What's Happening to Trump's Campaign?

[SGOS]

Just from reading headlines and occasionally scanning an article over the last two or three weeks, it seems to me that Trump is getting demolished by Hillary.  I don't know if polls are reflecting this yet, or if they ever will.  In the past, I thought I detected a tendency for the media to make a candidate that is behind look better for the purpose of creating the image of a close race, which of course sells better.  But the media doesn't seem to want to help Trump's image.  Perhaps I haven't been watching the right polls, but Hillary seems to have a slight lead or maybe even a big lead depending on how you perceive poll data.  Trump doesn't seem to be able to lift himself ahead.  Actually, he doesn't seem like he's trying.  While he's a great basher, he doesn't seem to have a strategy to defend himself when he's getting bashed.

[widdershins]

I read an article today where a former aid claims that Trump just repeats the opinion of whoever he talked to last and that's why he's changing on issues now.  He's obviously not emotionally mature.  Maybe he's also just not that bright.  His campaign may just be a reflection of what the "flavor of the week" leadership is saying to him.

[Hydra009]

Clinton's up 5-10 points on most of the polls, which is pretty good.  It's not in the bag yet, but it's looking unlikely that Trump is going to win.

And yeah, Trump is surprisingly thin-skinned for a public official persona.  The small hands butthurt comes readily to mind.  A magazine editor calls him a "short-fingered vulgarian" and gets envelopes for years containing pictures of Trump with the hands highlighted.  Talk about insecure.

[Blackleaf]

I'm still hoping for a third party victory. But I'd take Hillary over Trump any day.

[Baruch]

Ain't over until it's over.  The liberals can have Hillary, and have perpetual Clinton-gasm as a chaser to their Obama-gasm.

Saw the Costner version of the Cuban Missile Crisis ... Thirteen Days ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSA7Evcy7iE

Putin will kill us either way, since we are plum out of leadership.

[Mr. Pibb]

I don't know if I would use the word "demolished" to describe the race just yet.  That is a description more fitting for Reagan/Mondale, Nixon/McGovern, or Johnson/Goldwater in my opinion.  When compared  to where he was just after the Gold Star Family debacle, the contest has tightened a bit.  Two recurring problems I see with the Trump campaign are his inability to stay on message (especially when it comes to responding to criticism) and his eagerness to use Twitter without any kind of filter or censor for his remarks.  The window of opportunity is closing and Mr. Trump still has an electoral problem but, as Baruch noted,  the election isn't over.

[SGOS]

I don't know if I would use the word "demolished" to describe the race just yet.  That is a description more fitting for Reagan/Mondale, Nixon/McGovern, or Johnson/Goldwater in my opinion.  When compared  to where he was just after the Gold Star Family debacle, the contest has tightened a bit.  Two recurring problems I see with the Trump campaign are his inability to stay on message (especially when it comes to responding to criticism) and his eagerness to use Twitter without any kind of filter or censor for his remarks.  The window of opportunity is closing and Mr. Trump still has an electoral problem but, as Baruch noted,  the election isn't over.

No, it's not over, and when I used the term demolished, actually it was "getting demolished," I didn't intend that finality was to be assumed.  It was more like getting demolished at this time, in the second quarter.  As Hydra pointed out, Clinton has a slight lead in the polls, which is a better indicator of Trump's situation than simply getting verbally thrashed by Clinton in the media.  But even that lead in the polls doesn't meet my loose criteria for "getting demolished."  It's still an interesting race.

[stromboli]

Trump wouldn't know what to do if he won.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/21/donald-trump-isnt-running-a-bad-campaign-because-hes-not-really-running-a-campaign-at-all/

That’s not a campaign. It’s a vanity effort designed to pump up the Trump brand rather than, you know, win.

[trdsf]

Really, the only hope Trump has right now is to a) agree to the debates and b) monumentally lower expectations about his performance, to the point where if he shows up and doesn't piss himself on camera, he can call it a win.

Of course, he still might not even do part a), and his ego won't let him do part b).

Meanwhile, he's meeting the president of Mexico.  If he plays nice and backs off of his harsher rhetoric, he pisses off his knuckledragger core (which is actually the smart thing, since he can't win on them alone).  If he sticks to his existing narrative, he pisses off everyone else (and a neighboring nation).

I'll get the popcorn.

[Shiranu]

I would be surprised if Trump's IQ is close to average. He is an imbecile who was born into money. But unlike many, I doubt his idiocy has much to him being a spoiled brat who never grew up to a just unintelligent brat who could never grow up (and has little bitch fingers).

[Atheon]

I'm cautiously optimistic that Hillary will win, but it ain't over till it's over, and anything can happen in the next two and a quarter months. Trump and his lot are Republicans, after all, and no deceitful act or dirty trick is so low that they will not stoop to do it.

Nothing scares me more than a Trump victory. If he wins, kiss goodbye to what's left of the wall of separation between church and state.... not to mention abortion rights and the rest of your freedoms.

[Atheon]

The liberals can have Hillary, and have perpetual Clinton-gasm as a chaser to their Obama-gasm.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Don't worry..Baruch's political ego is just slightly less than Trump's, but not by much.

[Blackleaf]

I'm cautiously optimistic that Hillary will win, but it ain't over till it's over, and anything can happen in the next two and a quarter months. Trump and his lot are Republicans, after all, and no deceitful act or dirty trick is so low that they will not stoop to do it.

Nothing scares me more than a Trump victory. If he wins, kiss goodbye to what's left of the wall of separation between church and state.... not to mention abortion rights and the rest of your freedoms.

Keep in mind that the Executive branch is not the most powerful of the US government. He can propose changes to Constitutional rights all he wants, but if Congress shoots him down, or if the Supreme Court tells him that his propositions are unconstitutional, he won't accomplish much. That's the one silver lining I see in this joke of a race. The President may be the most powerful man/woman in government, but they're weaker than the collective powers of Congress and the Supreme Court. The biggest problem with Trump being President would be that he'd represent us to the rest of the world...

[Mike Cl]

As that world famous philosopher said--It ain't over 'til it's over!

And as Carvell  said--Campaign?  What campaign; he doesn't have one.