The Republican campaign has deteriorated into quite a sad state of affairs.  The shock of watching Donald Trump hurl insults, and make grandiose claims of achievement, has warn off and stunningly become the norm.  As if in a warped response to the medieval age ISIS has dragged the world into, our political campaign is rising to the level of Roman gladiators, with the crowd only satiated by more blood, and the willingness of all sides to fight to the death.

You think I exaggerate?  Explain the almost universal praise by pundits of Marco Rubio’s debate and other public performances, when he finally rolled up his sleeves, gave into the crowd, and fought with the same viciousness, insults, and mocking that Trump has used to rise in popularity.

When Vicente Fox and others say Donald Trump reminds them of Hitler, they are not far fetched.  He has the same ability to use hate and paranoia to work his followers into a frenzy, even a cult following.  Watch Hitlers’ speeches.  Watch the crowd.  Trump himself has stated that his supporters blindly follow him, and that even should he shoot someone in the middle of Time Square, he would not lose a single follower.  Are you not afraid?

I refuse to believe that the American people are all this blind or hateful.  What I take from that blind following is that the public does not care about what he says, but how he says it.  He could be completely off party lines, as with many of his past actions and even current remarks (see support of Planned Parenthood.)  I believe that it is not as much the extremist statements of Trump that the voters are responding to, but his perceived honesty that so contrasts with the conventional political campaigning, always afraid to say anything that has not been well vetted or remotely out of party lines.  Rubio and Cruz have somewhat missed the call of the public.  Sure, they love a good fight.   However, in this battleground, Trump will retain his edge- he is good at mud throwing.  You must use your intellect- throw those punches that actually have meaning and weight, not just “You are a liar”.  That’s all Trump has, but you have far more than that to work with.

The real missed lesson is not how to come up with insults.  It’s breaking the format- speaking off the cuff, answering questions without looking to your campaign managers for the appropriate answer.  You need to say out loud what you are thinking- the truckload of reasons that Trump will not make a good President- why the U.S. cannot afford to be his next business.  We can’t afford to fail, as some of his companies and business deals have.  We can’t just leave and get cheap labor elsewhere.  We can’t break our promises in relationships with allies or wives, trading in for new ones on a whim.   We can’t risk Donald Trump running the United States in the way that most benefits Donald Trump- a consistent approach to everything he has touched.  He has admitted that his political support goes wherever the wind blows, and that his principals change as benefits his financial interests.  Isn’t this really just his biggest business deal?  Can anyone doubt that he will shamelessly use the presidency to obtain his biggest financial advantages yet?  Ask the questions.  Out loud.  Again and again.

Do what should have been done unapologetically from the start- don’t just say that Trump has filed bankruptcies, tear those bankruptcies and lawsuits apart.  Bring out the nice old people from Scotland that Trump viciously and unrelentingly called stupid, publicly shaming them in an effort to obtain their land for a golf course.  Look at the environmental reports on that.  Don’t allow him to stand up there and claim he is supported by environmentalists- trot them out.  Rubio’s rightful criticism of a candidate being sued for FRAUD- where have you been for all of these months- these are not a few complainers, they are joined by the New York Attorney General.  How often and to what extent was Trump paying illegal workers?  How much?  I want to know.  Let’s send someone to his factories in China, and explore the working conditions.  Spend your advertising money showing his exploitation of the working class- will he really support unions?  Not if it hurts his bottom line.  There is a wealth of obtainable information to be evaluated.  Why are you not doing so?  Why is the media not doing this to inform the people?

Here’s a place to start- read Wayne Barretts’ 2011 article discussing Trumps’ decision to drop out of the 2012 Presidential race due to the magnifying lens into his businesses and alleged associates, even alleged ties to organized crime. His public excuse, that he was offered too good of a deal to renew his TV show, should give one pause.  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/05/26/inside-donald-trumps-empire-why-he-wont-run-for-president.html

Say what everyone is thinking.  That is what the public wants.  No more politicians, full of dishonesty and double speak.  If you changed your mind, say so.  The ridiculous attempts to claim you haven’t only make you look foolish when you sheepishly attempt to turn it around. Don’t criticize spelling on tweets- is that the best you’ve got?  How about interviewing Marla Maples?  Let’s point out the lack of integrity, the inherent dishonesty exposed by his affair.  Where is Tiffany Trump?  Has no one noticed that Melania Trump has posed naked and provocatively- is she an appropriate first lady and role model?  How about that she speaks in broken English?  Is that acceptable for a first lady that must communicate well with heads of state and their wives- or is it everything that this country is about?  Why don’t you interview her?????  As always, the point is to ask the questions.  When interviewed, Trumps’ followers have said they follow him because he speaks the truth, not many cite his political platform.  Point out his dishonesty, not his spelling errors.  Rubio, Cruz, even Kasich, that’s what you learn from this- you don’t need the comedy writers- rip up the speeches, and just talk. #SpeakUp  and Speak Loudly.   Answer questions without canned responses. The old style of being overly careful not to offend any constituents is dead.  Just go for it.   This is what the public is clamoring for.  Listen.