After months of long campaigning, the end is nearing - at least for the primaries. Last week, Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president and this coming week, Hillary Clinton is expected to accept the Democratic nomination at this year's national convention.
The conventions are really where the general election starts - where the nominees drop the "presumptive" from their title. Normally, these conventions are four days of uninterrupted free advertising. There's almost no way to bungle it. However, it's also very difficult to capitalize on the opportunity. In order for the Clinton campaign to do so, they need to:
1. Don't Screw Up
The "Hippocratic Oath" begins with the words "Do No Harm". That's exactly what Hillary's team needs to be focused on not only for the convention, but for the rest of the election.
Nate Silvers, a pollster who predicted the winner of all but one of the 2012 swing states correctly, on the polling website FiveThirtyEight, finds that Clinton has a 58% likelihood of winning the presidency.
This is not a message one of complacent. In fact, it's the opposite. It's a message to be constantly vigilant for anything that might screw things up.
It becomes even clearer after just looking at the convention. After the debacle that the Trump campaign put on last week, just making it through without
pretty clear allegations of plagiarism would be a win. The Trump campaign set a very low bar.
2. Attack Trump
We can't be afraid to attack Trump. Sure, the attacks will most likely be personal, but that's because Trump has no policy.
Voters need to know that Trump defrauded students in his
Trump University scheme ,
went bankrupt more than four times, and has a long list of racist, sexist, and intolerant remarks.
This also has the added benefit of bringing over some Sander's holdouts. There should be a clear message that we simply can't allow Trump to become the next president.
It shouldn't be too hard...
3. Make America Hope Again
Trump's convention was, at the every least, unorthodox. Never has there been such a doom and gloom convention. America is losing. ISIS is winning. There's lots of death.
“The world has lost confidence in us. The inevitable consequence: weakness, decline, and, ultimately, chaos and oblivion."
-South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster (7/21)
This type of negativity can't be attractive. Who wants to vote for a candidate who only thinks about what's wrong with America, instead of what is right about it? A message of pessimism just isn't motivating to any voter.
Clinton has to contrast Trump's despair with something more optimistic - almost like Reagan's "Morning in America" that won him the White House. She needs to embrace the progress made under President Obama on a 5% unemployment rate, increased tolerance for LGBTQ individuals, and a repaired image of America on the global stage.
At the same time, the convention needs to recognize that there are still many problems - race and inequality to name two. However, those problems must be framed as challenging but not insurmountable. The convention has to give people hope that their vote matters - that they can do something about these problems by electing a Democratic White House, Senate, and House.
