Inside the Clinton Team’s Plan to Defeat Donald Trump

[morningfog]

In the days after Donald J. Trump vanquished his Republican rivals in South Carolina and Nevada, prominent Democrats supporting Hillary Clinton arranged a series of meetings and conference calls to tackle a question many never thought they would ask: How do we defeat Mr. Trump in a general election?

Several Democrats argued that Mrs. Clinton, should she be her party’s nominee, would easily beat Mr. Trump. They were confident that his incendiary remarks about immigrants, women and Muslims would make him unacceptable to many Americans. They had faith that the growing electoral power of black, Hispanic and female voters would deliver a Clinton landslide if he were the Republican nominee.

But others, including former President Bill Clinton, dismissed those conclusions as denial. They said that Mr. Trump clearly had a keen sense of the electorate’s mood and that only a concerted campaign portraying him as dangerous and bigoted would win what both Clintons believe will be a close November election.

That strategy is beginning to take shape, with groups that support Mrs. Clinton preparing to script and test ads that would portray Mr. Trump as a misogynist and an enemy to the working class whose brash temper would put the nation and the world in grave danger. The plan is for those themes to be amplified later by two prominent surrogates: To fight Mr. Trump’s ability to sway the news cycle, Mr. Clinton would not hold back on the stump, and President Obama has told allies he would gleefully portray Mr. Trump as incapable of handling the duties of the Oval Office.

Democrats say they risk losing the presidency if they fail to take Mr. Trump seriously, much as Republicans have done in the primary campaign.

* * *

The plan has three major thrusts: Portray Mr. Trump as a heartless businessman who has worked against the interests of the working-class voters he now appeals to; broadcast the degrading comments he has made against women in order to sway suburban women, who have been reluctant to support Mrs. Clinton; and highlight his brash, explosive temper to show he is unsuited to be commander in chief.

Much more, good read: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/us/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-general-election.html?_r=0

[yallerdawg]

1. There is one big difference in the General Election.

All the people he is "hatin' on" are not voting in the Republican primary (where he still is getting a minority of Republican votes).

But they damn sure will be voting in November!

[KitSileya]

2. Isn't this the most wonderful sentence?

President Obama has told allies he would gleefully portray Mr. Trump as incapable of handling the duties of the Oval Office.


I am so glad the adults are at the table discussing how to beat Trump, instead of pouting and saying they will burn down the house to save it like some do.

[beachbum bob]

3. simple equation and not all that difficult to execute

the other MAIN subject would be to throw everything at trump concerning his "business sense"...you always go directly at a candidates "supposed strength"...from all the bankruptcies, to screwing employees and suppliers to free use of "eminent domain" to enrich trump.....

really seriously....November may turn into the largest democratic landslides in decades bringing the House and the Senate along with it.....

[HillareeeHillaraah]

4. I wish Bernie's supporters could see that in Trump Clinton election...

...we'd have the opportunity to begin that revolution they speak of...imagine a dem in the White House, a majority of reasonable minds on the bench, a majority in the senate? Who knows ? Dare we even dream of taking back the house!!? Dang...all seems so close! So possible!

I gotta go get some air -

[Satch59]

5. Good plan...

And they can approach it in a civilized way. They'll have Obama and probably Biden out there campaigning vs the looney tune gang... My hope is that Trump goes down big and hard and his reputation will be forever tarnished...the icing on the cake!

[jmowreader]

6. I have to believe the Clinton team is not showing all its cards right now

One of the most effective tools the Democrats have to use against Trump is his business record. I'm not going to post *A* link because a google for "trump business failures" will show you thousands of them in about a second, but the boy has a serious love for pasting his name on corporate time bombs. He had a "luxury airline" no one wanted to fly, "luxury vodka" no one wanted to drink, "luxury steaks" too expensive to eat, a "luxury gentleman's" magazine no one read...he rented his name to three casinos in Atlantic City that all failed. Also, how many illegal immigrants work for him, or for companies he hires? And lest we forget, Trump ALSO went to Scotland and told the locals no one there knows anything about running golf courses.

[morningfog]

7. From the article:

American Bridge, a pro-Clinton “super PAC,” has formed a “due diligence unit” of tax and business experts who are poring over Securities and Exchange Commission documents and court records related to Mr. Trump’s business career.

[jmowreader]

10. Exactly

Notice they only gave THREE planks to their anti-Trump platform. All of them are good, but Trump's business career WILL be the thing that sends him home. They won't go into that right now because they don't want the Trumpster to have the time to buy his way out of the attacks.

[Stand and Fight]

8. I'm all for this, but why is a Sanders supporter posting in this forum? n/t

[jmowreader]

11. They have just as much of a stake in keeping Trump out of the White House as we do

Someone who hasn't hidden the Bernie forum should go there and see if the same post is there. I think it should be, if it's not now.

[Her Sister]

9. I think HRC would have the backing of the whole world!

America and the rest of the world would be in deep crap if we allowed a dangerous blusterous clown to have control of the reins of the most powerful country and it's military plight.