When Trump is not forced onto Defense, he goes all out on Offense

[Tom Rinaldo]

Last edited Thu May 30, 2019, 02:28 PM - Edit history (1)

When Trump is on offense he always dominates the news cycle with his chosen political audience. It doesn't matter what our preferred news outlets are choosing to cover, not if Trump is left free to go unfettered on offense. FOX always covers Trump on offense. Limbaugh always covers Trump on offense. Right wing blogs always cover Trump on Offense and so do Russia's twitter bots, amplifying every lie Trump tweets

Democrats are already busy passing practical legislation in the House that most Americans say they care about.That never dominates the news cycle regardless of where Democrats come down on Impeachment. The bills die in the Senate so they never make news by becoming law. Having been "productive" is something our incumbents can and should use in their local 2020 debates and political ads. It will not be covered by the national media.

The national media focuses on political intrigue and infighting. They will focus either on the "alleged" sins of Democrats, or on the real sins of Trump and his Republican lackeys. It depends on the production values of the show being put on. We here follow the ins and outs of the criminal and unconstitutional acts of Trump and his Administration. We here already know and understand the findings of Mueller's (redacted) Report. None of that is true of most of the American public

As previously seen with prior aspects of reality which for all practical purposes by now should be self evident (Hint: Climate Change), Trump and his cohorts excel at crafting a mirror world reverse narrative that directly contradicts the known facts. He does so by ignoring facts entirely and instead strongly asserting a dramatic story line that dovetails with his chosen world view. Truth can effectively counter lies, but not when it is relegated to insulated insider discussions and carefully crafted polished public statements while the lies are allowed to scream full throated in the virtual public square. Trump routinely does the latter, and he does so fact free from the most powerful platform in the nation if not the world; the American Presidency.

The Mueller investigation, we here know, was never a witch hunt, no "hoax" ever delivered dozens of federal indictments. However that never stops Trump from branding the investigation with his own self serving lies. Far more troubling than Trump's false treatment of the truth though are the malevolent initiatives he hatches to destroy those who do speak the truth. It starts out with purges of those within his Administration who retain some integrity. But the groundwork is being laid within the Justice Department for criminal investigations of Trump's targeted key adversaries.

If Trump is allowed to remain unchecked on offense, his false narrative will spread unchecked Think of the old school information warfare tool we long ago were familiar with; radio jamming. Trump "jams" honest media in America by powerfully broadcasting lies. It is far worse than mere disinformation, it is actively laying the groundwork to brutally take down his enemies. It is lurid, it is flashy, it is trashy and very hard to look away from. And it is done on a grand scale. His media critics become "Enemies of the People". Non partisan experts in the security community working to protect our national security are branded as the nefarious "Deep State". An essential investigation into Russia's attack on American Democracy becomes instead "a Coup to take down the President".

Either Democrats seize the offensive by now (or very soon) by launching a high profile "must see TV" impeachment inquiry into Donald Trumps "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" or Trump will fill the void, that a failure to dramatically move against Trump would leave, with their own dramatic counter narrative inquiry, "exposing" the "Deep State Coup against America's lawfully elected President." Senate Republicans stand by ready to respond with al of the pyrotechnic lies that it will take to dominate media coverage inside of Trump's political universe. Trump will use that playbook regardless of how Democrats tackle Trump's manifest unfitness for office. The only question is whether Democrats will powerfully counter him with the truth, in a forum that the American public can not and will not tune out.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. His offense is his defense, and vice-versa.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. He also uses a primitive tactic that plays on the subconscious

It's a part of many religions as well: To name is to have power over. Either the President of the United States welcomed an attack on our Democracy by America's foreign adversaries OR the America "Deep state" initiated a coup attempt to reverse an American election. Both" labels" essentially are descriptions of the same series of events, which one will get the oxygen to prevail is the key question yet to be resolved.

[global1]

2. Democrats Need To Continually Announce The Practical Legislation In The House....

that they have passed and that most Americans say they care about.

They need to show that these bills die in the Senate (thank-you Mitch McConnell and the Repugs). They need to force the issue with the MSM as to why these bills never make the news by becoming law and where the real problem exists in our current climate of partisanship.

The American People need to hear and know where the process breaks down and which Party is responsible for the lack of progress in Congress.

It's one thing to want to take back the Presidency in 2020 by mounting a campaign to beat Trump.

Concurrently, the Dems need to also want to take back the Senate (where the real problem exists); keep the House and win back the Presidency to beat the Repugs who continually 'circle the wagons' around Trump in order to have him distract us from the real issues that need to be addressed.

Yes - run a campaign against Trump - but also make sure that the campaign is run against the Repugs - where the real problem exists. Trump - as bad as he is - is a distraction that the Repugs use to maintain their power base and further their sapping the spirit from the American People.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. "Democrats Need To Continually Announce The Practical Legislation In The House..."

Sure, but i would be really surprised if they are not already doing just that. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink AND you cam lead the national media to real news but you can't make them cover it.

That's why I think a strategy of NOT impeaching Trump so as to theoretically show that Democrats are instead working on things that people care about is fatally flawed. If tree falls in a forest but nobody hears it...(yeah, I'm big on old slogans today). We can both uphold the Constitution AND legislate, and our candidates can take that message directly to their constituents when we do.

[kentuck]

4. That's his M.O...

No doubt.