Trump Campaign More Disciplined, Making Inroads on Hillary’s Fragile Lead

Since Donald Trump defied the odds by defeating 16 Republican primary contenders this spring, his general election campaign strategy and the real estate mogul himself have been a disaster. He has missed one golden opportunity after another, being sidetracked by issues only hurtful to his image and candidacy.

The latest campaign shakeup may have strongly suggested Trump relax and use the teleprompter more often to curtail the amateur politician’s Joe Biden-like gaffes. Will it change his fortunes with undecided or Trump-leaning voters? New campaign leadership indicates the new strategy will focus primarily on Hillary’s charitable family foundation as the best way to turn around his under-performing presidential campaign.

Sometimes the most obvious decisions are clouded over with Trump’s inability to target his attacks specifically. He is a powerful campaigner and his message is powerful to millions of disillusioned voters desperately seeking a change in Washington. He promises to be that candidate.

trump campaign more disciplined
Donald Trump campaign more disciplined, speaking in Austin TX 8/23/2016.

Fighting Corruption Resonates

What resonates better than the vast corruption of the Clinton Foundation which grows more heated by the day? The left-leaning media is begrudgingly forced to report the accumulating facts. The new message includes an all-out assault on the Democratic nominee to drive up her unfavorable ratings in swing states.

On Monday, Trump demanded the Clintons shut down their foundation immediately. He alleged that the Clintons have spent decades lining their own pockets and taking care of donors instead of the American people.

Furthermore, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump’s strongest Senate ally and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Tuesday for the appointment of a special prosecutor. Left to FBI or the Loretta Lynch-led DOJ, history proves it would be an investigation stretching far beyond the November election.

The attacks are now fundamentally sound and the former cries of Crooked Hillary are being replaced with operative adjectives such as corrupt, illegal, untrustworthy, illegal and criminal. The American voter is far more likely to respond to Trump’s accusations that the former secretary of State of the United States of America used her influence to extort or to seek contributions to her private foundation.

It is a campaign-changer to focus on Clinton and away from his own campaign, something he has struggled mightily with since clinching the Republican nomination. It will be exceedingly challenging given Clinton’s counterattacks and vast network of dedicated staff and spin doctors.

Trump Played Into Clinton’s Hands

Thus far, Clinton and her handlers have played defense successfully; from Trump’s refusal to publicly release his tax returns, suggesting potential corruption, to his secret ties to foreign governments. One of Hillary’s closest media allies, The New York Times, reported last weekend the Bank of China lent Trump millions of dollars for an office tower in Manhattan.

That sort of political rhetoric is the shiny object her campaign has successfully distracted the skeptical voter. It has kept her corruption and untrustworthiness on page six, which have been her worst polling numbers.

Trump Strikes Back

Trump’s latest salvos include State Department records made public this week by Judicial Watch, indicating trusted Clinton aides gave special access to Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain, who contributed $32 million to the Clinton Global Initiative, formerly The Clinton Foundation.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-ARK) noted on Tuesday, “You have these very shady foreign oligarchs involved with the Clinton Foundation and involved intimately with the State Department under Secretary of State Clinton, that’s why I’ve said that Hillary and Bill Clinton should immediately suspend all donations to the Clinton Foundation from foreign governments and from corporations,” he told Hugh Hewitt, a conservative talk show host.

Nonpartisan experts warn of serious political liability for Clinton, who has opened up healthy leads in several battleground states in recent weeks. But will Trump’s new strategy changes all that.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at Public Citizens Congress Watch, says the Clinton Foundation was inevitably going to pose problems for Hillary Clinton going into the 2016 election. If you look at some of the donors to the Clinton Foundation, particularly the biggest donors among the foreign governments, they have no interest in what the Clinton Foundation is doing. They’re just throwing money at the feet of the Clintons in order to get access and influence, so that is a valid problem.

Clinton Fundraising Scandals Run Deep

Trump is now reminding voters of the fundraising scandals that embroiled Bill Clinton’s White House in the 1990s. Hillary has to walk a fine line between appealing to independent voters, while keeping left-wing progressives furious about the DNC’s treatment of their candidate, Bernie Sanders. Polls show they can barely tolerate her.

Anything Hillary says between now and Election Day, that defines typical Clinton entitlement behavior, will ease the way for many Americans to stay home November 8th. Even now, the Clintons have been forced to publicly acknowledge they will not accept donations from corporations or foreign sources if Hillary Clinton wins in November.

Could it be that the Teflon Hillary, who has shared her success with her devoted mainstream media leading the way, is now hearing more than gentle footsteps gaining on her robotic lead? The nationally televised debates in late September and early October may be the deciding factor in what will more than likely pit two surprisingly close candidates. The Trump campaign should get their alarming message increasingly heard, biased media cronies or not.

Dwight L. Schwab Jr. is a moderate conservative who looks at all sides of a story, then speaks his mind. He has written more than 3500 national political and foreign affairs columns. His BS in journalism from the University of Oregon, with minors in political science and American history stands him in good stead for his writing.

Publishing

Dwight has 30-years in the publishing industry, including ABC/Cap Cities and International Thomson. His first book, “Redistribution of Common Sense – Selective Commentaries on the Obama Administration 2009-2014,” was published in July, 2014. “The Game Changer – America’s Most Stunning Presidential Election in History,” was published in April 2017.

Location

Dwight is a native of Portland, Oregon, and now a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area.





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