OTOH, it is “bait” like all the rest the dems have been stringing out, and trump just cannot help himself in going on the offensive the only way he knows how – get down and dirty with return fire.

It is his continued focus on these things that occupies the news, drowning out anything “bad” that could be discussed wrt clinton and obama.

This is just another aspect of the flawed character that is trump.

The dems have been extremely smart at this political jujitsu, using trump’s own psychology, and his Pavlovian behaviorisms, against him.

By shiny things are you referring to items such as the fact that he is a sexual predator?

I’m finding this hard to believe.

I think this is absolutely on point. The Trump campaign is wasting too much time playing defense to Clinton campaign attacks. I think that if they would have focused more on this message, this election would already be decided (and in Trump’s favor) regardless of what “shiny objects” are thrown around in the arena.

How many ads do we see of one business trashing another’s product? Heck, we hardly see any head to head comparisons.

Why is that?

Because, for the most part, they don’t work well, and they don’t necessarily bring the customer back to your vs yet another competitor’s product.

Notice that ads are largely selling the positive features / aspects / associations of their offering.

“Making America Great Again” has the makings of a positive vision, but the campaign doesn’t match that idea with much positive reinforcement and is getting overwhelmed by the negative coming form the campaign / trump himself.

Look, the reality is asking that question is like asking the question on how to start a business and retire a multi-millionaire – oh, and convince me it is bulletproof to accomplish.

There are so many possibilities and so many different ideas on and paths to get there, where does one begin, and how much detail is needed to live to the standard that will convince not just GB but all the rest.

Make no mistake though, we are battling in the marketplace of ideas, and, for one aspect, we ought to be looking at the parallels with business in getting our ideas sold.
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A starting place is to scrap the assumption that everyone belonging to any particular group is immune to our messaging. Neo changed her mind, an individual in a sea of leftism. Are there not any lessons to learn in that?

A second thing is to get rid of the idea that our message has to be about “blood, toil, tears and sweat”. Was Reagan’s “Morning in America” such a message?

However, it is a sure thing that, if our message is (and it has been) that the world is rigged and that we are all victims of one sort or another, we are sending out the exact opposite idea to what we say we are standing for.

And, as we are saying these things, it implicitly buys into the leftist zero sum framing. Then all it becomes is an auction of who can give out more goodies to “compensate” for your group’s victimhood, leaving everyone fighting for position on the victimhood hierarchy for a better payoff.

We ought to be able to target market, tailoring our messaging to make our principles relevant to those folks outside our “tent”, but are persuadable.

And this is just one aspect. There is much more.
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“Dems say, why take the chance when you can have a guarantee? No losers and everyone the same.”

So, let’s talk about one example. Take my above statements, and ask yourself how much have you heard from the GOP about charter schools and/or vouchers?

Yes, we’ve heard a bit, but how many have been going into the minority communities to talk about this and made a major issue of this?

Dem policies are not working for those folks – they are guaranteeing a poor education, everyone is a loser. How “fair” is that in their minds? It is not theoretical for these people, but very real.

As solution, this hits home at the value of the marketplace vs government for solving problems.

More importantly, the GOP are missing the boat by not making something like this a key selling point to ***open the door*** to more discussion on other things in the minority communities.
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“We”, you and I, cannot do all this ourselves. So, the bigger question may be what can we do as individuals, not alone, but organized?

We have to both influence the larger political organization(s) to meet our expectations, and be agents of change within our own communities.

That’s the question I’d like to discuss here, and one I think can be productive.

Frankly, doing this well would require “blood, toil, tears and sweat” and time. Is the crowd here up for it, IDK.

Perhaps in heaven. Many more people will take a bird in the hand over two in the bush. The democrats are offering the public a bird in hand and conservatives are saying, go hunt in the bush and if you’re good enough, you’ll probably find some birds.

Conservative principles demand accountability and risk taking with no guarantee of success. There are losers in conservative enterprises. Dems say, why take the chance when you can have a guarantee? No losers and everyone the same. As Hillary puts it, “everyone gets to be someone”.

Your conservative principles demand people accept the world as it is with all its pain and loss. While dems claim to be able to create a fair, just world, where far more people get what they want.

Today, “Happy, happy, joy, joy” sells much better than, “I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears and sweat”

“You can’t “keep your principles” and widen the tent.” — GB

“This fundamental belief is why we lose.

Because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Fine. Offer a persuasive rationale for how we retain our principles of self-reliance, risk-taking, acceptance of personal responsibility for our actions and refusal to steal from others (“progressive” taxation)…

When the people we wish to convince are opposed to all of those things. Not because they think them false but because they know them to be true. Many people are opposed to a merit based system of risk-reward (Capitalism) and defend it by embracing the excuse that others who do better in a merit based system are ‘cheaters’. They do so because they’re unwilling to put the effort in while facing the fact that they might still lose.

The simple truth is that an increasing proportion of the American public feel entitled and demand that it is their right to be given things. Good luck with proposing to decrease entitlements, while inviting them into our bigger tent.

And if you can’t demonstrate how to do that, yet still claim it can be done, you’re doing the same thing as those who claim that identifying Islam as the source of Islamic terrorism will only make things worse. I.E. advancing a claim without a supporting rationale.

“I have to accept the consequences. These are *your* consequences, btw. But we all live in the same country. I tried to warn you. Nice that you guys screwed up supporting this guy but I’m the one presented with the catch 22.”

You’re suffering a lapse in memory. I never supported Trump during the primary season. I was for Walker, then Cruz and Fiorina. So I face the same catch 22, I resolve that by choosing a slim chance over no chance at all.

Yes, Trump is much of what you say and may be all of it. So instead (if you reside in a swing state) you condone Hillary’s election.

Labeling the facing of reality as “counseling despair” simply enforces denial.

I haven’t forgotten our bet on Trump gaining at least 100 electoral college votes, have you? As I recall, the loser buys the winner a case of their favorite beer. If memory serves, you like the Toppling Goliath brand and I, Bass Ale from across the pond. The loser visiting the other was optional, time and circumstance permitting. Yes?

I also recall you previously stating that if Iowa’s EC vote is close, you plan to vote for djt while holding your nose. If that circumstance arises, I would recommend doing so on an empty stomach, as I plan to, otherwise an unhappy and unintended gastronomic consequence may result 😉

“Is this less bitter and shrill? I hope so because you are my hero/heroine when it comes to less bitter and shrill. Oh, one thing you should know: I am relentless.”

“Perseveration” is the clinical term for it.