(I wish I didn’t need to qualify my diary, but as a former Bernie partisan in this community, and based on the first comments I’m seeing below, I suppose it’s necessary. No, this diary is not “Bernie daydreaming disguised as concern-trolling.” Yes, I would prefer Hillary as POTUS to Trump. Yes, I have very real concerns about Hillary focusing too much on Trump being a jerk, and not enough on the impressive (popular) public policy ideas she has announced.)
Hillary Clinton is tied with Donald J. Trump, so on this day when a buffoon has become foreign secretary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, let’s remember that anything is possible come November.
And, yes, that means Trump taking the White House.
I find it troublesome, then, to see Very Serious Wonks praising Hillary for this new television advertisement.
There are a few things wrong with this advertisement.
First, Trump is a dangerous attention-seeking individual. And the first rule when dealing with attention-seeking individuals — think of the class clown in elementary school — is to ignore the antics of the attention-seeking individual. In this advertisement, Hillary plays “Trump’s greatest hits,” which, for better or worse, some Americans find appealing as “real talk,” while others find them offensive, but funny. And, of course, humor can be disarming.
Second, this is a crappy advertisement that makes the election about Donald J. Trump — and not about Hillary’s “progressive who likes to get things done” vision for the future.
Thanks to some nudging from one Bernie Sanders, Hillary has recently announced a lot of really, really popular ideas: like support for a public option and ending college tuition for all but the wealthiest Americans.
Americans — a massive number of independents — flocked to Bernie Sanders, because he was crystal clear about what politics should be about: making good public policy happen. The public craves good policy in a country where the trains don’t run on time, bridges are collapsing, health care is an expensive bureaucratic nightmare, and earning a bachelor’s degree is more expensive than buying an Italian sports car.
Hillary will not win if she makes this campaign about Trump being an asshole. She will win if she makes this campaign about celebrating good public policy for the public good.
I beg of you, Team Hillary, please change course...before it’s too late.
