For Democrats it looks highly unlikely that Donald Trump can win the White House given his dreadful figures with women, blacks and Hispanics.
Unless we were to return to the day before universal suffrage and ban women and minorities then Donald could certainly scoot home.
But perhaps there is a way that the Teflon Don, who has now walked back several of his positions, including his budget which just got rewritten and his statements about Muslims being banned which he has said was only a suggestion, could grab a new constituency,
Then of course there was his “I was against it before I was for it” fiasco when talking about the invasion of Iraq. Then there’s Planned Parenthood etc.
But suppose he took a major gamble and decided he could lure a huge group of citizens away from Hillary Clinton who is sitting it seems with women, blacks and Hispanics all sewn up?
Trump won’t win the women off her and Barack Obama ensures she will not lose black votes once he starts to campaign for Hillary.
But what about Hispanics?
Sure there’s the wall and the mass deportations but they have as much chance of happening as Trump winning the Nobel Prize.
Interestingly, Trump has talked about firing out every Hispanic who is here undocumented but he has also said he will let lots of them back in.
If Trump were to flesh that out and become partial to legal migration and announce a number he will admit every year after he has had them vetted, he could snatch the issue away from the Democrats.
All the Democrats have at present is a commitment to work the issue on Capitol Hill, but if the past is any guide anything to come out of the Democratic White House or even a Democratic senate will be defeated in the Republican house.
But Trump is in a unique position to flip flop on this as he has done on much else. The Washington Post recently reported that he made 18 errors of fact in the first half hour of a speech he gave -- but no one cared.
Trump is floating along on one big message, “Make America Great Again” and as long as has the big message folks don’t seem to care what the small things are about.
I don't blame them. Policy discussions can be dull as ditch-water and listening to Hillary explain in convoluted sentences how her Obamacare overhaul will work is like watching paint dry.
Trump benefits from the soundbite culture and Twitter's 140 words max.
He can use that bully pulpit very effectively.
If he decided to be on the side of the angels on the issue he would still hold his base despite a conniption from the likes of Senator Jeff Sessions.
But this race is for the Big Kahuna, the president of the United States, and Trump needs to pivot away from angry white guys and find another constituency. An opportunity awaits with Hispanic not to mention Indian, some Irish Americans and Asians, if he chooses a different path with immigration.
But methinks I should not hold my breath.
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