When it became clear that Donald Trump was going to win the Republican Presidential Primary in 2016, the scare tactics started. If Trump is elected president the stock market will crash, he will pull us into war, racism will rule America. Basically, the Democrats said that there would be complete and utter chaos if Trump were elected president. Its been almost four years of a Trump presidency and none of those warnings bore truth. Trump’s first term has been one of peace, economic growth, and security for America. The economy has benefitted all Americans. At one point there were more jobs available in the US than people to fill them. International leaders and nations were envious at what Trump had been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. In fact, the only chaos came from sources not connected to Trump at all: China with COVID 19 and Antifa rioters with the destruction of American cities. The threats of the Democrats and anti-Trumpers were false and ineffective in 2016. One would think that they would change their strategy but, instead they amazingly are operating from the same playbook. Its Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result! The Democrats continue to cry “wolf”. I call it “the sky is falling” part 2.
I have been an advisor on several political campaigns. I have given postmortem advice to both Republicans and Democrats. In 2020 someone is giving the Democratic Party awful advice. Once again, as in the 2016, Trump is a monster who will destroy the nation even though he has not done so in four years. The Democrat’s memory is either short or their zeal to see Trump removed is so intense that they cannot think straight. They are like addicted gamblers at the Blackjack table continuing to double down on their losing hand. Michelle Obama made the case in her address to this year’s DNC convention. She emotionally stated that if there was one thing that she wanted us to remember from her speech it is that if Trump wins things can and will get worse. Pure doom and gloom scare tactics.
There are three main areas where the Democrats are trying to scare the American people.
· The COVID 19 Pandemic
· The Economy
· Racial Injustice
This is a dangerous and risky strategy. For this approach to work they must hope that COVID 19 continues to increase, that the economy is slow to recover, and that violent disruptive protests continue. The entire platform depends on negative, pessimistic positions. This is the image that the Democratic Party is presenting to the American public. So, good news is bad and bad news is good for the Democrats.
Unfortunately, for the Democrats and anti-Trumpers much of America is seeing through this attempt to scare the voter. Americans remember how well the country was running under Trump before COVID. The bad news for the Democrats is that it looks as if the economy is making a quicker than expected comeback. After an intense July, COVID seems to be gradually tapering off. As far as the racial unrests goes, Trump has the cushion to say that all these problems are taking place in Democratically run states and cities.
Democrats have made a big mistake by relying on the same failed tactics from 2016. I believe it to be too late to change course now. As the story goes, crying “wolf” backfires when there is no wolf.