During the Vice Presidential debate on October 4th, Citizen Kaine interrupted Mike Pence a stunning 70 times! It was difficult and frustrating to watch, but I must admit: I admire his determination to be on the offensive.
It seems the Republican party is constantly back-pedaling. Conservatives are always being pressed to apologize for their beliefs and views. After the presidential election loss of 2012, the Republican party did an internal review and concluded it was “too old and too white.” Okay, so what’s the response? Is it to do a better job of getting the conservative message to more communities? It’s what was promised, but the Republican establishment has acted in a polar opposite manner.
The party establishment has done everything it can to sabotage its conservative candidates. Instead, the party is filled phoney conservatives who love big government just as much as their Democrat counterparts. But here’s the problem: a schizophrenic party can never lead the country. When Republicans talk conservative but act as Progressive-Lites and wreck the country, the populace wrongly blames conservative principles. Conservative principles have not been applied since Ronald Reagan, and when they were they were a resounding success and the party enacting them won elections in landslides!
Democrats don’t hesitate to viciously attack their opposition, and they are not called on the carpet for their disgraceful lies. I am sick of a cowardly conservative party. Conservatives need a party which aggressively campaigns for their principles. There is no need to apologize for conservative principles!
Mitt Romney was widely considered to win the first presidential debate. How did he follow-up that performance? By treating Obama with kid gloves. President Obama was an incredibly vulnerable candidate:
- The economic “recovery” under Obama had been the worst economic recovery in our nation’s history.
- He LIED about Obamacare. No keeping your doctor, no keeping your plan, and premiums went up by thousands when he promised they’d lower by thousands.
- Benghazi was an utter disaster. We could have scrambled F16 jets and flown sorties hours before any American lives were lost. Yet nothing was done as four Americans died.
- Obama promised to lower the country’s deficit and proceeded to increase it by over $500 billion dollars. Under Obama’s leadership, a first-world country had trillion dollar deficits for the first time in history.
- Obama promised to be the most transparent administration in history, and proceeded to be the least transparent of all time. Obamacare was negotiated in secret, back-room meetings, whistle-blowers were prosecuted and attacked more aggressively than ever, and FOIA requests were denied and avoided more than any administration in modern history.
- Even the New York Times published a piece by an Obama supporter titled, “Our Untransparent President.”
- James Goodale, former general counsel for the New York Times, later said Obama was worse than Nixon on press freedom.[ref]http://observer.com/2013/05/just-a-crook-pentagon-papers-lawyer-thinks-obama-is-worse-than-nixon/[/ref]
- Jonathan Turley, a liberal constitutional law expert, later admitted “the painful fact is that Barack Obama is the president that Nixon always wanted to be,” in a piece titled “Nixon has won Watergate.”[ref]http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/03/25/nixon-has-won-watergate/2019443/[/ref]
Romney never really pushed Obama on any of these issues. He debated like a coward, and he lost a race which was his to win.
Fast forward to 2016. Hillary Clinton consistently went on the attack against Donald Trump. By forcing Trump to go on the defense, she controlled the debate. And she was largely considered the winner.
It’s time for Republicans to flip the switch. Donald Trump needs to go on the offensive. Everyone already knows the major ways Clinton will press Trump. He needs to have prepared responses which turn the tables and force her to play defense.
Clinton Attack: You Still Haven’t Released Your Tax Returns! What Are You Hiding?!
The Trump counter-attack:
“Last debate, I said I would release my tax returns when you release the 30,000 emails you deleted. I have to admit, I shouldn’t have said that. Why? Because it’s unrealistic. You didn’t simply delete those emails, you used Bleachbit to destroy them. A program specifically designed to destroy digital information and prevent even the FBI from recovering it. And when asked about it, you said, “What? Like with a cloth or something?” Either you can’t control the criminal actions of your subordinates or you willingly lied to the American people by pretending to be ignorant.
So today I will lay forth a condition for releasing my tax returns you can actually meet. I will release my tax returns when you release the transcripts of your speeches before Wall Street Banks where you were paid $250,000/hr. I’ve had tremendous success in business, but I have never been paid $250,000 just to speak for one hour. What did you say to the country’s most powerful corporations? For what reason would they be willing to pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars? My opponent pretends to be the candidate for the average Joe, but look at where the biggest corporations are donating their money: That’s right, to the Clinton campaign. And do you really think a company would spend a quarter of a million dollars just to hear Secretary Clinton speak? Of course not. They are expecting to get a return on their investment when she’s in office, and if elected, she will serve the Wall Street Banks at the expense of the American worker. The American people deserve to know, what did you say to those banks?”
