In Running Against The Devil, Rick Wilson details how Democrats can (and must) win the presidency in November. Wilson created pit bull attack ads for Republican candidates for years, is a conservative, original Never Trumper, and author of best selling Everything Trump Touches Dies. The book is funny, profane, and filled with solid battle-won advice.
1) This is a must-win campaign for Democrats and the country. Republicans will pull every slimy trick imaginable. There is no bottom for Trump and he doesn’t know what ethics are. It’s going to be a gun fight in a biker bar. Don’t bring a knife or babble about how we have to go high when they go low. Start fighting now and don’t stop until we win.
2) Make the election entirely about Trump, his venality, incompetence, obvious mental incapacity, and corruption. Never stop attacking Trump and his cronies. Use Trump’s pathethic response to coronavirus to attack him mercilessly.
3) Third party candidates may well be sock puppets. Wilson says Republicans specialize in funding stoner idiots to run as Greens in areas where their candidate just needs a couple of percentage points to win. Democrats should return the favor and finance sock puppet Libertarian candidates.
4) The election will be won or lost in about ten swing states. California and New York are going to vote Democratic. Alabama and Mississippi will go Republican. Democrats must focus on the swing states. All of which are different. Most of them have Democratic or potentially Democratic voters who are not woke, and don’t want to be woke. They mostly DGAK about trans rights, however do want preexisting conditions covered by health insurance. Focus on what they want. What works in Berkeley doesn’t work in Ohio.
5) It’s all about the electoral college. Howling that the electoral college is obsolete or unfair is pointlessly stupid. It is the only way to win in 2020. Deal with it. Florida as always is key here. It’s a swing state. Votes are often close, and it has 29 crucial electoral votes. Whoever wins Florida probably wins the election.
So, pick up your tire iron and get in the fight.