Hillary's Game Plan

Hillary Clinton will be a disaster for America if elected, but this article is not to pan Hillary since I will have plenty of time for that. Instead, Hillary's much ridiculed video was actually a pretty good introduction for any candidate including Hillary.

The video hit much of what I will call the prevailing economic argument, in which the majority of Americans reject the heart of Keynesian economics that additional government spending will help the economy, and while they may reject the Keynesian economic model, they also view the present economic system rigged against them. Three quarters of voters believe the middle class has been screwed and Clinton is hitting that sentiment.

In the video, there is the subtlety of Clinton hitting all of the Democratic base; but the less than subtle, is Clinton declaring herself the champion of the middle class and working Americans against the one percenter. (I won’t say the obvious: how a woman who garners 200,000 to 300,000 dollars per speech and whose family income rivals that of Mitt Romney became a defender of the middle class.)

The other aspect of Clinton’s appeal was to make the point, “Strong Families make for Strong America.” This is interesting since my group, Americas PAC, produced similar appeals to Hispanics on social media which we noted, “Strong Families make for Strong Communities.” The Democrats have expanded the definition of family with their support for same-sex marriage but it shows that Democrats are willing to defend the family, including defending the shifting definition of family. Clinton may also try to steal the Republican concern for budget deficit as she will remind voters that her husband did balance the budget. Of course, Hillary will make the case that the rich have benefitted from the Obama economy while family and middle class have seen their income dropped.

To win, the Republicans must address the prevailing economic thoughts exhibited by voters. They are in line with voters' views that government spending is not the cure all and that voters want job creation. Democratic pollsters have seen voters concerned about job creation and getting government spending under control, taking precedence over dealing with inequality. However, they believe the system is rigged against them, and while they want to believe that hard work is rewarded, doubts remain that this is true. The American dream is in jeopardy.

The battle will be fought over the middle class' concerns and the Democrats understand that. The Hillary campaign video is a sign that the Democrats get it and Rubio's own announcement the next day showed that at least one Republican gets it.