This will give Trump the upper-hand on this issue for the rest of the election cycle. Instead of Clinton bringing up the tax returns as a point of attack, Trump will be able to continually bring up his condition for their release!
Clinton Attack: You Used Massive Losses to Avoid Paying Taxes for Years! You Said You Were Smart for Not Paying Taxes!
The Trump counter-attack:
“My fellow Americans. I implore you to realize how incredibly dishonest my opponent is. Her campaign has already admitted she has used the exact same tax write-off to lower her tax burden in the past. In addition, the New York Times has also admitted to not paying taxes for several years because of the very same tax rule. Yet these people slander me for legally following the tax code. My opponent has no honor. She does not care that she uses the exact same tax write-offs to benefit herself. She expects you the American voter to be too foolish to realize her hypocrisy. But I believe the American people can see through the lies.
Every single person, republican, democrat, and independent, attempts to legally follow the tax code in a way which minimizes their tax burden. Now do the tax rules currently favor the most rich and powerful? They certainly may. And I am the only candidate who proposes to change this. Secretary Clinton promises to raise rates on the most wealthy. But if the tax loop-holes are not closed, these higher rates won’t impact the wealthiest earners the way she claims they will.
This is what I propose: lower ALL tax rates and close many of the tax loop-holes. This will actually lower rates on all Americans except for the wealthiest earners. The super, super wealthy in American society will actually pay more taxes with a lower rate because they will have less rules written in their favor. Do you realize some of the biggest companies in the world like Google or General Electric pay taxes at a rate of 2 to 3%? How does it feel to know you, the average American worker, pay 5 to 15 times that rate? These companies know the Clinton ticket will keep the rules written in their favor, and that’s why their money is going to her campaign. Like on so many issues, what my opponent says may sound good but it does not deliver. And when she attacks me for using the same tax strategies she employs, she simply reveals what most of us already know: Secretary Clinton simply cannot stop lying.”
This is the problem with having a big-government, pro-crony-capitalism GOP. There are issues like this where a true conservative platform would win over Americans from all parts of the political spectrum. Right now, the tax code is so complicated and large the most wealthy individuals and powerful corporations are able to lobby to have rules written in their favor. Corporations worth billions pay taxes at rates massively lower than the average American family. If Republicans campaigned for lowering ALL rates and closing loop-holes (I know this is not Trump’s stance but I believe eliminating ALL write-offs is the only way to go. As long as some exist, the most powerful will always be able to buy politicians to game the tax code in their favor.), then they would have a platform everyone but the top .1% would support. This is true big-tent conservatism, but Republican politicians are bought and paid for by the Chamber of Commerce. And the Democrat politicians are just as bad. The Democrats will raise effective rates on your local dentists and doctors, but not on our society’s elite.
Democrats constantly attack Republicans for activities they also engage in! ENOUGH of allowing the Democrats to be complete hypocrites and false accusers! They need to be called out on their hypocrisy!
Clinton Attack: You Were a Birther and had the Gall to Question Our President’s Citizenship!
The Trump counter-attack:
“The first question of President Obama’s citizenship came from the Hillary Clinton campaign of 2008. And yes, I followed her suit and also investigated the issue. And in hindsight, I realize I left my investigative teams pursuing that issue for too long. Instead, I should have sent my investigators over to the Clinton Foundation.
The Clinton Foundation is a modern day criminal enterprise. There, Secretary Clinton engaged in a pay-for-play scheme while our country’s Secretary of State! She falsely accuses me of schmoozing with the Russians, but all they had to do was donate to her Criminal Foundation and she gave them control over a vast swath of our Uranium Deposits! Are you a dictator who would like former president Bill Clinton to stand by your side and help you continue to oppress your people? Just donate a few million to the Clinton Criminal Enterprise. Are you an ambitious American citizen who seeks an ambassadorship or other government appointment? There’s a price for everything, and if you’re willing to pay I’m sure we can find a spot which works for you. Are you a country like Saudi Arabia who treats women as subhuman and doesn’t even allow them to drive? We at the Clinton Foundation will gladly accept your money!
