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To: RandFan

Kennedy’s Flanking Strategy.

“It’s not “anti-Trump” to accurately discuss his record in office”

Whether accurate or not, and whether “anti-Trump” or not, it is important to understand that this is, in essence, a pro Kennedy attack and, significantly, the attack is from the Right.

Kennedy is recently boasting that he is in possession of a poll of about 26,000 individuals that shows with a minimal margin of error that he would best both Biden and Trump if he can get into a one on one matchup. In other words, if one drops out the other is doomed.

None of us will accuse the Democrat party of patriotism or in recent days of sanity (2+2= 5) but none of us will deny that Democrats are the apex predator when it comes to getting and holding power. Therefore, it remains within the realm of possibility that the Democrats will jettison Biden for some other candidate. Perhaps this will come not from the party elite but it might come from grassroots at the convention if Biden continues to falter and Kennedy shows some game.

So what would Kennedy’s approach be? He claims with his 26,000 individuals polled that he would win in a walk if he faces Biden alone. Against Trump, however, Kennedy claims the narrowest of margins in the all-important electoral college.

Given this asymmetrical battlescape, Kennedy must run today against Trump rather than Biden but he must appear to be running against Biden rather than Trump. In other words, Kennedy must attack Trump from the right and be confident that he will hold at least as much or more of the leftist base as Biden enjoys. He must bet that Democrat propaganda has done its job so well that there is nothing that can induce the Democrat base to vote for Trump, although some may be inclined to stay home. On the other hand, many more who would have stayed home out of ennui with Biden might become energized under Kennedy.

So Stossel’s argument presented here, that Trump blew up spending and fertilized rather than drained the swamp, is calculated to woo never Trumpers, Republican fiscal hawks (those opposed to tax cuts etc.) good government patriots and independents.

Recall that in the run-up to the election of 2016, Trump evaded issues of budget cutting preferring instead to run on tax cutting. To be fair, Trump’s position was that by cutting taxes, cutting regulations, reigniting manufacture and, presumably, firing up energy production, he would generate economic growth that would more than compensate for spending.

Many would argue that he was well along to achieving this when all was shattered by Covid. We probably will never know whether he was right or whether Stossel’s claims made here are the true story.

Note that Kennedy wants to balance the budget by cutting defense In Half! This is a modified approach to the right of Trump who certainly wanted to build up the military and to do so by increased spending. But note that Kennedy couples this proposal to cut the military in half with harder-edged Trump-like arguments against foreign wars, an approach which will be saluted by the right and by Trump supporters. In effect, Kennedy hopes to divide Trump strong military supporters from Trump non interventionist supporters.

Kennedy tries to get to the right of Trump on the issue of voter identification by declaring that he will provide all citizens with voter ID and confine voting to those with his ID. One of the few issues where Kennedy is consistent with confirmed Democrat platform is the issue of abortion which, of course, he cannot afford to waffle on. But note his conciliatory language and his appeal to the right with social services for children who survived the knife. Thus he hopes to tiptoe around to the right as he soothes with words agreeable to conservative ears.

This analysis of Kennedy’s approach can be run on many issues. It will be interesting to see how he positions himself against what he perceives as his real opponent, Donald Trump.

Nathan


23 posted on 05/08/2024 1:25:50 AM PDT by nathanbedford (Attack, repeat, attack! - Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford
I think I got my avatar back!


24 posted on 05/08/2024 2:05:36 AM PDT by nathanbedford (Attack, repeat, attack! - Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford
Many would argue that he was well along to achieving this when all was shattered by Covid. We probably will never know whether he was right or whether Stossel’s claims made here are the true story.

Trump kept spending higher than he should have, but IMO he did so because it helped the economic transformation that he WAS being successful in implementing. I disagree that we will never know. That's like saying we'll never know if Reagan's economy was good. All indicators were clear, the economy under Trump was gangbusters, and that because of his policies.

Lowering regulation and taxes. Energy independence and dominance. Peace through strength and negotiation. You may not like his brashness and mean tweets, but those were things he pushed that caused the economic boom.

34 posted on 05/08/2024 3:46:06 AM PDT by Lakeshark (Trump. He stands for the great issues of the day. Stay the course!)
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To: nathanbedford

“Kennedy wants to balance the budget by cutting defense In Half!”

The Founding Fathers were opposed to standing armies.

Our country is being undermined by insiders, some of whom would import Gazans - hate-filled people lacking skills our economy would benefit from.


37 posted on 05/08/2024 3:55:04 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: nathanbedford

It is good to see you again, sir!


59 posted on 05/08/2024 5:18:10 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: nathanbedford

Thank you for working up that detailed analysis. I think it is important to consider all possibilities and information like yours helps.


80 posted on 05/08/2024 8:04:57 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370)
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