some benefits, however small. Your trade wars with China have done the opposite. They put our farmers on welfare. The balance of trade has INCREASED because of your trade wars. Your tariff taxes on Europe have increased costs to thousands of businesses who pass those costs on and it is customers who pay your tariff tax. Our economy is slowing because of your new taxes. Every competent economist in your administration cautioned against trade wars for this reason. You don’t know international trade, and should have listened to people that know what they are talking about. Negotiation is always better than war. Do your job and get a negotiated settlement with Europe and China that does not destroy America.”
It is important to remind his base that tariffs are sales taxes that THEY pay. Tariffs cost THEM money because Trump has imposed new taxes on them. We must assert or at least imply that he doesn’t know what he is doing. That erodes the confidence in him. Secondly, we need to assert that his negotiation with Canada and Mexico only created a minor improvement in NAFTA so he can’t make it a big success story of his administration.
In order to be successful in not only replacing Trump, but gaining control of the Senate, the national party leaders must have a consistent strategy that attacks the weaknesses that Trump and his Republican Congressional boot-lickers provide. We have to focus our attack on the things that Trump is claiming as his strength. Moreover, when attacking him on issues, we must include all Republicans as much as possible. An example is that instead of calling the tariffs the “Trump Tax” (as I did above) it is probably better to call them “Republican Tax Increases” since Republicans supported them. It doesn’t do a lot of good if Trump is removed, and all the tar and feathers go with him. The tar needs to stick to the whole Republican party as accessories.
—John Cunningham, essay, received by DFP 2019.04.06
We must attack Republican base voters where they get their news: on facebook , Twitter, Instagram ect; on TV; on Youtube; on smart phones; on NRA and white nationalism media; on Fox News; on talk radio. Rupert Murdoch owns the base.
There are hundreds of ways to attack Rotten Donny. He put kids in cages. That’s rotten. He killed the farm economy. That’s rotten. He is indecisive and flip flops daily. For a president that’s rotten. He cozys up to America’s enemies. That’s rotten. For a guy that branded himself with the tag line, “you’re fired” he’s to cowardly to actually fire anyone. He just complains publicly until they quit. That’s rotten.
Democrats need to give Trump a nickname that will stick. He’s Rotten Donny.
“Kids in cages” has a nice beat to it for a campaign slogan: Kids in ca-ges! Clap clap clap-clap-clap!
“Donald, You’re fired” also has a nice ring to it. Co-opt the marketing.
A new nickname for Trump? Don the Con. Here’s to Don the Con artist becoming Don the Con-vict!
Not to mention head racist. The border issues could be solved with technology like China is now doing on its border with North Korea. Of course, that border is between the two countries is about 1,100 miles shorter, but the fact is, both borders are significant.
“”A Chinese border patrol unit plans to use 5G technology to help stem the flow of refugees from North Korea and smuggled goods between the two countries, according to mainland media.
The unit in Tonghua, Jilin province, signed an agreement with China Mobile – the largest wireless network operator – on March 23 to build the country’s first 5G checkpoint at Unbong, or Yunfeng Reservoir in Chinese, Legal Daily reported.
“Jilin is one of the pilot provinces for 5G network transmission in China … [so it has] seized the opportunity to sign a strategic cooperation agreement with the Tonghua branch of China Mobile,” according to the report.”
Here is what innovation can do, something we sorely lack here in the United States and have for some time. While we still plow the field behind outdated ideas and technology, China and the rest of the world surge ahead. trump and his regime have put us at least 4 years behind the rest of the world. Look at what Apple has done…. nothing but go into competition with Netflix. Look at Boeing, spooky stuff of planes falling to the ground. We cannot have success without investment in our infrastructure, be it new and improved communications, like a real 5G network, highways and all forms of transportation or the real holy grail, education for our children along with affordable or free higher education.
So ask yourself, are you better off now than you were 2 years ago? Are you better off?
We don’t need to get creative with nicknames. We just need to use apt adjectives.
Racist Donald.
Weak Donald.
Ignorant Donald.
Frantic Flaccid Fool’s base won’t be deterred by calling him a racist. They are too.
I think John is right on going after him on weakness above all. That will incense him and probably cause him to do even stupider stuff leaving him even more vulnerable.
With specific groups go after how Frantic Flaccid Fool has hurt them specifically. Ex. Farmers–the stupid China tariffs. That’s the incompetent part.
What about how much he’s cost us? I’m thinking something along the lines of “He’s spent $X million of your taxes going golfing every weekend.” Or is that too factual for the audience?
Jeez. This craziness is what is required when we have an insane president.
DONALD TRUMP IS A LIAR
There’s your bumper sticker or slogan. You can add what you wish, but this is should be the basic premise on how to attack Trump and his supporters.
In each and every Facebook or Twitter debate remind Trump supporters that Trump is a liar to the tune of over 10,000 lies to date.
Now, some are polite and call Trump’s lies misstatements, misleading, etc., but in fact DONALD TRUMP IS A LIAR.
Trump lies so much and so often that it is often difficult to understand why he would tell a blatant lie, (i.e. his father being born in Germany).
Democrats need to call Trump out on his lies at each and every opportunity and beat his supporters over the head with his lies.
Barbara Bush hated Trump so much she had a countdown clock next to her bed countdown to when Trump would be out of office.
Democrats also need a clock, a clock to tell us by the hour how many lies Trump told.
Make American True Again?
Roger, I like the Lie Clock. Someone should put that up across from Trump Tower, less than a mile from the Durst National Debt Clock.