Harry Reid has given numerous examples of just how Democrats should be street-fighting Trump. For example, Reid has called Trump:
- “Sexual predator”
- “Fraud”
- A person about whom the FBI is witholding “explosive information” about his connections with Russia.
Did you notice how Trump reacted to these smears? How his campaign reacted? Almost every time Reid spoke, Trump tried to hit back, because he knew that he had been hit.
Reid’s are the kinds of punches that hurt Trump, because they expose and humiliate his most fundamental flaws and alienate him from almost all Americans.
Calling Trump a “racist,” or “xenophobe,” or a “thin-skinned bully,” as Warren and others have done, is good and certainly more than warranted, but those punches do not hurt politically nearly enough. Trump’s deplorables will take such insults as emboldening compliments of their hero, and even Trump’s more moderate or hesitant supporters will chalk them up to Trump at least being unpolished or dominant, characteristics they may admire in a president. Yes, this is ample evidence of systemic racism and sexism. But sadly, many people in our country don’t have the intellectual curiosity, education, or empathy to understand systemic racism and sexism, and in this democracy of ours, their votes are equal to ours.
Republicans win too many elections in spite of an ideology that is utterly bankrupt and being tools of the uber-wealthy and corporations. They win not merely because of their tacit or overt racism. They also win because they formulate vicious attacks and synchronize their strikes. Here is their simple but highly effective playbook:
- Step 1. Develop a Simple, Easy to Understand, Plausible Smear.
- Step 2. Give the Orders to All the Political Ground Troops to Launch the Attack Simultaneously on All Media.
- Step 3. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat the Smear. Repeat Incessantly, without Hesitation or Shame.
- Step 4. Watch Everyone in the Media Start to Talk about the Smear.
- Step 5. Behold Your Opponent’s Credibility and Voter Enthusiasm Dwindle.
They just did this to Clinton. They did it to Kerry in 2004. They did it to Gore in 2000. And each time Republicans wrested victory from the jaws of defeat and elected candidates whose resumes, whose intelligence, and whose policies made them otherwise unelectable. Obama managed to take the GOP by surprise both because of how fresh he was to the national political scene (not giving them years to discredit him), because their attacks were at best guilt by association (Jeremiah Wright, et al), and certainly also because of his positive, hopeful alternative to the dark years of Bush’s warmongering and recession.
When are Democrats going to start to learn from Reid and from the Republican smear playbook?
Please note, I’m not advocating for Democrats to invent smears whole cloth or to become experts (as the Republicans are) in disinformation. Smears can be rooted in facts but still vicious, perhaps even more vicious than baseless smears.
Don’t get me wrong, Democrats must continue to be the party of people who actually think, reflect, cite sources, and are accountable to facts. But Democrats need to stop focusing on winning over bloggers like us, voters like us who actually stay informed, do our own research, read newspapers, and cite sources with over 140 characters.
Dems need to start winning over low-information voters, gut instinct voters, and the multitudes of distracted voters who care more about sports or video games or the Kardashians than they care about politics.
Democrats need to speak clearly, simply and in complete unity in order to break through the noise—and Trump was and is an expert at creating massive amounts of noise.
Democrats need to form a phalanx and fight in unity with Reid. Agree with him on 3-5 choice smears, but be responsible enough to make sure they are based on fact. Send out the memo for all Democrats to get on board and maximize their media opportunities, not just in print, but most especially on radio, tv, and social media, to spread each smear in a coordinated fashion. Repeat the smear ad nauseum. Then watch the smear take on a life of its own and behold the results as noticeable percentages of the general populace turn away from your opponent in anger or disgust.
It is not too late to learn this lesson. There is no better time to start than now!
The Electoral College still needs to vote and actually decide the election. Even if they vote for Trump, the month leading up to his inauguration can be hell for him and his fellow Republicans who own him. Republicans can be divided and put on the defensive before day one of a fascist Trump presidency. Every decision, every policy that Trump puts forth presents another opportunity to develop new smears and amplify previous ones.
Here are a few suggestions to get started.
- “An unregistered sex offender”
- “A Russian mole”
- “A bloodsucking businessman”
- “Tax fraud in chief”
Democrats, start fighting for us, not just with high and lofty principles, not just with compassion and empathy, but also with vicious, coordinated attacks on those who would destroy us (especially the most vulnerable among us) and threaten the well-being and security of our country in the process.
You are our chosen warriors! Fight for us!
Update 2
Nicknames, rhymes, wordplays, etc., can all help, too. Don is a “pawn” (of Russia), a “con” (in tax, charity, and business), and a “John” (in his rapes and assaults).
Shamelessness is key for effective smearing. Trump is on tape repeatedly talking about his attraction to girls, whether they be 10, 12 or 15, including his daughter. He is going to court for statutory rape. We should not feel ashamed to say what this is, what Trump is, “a pedo.”
Yes, America, we’ve elected “Pedo for President.” How about some Napoleon Dynamite style t-shirts made in Trump’s honor. “No Pedro Aqui… You chose a Pedo for President.”
Poetic justice that pedo means “fart” in Spanish.
Update 3
Clinton had lots of great moments in the debates, but when she called out Trump as a “puppet” of Putin, it was strikingly effective. It got a yuge, infantile reaction from Trump (“no, you're the puppet”), making him look like the 5th grade bully that he is.
On the whole, I think Clinton was absolutely right to take the high ground, like Michelle Obama said and like POTUS and FLOTUS Obama, as well as Bernie Sanders and Tim Kaine, exemplified. That said, the Democratic ground troops (Reid, Warren, Schumer, et al) should have been out on the airwaves and on social media every day calling Trump a “puppet” and “pawn” and “agent” and “mole” of Russia. Only that kind of concerted repetition could break through the noise and get large segments of the voting population (not just Eichenwald readers) to take notice.
Update 4 (continuing to append some of my substantive comments to the main post)
Trump is a very effective con-artist and salesman, very good at reading and tapping into the emotions of low-information voters. Clinton herself didn’t need to stoop to his level (though she could have followed Bernie more in his economic populism). What she really needed was an array of Democratic ground troops who would get dirty and call out Trump shamelessly for his shameful words and deeds.
If they had done this, imho, the election wouldn’t have been close. Clinton would have won by 10-20 points in a massive landslide, and the Republicans would have been utterly humiliated for nominating an unregistered sex offender, tax/charity/business fraud, and Russian mole/agent/pawn/puppet/collaborator.
But there is still a month to sway the electoral college! Obama and Clinton should continue to be dignified and guide an ostensibly peaceful transition of power. But this is the time for Democratic ground troops to form ranks, get their shit together and start loudly and clearly smearing the most smear-worthy person ever elected to the presidency.