Democrats Want to Turn Trump's Twitter Addiction Into an Election Issue

[brooklynite]

Daily Beast

Donald Trump’s Twitter habit has caused no shortage of controversy during his presidency. Now, Democrats are hoping to turn it into a liability for his re-election.

One of the party’s top think tanks has been privately encouraging lawmakers and candidates to attack the president for failing to deliver on the promises he made because he’s too consumed by social media. It is, undoubtedly, the first case of a campaign tactic geared towards turning a president’s online behavior into a liability; though rarely has a president’s reliance on—and use of—a media bullhorn been such a defining personality trait. Those pushing it have offered new polling data to bolster the idea that the argument will move voters.

About two months ago, the Center for American Progress commissioned the firm Civis to test messaging that framed Trump not as corrupt or unethical but as “ineffective”—and to attribute that ineffectiveness to his being absorbed by his Twitter feed. The results were notable. Of the six messages tested on Trump, the idea that he was “more focused on his Twitter account than on delivering on his promises” was the only one that consistently moved the vote towards Democrats, including among Obama-Trump voters.

Soon after the Civis study was commissioned, top officials in the party began pushing the line.

[GusBob]

1. Hmmm IDK lol

He watches alot of Teevee and spends all day on social media

Which is typically american?

[ProfessorPlum]

2. this is a dumb strategy

remember what the guy who defeated David Duke said: don't attack him on anything until you attack him on being a filthy racist. If you do, it will normalize his racism.

[machoneman]

3. Hey look. If it works and gets Trump dumped, I'm all for it!

Why not?

[Hortensis]

4. We don't HAVE to. It IS an issue on the right, a big one.

For 3 years now, whenever asked Republicans have been saying they wished he didn't tweet. The REAL Donald Trump exposure is been very embarrassing at all times and often very worrisome and distressing.

Of course WE will no doubt be using many of the wonderful clips Trump has provided for ads. But that's not "wanting" to make Trump an issue. He is.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Eh

It's not Trump's Twitter usage that is the problem per se, more *what* he says on it. But, at this point, anything that helps us get rid of him in 2020, I'll take.

[abqtommy]

6. I don't do any of the social media since they're all obviously only interested

in revenue and not decency. I know that if was on Twitter I'd be kicked off the moment I started doing what tRUMP does, which is obviously an infraction fo Twitter's TOS/Terms Of Service. It disgusts me.