And this, this really bothers me. After that devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Clintons immediately stepped forward to help. But who were they interested to help? Was my opponent eager to help the poor and needy in Haiti? No. She was interested in lining her own pockets, and her and her husband stole millions of dollars from some of the poorest people in the world. Less than 2% of the money given to her foundation for help in Haiti ever made it to the country. I apologize to the American people. My investigators should have been researching the criminal enterprise known as the Clinton Foundation.”
I was shocked the Clinton Foundation was not mentioned even once during the first debate. There is a reason Clinton is avoiding mentioning the foundation at all costs. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
During the last debate Trump was obviously stretching in his defense of the birther investigation. Whether or not it had any merit, the American public has a dis-favorable view of the issue. Why defend the indefensible? Instead, Trump needs to take control of the conversation and launch a devastating attack in response!
Clinton Attack: You Called Miss Universe “Piggy” and Slander Women!
The Trump counter-attack:
“We have all said and done things we later regret. As a public media figure, I made some inappropriate comments. Yet I have a history and track record of supporting and empowering women. Independent studies have shown my companies more readily hired women, and women were more likely to be promoted to leadership positions. My company’s have been wonderful places for women to work, and I have never conducted unlawful business practices.
On the other hand, my opponent has a history and track record of dishonesty and recklessness. While Secretary of State she broke the law and set up an illegal, private email server. She also acted in Contempt of Congress and deleted tens of thousands of work related emails after they were subpoenaed. Her actions endangered the lives of Americans abroad through the mishandling of classified information. She repeatedly lied to the American people about her actions, and our intelligence information was vulnerable to hacks from foreign governments.
Our political representatives are supposed to serve the American people. Instead, the politicians of today rule over the American people. The laws are applied differently to them. The members of Congress actively engage in insider trading, and they all leave Washington as millionaires with lifetime pensions and healthcare.
The bottom line is if any of you handled classified information the way Hillary Clinton did as Secretary of State, you would be in prison. Should our politicians be exempt from the very laws they pass for the rest of us to obey? My opponent represents a political ruling class which views the American citizenry as their subjects. In this country, the power belongs to the people! As President of the United States I will serve you, the American people. I will not rule over you, and I will not act above the law. I will uphold the Constitution, and return Law and Order to American society.”
Once again, Trump needs to avoid spending time defending actions which the public will always view as mistakes. Instead, he should apologize and quickly transition into an offensive counter-attack against Clinton. As you can see above, the vulnerabilities of Clinton are much greater. She should be in federal prison, and he needs to be bold in presenting the truth to the American public!
Conclusion
I was disappointed in Trump’s performance during the first debate. He let Hillary Clinton control the flow of the conversation and keep the clock ticking on issues which favored her. I do not want to give Trump more credit than he deserves, but perhaps his objective of the first debate was simply to seem presidential. There are many people – even Republicans – who get “scared” about the idea of a Trump presidency. If there was one thing Trump did do well during the first debate, it was his professional demeanor. Perhaps he planned on ratcheting things up over the course of the next two debates.
Regardless of what his strategy was entering the first debate, he clearly needs an offensive strategy moving forward. Hillary Clinton is one of the most easily attacked presidential candidates of all time. Now many people may believe that is also true of Trump, but Clinton has engaged in criminal activity on multiple fronts. He should have pre-planned counters to control the conversation and expose her weaknesses:
- Attacked on tax returns -> Counter with Wall Street speeches
- Attacked on tax practices -> Counter with hypocrisy in speech and policy
- Attacked on birtherism -> Counter with Clinton Foundation criminality
- Attacked on inappropriate statements -> Counter with inappropriate and criminal actions while Secretary of State
- All the while, a thread of Clinton’s dishonesty, untrustworthy nature, hypocrisy, and criminal activity will be woven
I am sure there are more attacks the Trump camp can anticipate from Clinton. Each one should have a prepared, tactical response designed to control the conversation and place Clinton on the defensive.
It is time for conservatives to play to win!
Image credit[ref]http://www.flickr.com/photos/50708465@N00/29931631671″>Adversaries</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/[/ref]