“Temperament”…. for months, it’s been THE central focus of the collective Clinton forces’ massive negative campaign effort against Donald Trump.
And why not?
Trump has handed Clinton, her supporters, his many enemies in the media and within the Republican Party itself a massive dossier of video ‘reminders’ with which to work, and to remind the myriad offended parties why they should detest Trump.
But that provides Trump, the performer, the opening he needs to clear the low expectations bar, appear “presidential enough,” and “win” the debate by stressing the big message of “change” versus the “status quo.”
The Hillary campaign is smart enough to know that going into the debate with a strategy of riling Trump, and getting him to display the Trump caricature seen in wall to wall TV ads, is a sure fire loser.
So what’s her best strategy? Parrying with Trump will be unavoidable in many instances, but her primary mission and strategy should be to use the forum to convey in human, emotional terms her presidential rationale.
Yet, even if she accomplishes this objective — no easy feat with Trump as an unpredictable opponent and with emotional issues such as Charlotte unrest front and center — the overwhelming odds are that she will still “lose” the debate.
Trump knows he can win the White House if he can be seen as plausible, and he’s smart enough to know the precise role to play in the biggest performance of his life.