Democrats See a Path to Victory in 2020: Ignore Trump

[DonViejo]

What the party learned from the midterms was that compelling candidates who don’t try to beat the president at his own game can win with a focused message of their own.

Gideon Resnick
11.14.18 4:47 AM ET

A week out from a midterm election that saw the Democratic Party gain the majority in the House of Representatives, two Senate seats in the Southwest, and governorships across the nation, candidates, party officials, and the party’s largest super PAC took away a clear message going into 2020: Focusing time and attention on President Trump and the activities of the White House alone is not going to cut it.

“To succeed in 2020, a Democrat will need to have the skill and discipline to deftly pivot from Trump’s BS to the issues that matter,” Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, told The Daily Beast. “If you are trying to get retweets and social engagement, you are going to optimize for all things Trump and in doing so, you are playing his game.”

It’s a necessary word of caution from operatives who are keenly aware of Trump’s ubiquity given the mainstream media’s fascination with every twist and turn of his presidency. They point to cable news segments devoted to the latest palace intrigue and stories that have already been written about the nicknames the president is crafting for prospective opponents and a core base of supporters that delight in him taking on fights.

The 2020 campaign, of course, will not take place within the same confines of say a suburban congressional district in Kansas. There will be moments, Democrats concede, when it will become necessary to directly respond to Trump and any potential nominee will likely face microphones at every campaign stop where the first question will be about something the president said about them.

“When Donald Trump in 2020 has somebody to caricature every day and is lobbing attacks that are strewn with falsehoods every day, it becomes a lot harder to maintain that similar level of discipline,” Brian Fallon, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, told The Daily Beast. “So what I think that puts a premium on is having somebody that is compelling unto themselves.”

more
https://www.thedailybeast.com/democrats-see-a-path-to-victory-in-2020-ignore-trump?ref=home

[Vinca]

1. That does seem to be the most viable path. Ignore him and let him take himself down.

[vi5]

2. Exactly...

...now let's hope we don't waste this opportunity by telling all of these compelling, energized, charismatic, and in many cases young candidates to just sit down, shut up, and listen to the wise elders who have suuuuuuch a great track record of success over the past 25 years (that last part was sarcastic in case it wasn't obvious).

[wcast]

3. +1000