Warning, you might lose interest halfway...:)
I’ve been reading that some supporters of Hillary Clinton believe that Clinton's strategy to not tie the entire Republican party to Donald Trump is a missed opportunity to take down GOP reps up for election this year. There is truth to this, in that a Trump tightly tied to the GOP would be very harmful to the party. However, I don't think her strategy has completely abandoned this idea.
Yesterday, Clinton pretty much laid the gauntlet down stating to the American electorate and really to Republican/Lean Republican voters, Independent voters and GOP reps who Donald Trump truly is. She laid out line by line why he is so dangerous and unfit to be President. She then praised certain GOP members as a way of saying, there was still some decency in the party either currently or in the past. In the end, she gave a metaphorical lifeline to voters and representatives that it's okay to abandon Trump.
- This is where people state Clinton missed the opportunity because she didn't tie the historical acts of the GOP and how closely it has been tied with racists and racism, etc. I’m not in disagreement that the GOP has done this and should be punished electorally for those acts. I think though, people are missing what will be coming next after this speech.
There are 3 parts to this, each having its own affect
1. The voters: Clinton has given people who usually vote Republican an out to not support Trump. Clinton pretty much gave a choice of Vote for the Racist, Vote for me/someone else who isn’t racist or lastly, don't bother voting. By laying out all that is wrong with Trump, the strategy is to either get people to vote for her or just don't show up and depress turnout for the GOP. If people vote for her, that may lead to ticket splitting for down ballot candidates though that could change based on what I will mention farther down. If she effectively depresses turnout for the GOP, then down ballot republicans are in a lot of trouble. The GOP’s biggest fear is not that voters will vote for Clinton, it’s the fear that they will not show up. If they don’t show up, it could be a bloodbath for down ballot Republicans.
2. The candidates: Something that I feel people are missing is that Clinton has essentially started a timer on repudiating Trump and not supporting him. Again, by laying the gauntlet down on what Trump is and has done, she is giving these reps an opening to bail on their nominee. However unlike voters, there is a timer on how long this window remains open. The longer GOP reps continue to support Trump, the heavier that lifeline becomes. Eventually, if candidates stick with Trump, the lifeline becomes an anchor. The reason is, Clinton just gave all the reasons why they should walk away from Trump, but by still supporting him you're essentially supporting his racism, bigotry, misogyny, etc. You have decided you have more to gain from a bigot than from being a decent human being. At that point Clinton can say, "I've given them all the time and information they need to make a decision. They've decided to stick with Trump. So, it is within my rights to equate them with Trump and to blast that to all your constituents." How long should Clinton wait to do this? A week after Labor Day sounds like a good time, but if that is too early, then right after the 1st debate.
3. GOP reps that are in Congress come 2017: Now, this is dependent on if she wins the election. If Clinton wins, it's more than likely she will be dealing with a GOP controlled house and a slight Dem majority in the Senate. This means, to pass meaningful legislation, working with the GOP will need to happen. By not demonizing the entire GOP for Trump, there is hope that some goodwill will have been created between the two. Additionally, if there are enough Dem votes in the house, Clinton might be able to pick off enough GOP members to pass certain legislation. This is the most hypothetical of the three parts since we have seen how bad GOP obstruction can be. But by the way Clinton is treating Trump, this ability to work together might happen.
This is my “Master Plan Theory”, which probably will go up in smokes in a matter of days. But, looking at the terrain, this seems like a probable future.