Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt broke down the motive behind Trump’s constant lying as he is trying to exhaust Democrats and break their will to fight him.
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Schmidt said on MSNBC:
Let’s talk about the political strategy here. It’s a desperate political strategy. When you look at the special election in Ohio, if it was president Marco Rubio, this Republican would have won by 15 points. But because it’s President Trump, the Republican barely beat a Democratic candidate. And so all of the signs point to a blue tsunami coming, but in a fight, there are only two ways to win. You can bring your opponent to submission. Think Germany and Japan after World War II. Or you can break their will to fight. Think of the United States in the Vietnam war. The strategy is fundamentally one about exhausting and wearing out the will to fight and resist of Democratic voters by inciting the base. Trump needs that base incited. He needs it to turn out to hold back as best as possible this blue wave is coming, and the degree to which they constantly lie, it’s disorienting.
People can’t get their heads around the facts because people aren’t used to responsible political leaders constantly lying to them. So when you talk to Democratic voters, you talk to Democrats, you talk to people who oppose Trump, one of the main features that they will tell you is how they are exhausted by all of it. And so exhaustion of your opponent becomes a fundamental strategic aim of the constant lying, the constant gaslighting, the constant scapegoating. While on the other hand, your inciting this base to turn out, because any diminution of Republican turnout is going to be fatal, and will simply increase the size of the majority. Of course, impeachment will polarize the electorate, but it will drive turnout favorably for deputies. It’s a very dangerous strategy for this president.
The lying is pathological, but it also an intentional strategy. Trump knows he’s outnumbered, and he is trying to wear his opposition down while rallying his base. The key that one should never forget is that Trump needs low turnout from his opponents. Trump can’t win in high turnout elections because of his own unpopularity, so that strategy that Schmidt was discussing is designed to accomplish two goals. Trump wants to lower Democratic turnout and make sure that his base shows up at the polls.
The election results since Trump took office have revealed that what the president is doing is increasing turnout among his opponents while discouraging Republicans from coming out to vote.
The tweets, the lies, and the nonsense that Trump spews are all designed to break your will. Use it as a motivator. Each time Trump lies, vow to show up at the polls and vote. The best way to beat Trump to allow his strategy to fuel your resolve and never diminish your commitment to taking your country back.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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