One would think that at this point Trump would be cramming for these debates like a frat pledge facing a final that could get him booted from school. After his “dead cat” bounce from his convention, the hot air balloon bounce Clinton received, and his self inflicted wounds since then, he is in deep kim chee. Nationally he is far behind, well outside the margin of error in polls, And in most battleground states he is also behind by more than the MOE. Time is running short, one of his few lifelines is to hit a grand slam at these debates.
Running for any public office, much less President requires extreme patience and discipline, and Trump has all the discipline of a six week old puppy. Why hit the position folders when you can go hit up battleground states like MS for mass rallies? Nobody cheers and chants your name when you study. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t working on it, not at all.
According to an article published today in the Washington Post Trump has finally started to pay attention to the debates and at least start working on his strategy to tackle Clinton. The intensity of his preparation is about what you’d expect from Mein Trumpkopf;
Donald Trump is taking a different approach. He summons his informal band of counselors — including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and ousted Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes — to his New Jersey golf course for Sunday chats. Over bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs and glasses of Coca-Cola, they test out zingers and chew over ways to refine the Republican nominee’s pitch.
Trump’s aides have put together briefing books, not that the candidate is devoting much time to reading them. Trump is not holding any mock debates, proudly boasting that a performer with his talents does not need that sort of prepping. Should Trump submit to traditional rehearsals, some associates are talking about casting Ingraham, an adversarial chronicler of Clinton scandals, to play the Democratic nominee.
Man, talk about a working lunch! Nothing quite like trading sexist zingers over tube steaks and bacon cheeseburgers to get you adequately prepared for the most important day of your life. Trumps arrogance will kill him. In the primaries he got through by making select withering attacks on opponents, and then melted into the background, perfectly happy to be out of the spotlight while the other nine on the stage did all the talking. In the Presidential debates, it’s ninety minutes solid, no commercial or potty breaks, and no one else to do the talking for you. But Trump doesn’t study, that’s not his bag.
In all fairness, some of his advisors are at least trying to school him up. They have explained that zingers aren’t enough, you have to have a grasp of not only the major issues, but show some understanding of the nuances involved. So far it doesn’t seem to be getting through.
Clinton, as you would expect is hitting the books like a student with a Valedictorian robe on the line. Without going into details, the campaign has already admitted that there is ample down time built into her upcoming schedule to allow for her debate prep. And while they are well aware of the risk of her coming across as professorial and wonky on stage being contrasted by the free wheeling personality of Trump, they also have a secret weapon.
“The man has the thinnest skin that we’ve ever seen, so getting a reaction out of him and pulling the now well-known Trump personality out will be important,” said strategist Stephanie Cutter, a veteran of President Obama’s campaigns.
Look, let’s cut to the chase here. If we get beyond Labor Day and Trump is not back to within 4-5 points in the national polls, and he hasn’t closed the gap in the battleground states, these debates are his last lifeline to get back into the game, after all Tempus is Fugiting. If this report is accurate as to the seriousness with which he’s preparing for these debates, then it’s up to all of us to show him what real preparation is like while we prepare to give Hillary majorities in both chambers.
Fortunately we are about to get a sneak preview. On September 7th MSNBC and NBC news, in conjunction with the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America are hosting a Commander in Chief forum. Both candidates have already agreed to appear. Although the two candidates will not appear on stage at the same time, both will be questioned by not only moderators but audience members who are either active service or veterans of the armed forces. This should be a revealing look into just how well Trump can handle himself in a format where substance is not optional, it’s mandatory. I can guarantee you I’ll be watching, you should too.
Thanks as always for reading!