SOME GOOD ADVICE FROM ADAM KINZINGER

This is from Adam Kinzinger’s Substack. At the end, he said “share,” and that is what I am doing. Please feel free to share this at the White House website. Maybe they’ll “get it.” - TC

HOW CAN BIDEN WIN?

(Disclaimer: Donald Trump is a small, tiny, weak, victim-of-a-man. But this article addresses his perception, not his reality. Its important for us to understand this to determine the best way to undermine his appeal. Read with an open mind, while remembering he is just the worst human to ever occupy the White House.)

What is Donald Trump’s appeal? In a few words; he projects confident strength that he will apply against the nation’s enemies. It’s not a bad approach. Indeed, voters love candidates who promise to fight for them. Think Ronald Reagan circa 1980. He confidently promised to vanquish economic threats at home and communism abroad. He won 46 out of the 50 states.  However Reagan, showed that strength on behalf of Americans, not against them.

Donald Trump’s enemies include immigrants, Democrats, normal Republicans that call out BS, and every foreign country that doesn’t come to heel when the he commands it. Not because he wants to flex America’s power, but because he has small personal ambitions. His claim to strength is expressed when he says, “I am your warrior” and “I am your retribution.”  And oh, did I forget to mention that he said that if he wins the  White House he’d function like a dictator for a day?

If I were in Joe Biden’s inner circle, I would look at Trump’s win in the Iowa caucuses and expect him to follow the same strategy to win the GOP nomination- and then use it against Biden in the general election. (I, for one, am certain this will happen.) Fortunately for  Biden, Donald Trump is no Ronald Reagan. Subject Trump to just a little pressure and he becomes a whiny, complaining, child lacking confidence, composure, and strength. In other words, he’ll be exposed as the fraud he really is.

Provoking Trump is fairly easy. You could apply the truth to his lies or focus on his failures in both business and as president. You could also stress that he’s a genuinely bad guy who faces criminal charges in four different courts. As he responds, Biden should let Trump reveal himself as a monster who cares only about himself. Along the way, Biden should also attack Trump and his  Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement as a danger to democracy.

Biden has tried the strength-against-enemies strategy, calling out the MAGA heads and branding Trump a threat to democracy, However, he’s does it in a past-its-time fashion. Like every one of his party’s nominees going back fifty years, Biden gets a bit wonky in his speeches – describing his achievements and programs -- and when he does attack, he is more pouncing cat than chomping pit bull. He’s oatmeal to Trump’s spicy breakfast burrito, at least in perception. That approach seems to be changing, and that is good.

The reality is that when Trump is described as “big and scary,” that actually feeds his peoples admiration. They love that he scares the left, they love his authoritarian tendencies. Instead, maybe he should be attacked for the weak, small, self absorbed weiner he really is.

Biden should also create an image of physical, mental, political, and temperamental strength and reinforce it continuously. How does he do this? Here’s my humble ideas. First, he can board Air Force One, and start to barnstorm a little. Like Trump in 2020, he should use the big plane, a symbol of presidential power, as a backdrop for some rallies. At others, he should appear on stages decorated with American flags and his aides should get the crowd fired up with some rock and roll music. (Bill Clinton made good use of Fleetwood Mac).  It might be a good idea to show the crowd a five-minute film featuring Biden as vigorous and engaged. When the film ends, he should be introduced by a popular local pol, and take the stage with energy, flashing the grin that has become a trademark.         

 I know what you are thinking. Biden is 81 years old. The other guys are going to say he’s just not fit to be president. He lacks stamina. He isn’t quick on his feet. The answer to this can be seen in the busy schedule Biden keeps at the White House. And the effort he puts into maintaining his body and mind.  He often tells people, "I feel so much younger than my age."

Unlike Trump, whose exercise routine is limited to riding around in a cart and then hitting a golf ball, Biden works out every morning, lifts weights, and works with a personal trainer.  If there’s a difference between Biden’s condition and Trump’s, who will turn 78 in June, it’s that Biden is a spry guy and Trump lumbers like man who lies about his weight.

Biden cannot win if he fails to show himself as a genuinely strong leader who won’t crumble under pressure. He must also create enemies that Americans recognize – MAGA’s threat to democracy and Trump himself – and promise to defeat them. He did this in 2020. He must do it again now.

I realize my advice comes from a man that values American strength, power, and purpose in the globe. I think a President needs to appear powerful, but powerful on BEHALF of people, not in opposition to Americans. Maybe this doesn’t work with all voters, but I know it will have an impact on Trump’s, and drive him crazy. After all, he is crazy. Let’s show it.

This year is the most important and already the worst year of our lives. You can help That’s Another Fine Mess as we confront this crisis, a a paid subscriber for only $7/month or $70/year. Itreally helps!

Comments are for paid subscribers only.