Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Demovictory9

(32,411 posts)
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 01:32 AM Sep 2020

Trump has yet to find magic potion to get ahead in race

https://www.chron.com/news/article/Trump-has-yet-to-find-magic-potion-to-get-ahead-15545477.php

====

Trump has claimed Biden is mentally challenged. He has gone after Biden's son Hunter as corrupt. The president has accused Biden of being a radical leftist, a socialist. He says the former vice president is weak. He says his challenger is soft on China. He has said Biden supports violent protesters and doesn't support the police. Oh, he's also said Biden's 1994 crime bill was too tough on crime (and by implication, therefore, on the side of the police).


-------------

Trump's mistakes, record and history plague his candidacy. He paints his record in glorious superlatives: "The greatest economy in history." Or, "No one has done more for (fill in the blank) than I have." The reality is something else, and it shows in how people continue to view him: negatively in terms of his job approval and distrustful of what he says about the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic is far worse and more deadly because of how he handled it in the early stages and how he is still handling it. He speaks about it as if it is almost history. He mocks Biden for wearing a mask. He predicts the readiness of a vaccine by late October, a scenario that he obviously sees as a lifeline to his political resurrection. This rosy outlook runs contrary to the assessments of medical experts. Meanwhile, one forecast of the covid 19 death toll by early next year has been revised upward to 410,000.

Friday's unemployment report offered some hopeful news. But Trump's claims about a recovering economy overlook how many people are still out of work, how many small businesses will never come back and how many families are teetering on the edge. Jobs are being restored as people go back to work, but the economy is being changed by the pandemic in ways that could be long-lasting, especially for those at the lower end of the economic scale. Still, he leads Biden when people are asked who would do a better job on the economy. That is another potential lifeline.

Late in the week, Trump was confronting a damning story by Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of the Atlantic. The report, based on multiple but anonymous sources, said Trump had referred to U.S. soldiers killed or wounded in action as "losers" and "suckers." Other news organizations, including The Washington Post, confirmed the essence of the story. And the language was consistent with things the president has said in the past, particularly about the late senator John McCain of Arizona.

Trump vehemently denied the report, as did many of his political and personal advisers. Others who might be able to confirm or refute the report were silent, including former White House chief of staff John Kelly, whom Trump attacked during a Friday news conference as a man "eaten up" by the job.

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
1. That's the difference between 2016 and 2020 - Trump led in some polls four years ago...
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 01:39 AM
Sep 2020

That leading meant he could do it again, or win enough votes to win the EC.

He hasn't led in a single national poll since February.

RainCaster

(10,792 posts)
4. He needs to talk more shit about himself
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 02:05 AM
Sep 2020

People love it when he talks about himself. And his feelings about others. He should talk about his real opinions on organized religion. Then about our Constitution. Yeah, that would be great.

Xolodno

(6,382 posts)
5. The winning formula literally landed right on his lap. The Pandemic.
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 02:17 AM
Sep 2020

If he went out and said, that its going to hit our shores, economies will be shut down, sacrifices will have to be made, listen to the CDC, be prepared to be frustrated as its an ever changing situation, etc.

And say they are rushing to get ahead of the curve, but failures may occur, a vaccine is being worked on, but won't be ready for awhile, etc.

He would have had it in the bag. Leadership in a catastrophe garners you a lot of support (see 9/11 and GWB).

Nope, he ignored the reports about it and never thought it through to conclusion. Just a whiny cry baby because he got impeached. And when reality smacked him in the face, all he cared about how this would look on the economy as he saw that as the only dimension for his re-election.

Buckeyeblue

(5,496 posts)
9. I agree with you
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 10:00 AM
Sep 2020

Had he been honest, encouraging and empathetic about the pandemic he would probably be in much better shape with swing voters. But those three attributes are not in his make-up.

Cicada

(4,533 posts)
7. Charles Franklin, pollster, says midwestern whites turned off by urban disorder
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 03:45 AM
Sep 2020

Franklin runs the Marquette law school poll. He says that recently midwestern whites are moving toward Trump because of social disturbances. Betting markets had Biden with odds of winning 60%. Now break even, probably for this reason.

This is Trump’s only path to re-election but it’s a real path.

Buckeyeblue

(5,496 posts)
10. But the social disturbance is happening under Trump's watch
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 10:05 AM
Sep 2020

Don't the realize that under another Trump term, these "social disturbances" will escalate? Protesters will only get played by white supremacist militias a few times before they prepare for them and fight back.

Claire Oh Nette

(2,636 posts)
11. Midwestern whites...
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 10:05 AM
Sep 2020

...mostly don't live in urban areas.
And they mostly don't spend much time in urban areas.
A few have driven through urban areas on their way to, for example, the Myrtle Beach area.
Most won't ever travel more than 30 or so miles from where they were born, though.

They fear what will *never, ever* happen to them. Because it's all they see on their propaganda station. Small town folk near me, some think all of Portland is in constant riot, yet the protests are in a relatively small area. Fear, Fear, Fear.

Reactionary Xenophobes.

abqtommy

(14,118 posts)
8. tRUMP/sPUTIN have never been ahead except with their minority base. The chickens
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 09:34 AM
Sep 2020

(tRUMP/sPUTIN) are coming home to roast*!

* Ward Churchill

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Trump has yet to find mag...