As we enter the election year in earnest both parties and their respective presidential candidates are telling their comms shops to put away the booze and their serious addictions to salacious online videos and instead focus on coming up with a message, or messages, that will play well with the American people.
As a former political consultant and campaign media director, I know the drill.
Voters, just like almost everyone these days, have a short attention span and thus cannot internalize more than three main concepts over the length of a presidential campaign.
So watch for these messages and talking points from President Trump, the Dem nominee, and their parties.
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The GOP
The economy- This is always the number one priority of voters, unless we’re talking about a full-on war, and the president has excelled at this.
Expect a “Morning in America” and “we can’t go back to what it was before” message from the president’s campaign. Subtopics will be historically unprecedented positive job numbers, trade deals, return of manufacturing, and less regulations.
National security- President Trump has achieved the neat trick of having the nation look strong and resolute in the face of international tension and turmoil without going to war.
You’ll hear about the military renaissance, the Al-Baghdadi, and Soleimani missions, increasing NATO defense expenditures, good relations with Israel, and going head to head with China.
Also, isn’t it funny how in 2016 Democrats, both on Capitol Hill and in the court of public opinion, were certain that Trump would lead us into WWIII? That was then, so this recent Iran involvement wasn’t a talking point like it is now. Well, instead of WWIII, Trump has literally met with Kim Jong-un to negotiate international reconciliation. That is literally the opposite of leading us into war.
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Democrats
The economy- They will have a hard time convincing the American people we have a bad economy with unemployment at just above 3%. So they’ll revert to their standard operating procedure and just make stuff up.
Expect talking points on socialized medicine, class warfare, radical green policies, and homelessness. They will sound mightily miffed.
National Security- With WWIII and a war with North Korea on hold and the U.S. giving the Iranians a bloody nose without war, again, the Dems don’t have much. So you’ll hear “Trump the warmonger” talk regardless of the fact we are not at war.
And then there’s the upcoming “disgraced president” lines about impeachment. But just like right now, later in the year that dog still won’t hunt.
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