Trump has a better chance at getting re-elected than you seem to give him credit for.
For once I agree with Fo, in conclusion if not in how I got there. It should come as no surprise to anyone that when polled on issues rather than candidates, “Democratic issues” win by enormous margins. Part of the problem is clearly messaging.
When Democrats run on their policies, they win. What was missing this last cycle? Well, the top media topics were: Benghazi, Emailghazi, Sneezeghazi, pussy grabbing, and penis size. Whether true/important or not, these were character issues and not policy stories. Was Clinton’s character fatally flawed? Maybe, but the Trump team is also very, very good at waving shiny things in front of the media–even if it doesn’t reflect well on them–to prevent people from talking about policy issues. Does it matter that nobody knew where Trump stood on any issues? Not as long as they kept people from knowing where Clinton stood.
And as Lee Atwater said, when Republicans run on race, they win. America hasn’t seen a campaign as racially charged as Trump’s since George Wallace, and it’s unlikely he’s going to change the strategy that put him in the White House.
Democrats seem hell-bent on pursuing policies that appeal to the most people. Trump seems hell-bent on ignoring what appeals to the most people and simply appealing to the right people (the disproportionately influential white/rural working class). Where does that leave us? With a Democratic Party that’s successfully outpolled their opposition in 6 of the last 7 Presidential elections, and is simultaneously wondering how they can change to become relevant in national politics again.
The wild card is that the Trump team loves to play the victim card, and it worked well when he wasn’t an incumbent. When you control all three branches of federal government and the vast majority of state governments, it’s tough to convince people the mean system is rigged against you. Not that he’s not trying, what with Obama’s microwave spying on him and all. I just can’t see them changing tack on this one either, and it could lead to people seeing him as a paranoid nut, which might work against him. Or not.