Trump Uses Rovian Playbook To Deflect His Own Misconduct

I really had hoped to avoid blogging about this but apparently Trump is determined to have us all revisit the horror of the 1990s.  Yesterday, he not only insinuated Clinton involvement in the suicide of Vince Foster but also called Hillary essentially an enabler of Bill Clinton’s alleged and admitted sexual misconduct.  Of course, this strategy is just red meat to the Republican base. But it is also right out of the Karl Rove school of campaigning – make sure you accuse your opponent of the very thing you might be guilty of.  As Josh Marshall has a couple of rants about today, this is part of the “dominance politics” of which Trump is a master. But it also deflects focus on the fact that Trump himself, beyond his continual comments denigrating women and reported inappropriate behavior, has been accused of sexual misconduct, including rape, by two different women, one of whom was his wife, in sworn statements. In the media frenzy to apparently re-litigate the Bill Clinton Presidency, these accusations have pretty much flown under the radar.

Of course, none of this in any way deals with the real issues the country is currently confronting and the important decisions that lie ahead of us. Unfortunately, it is, however, probably an indicator of the type of tawdry and negative campaign we can expect to see in the coming months.  Of course, you can’t really expect a campaign based on the issues from a man who, when a an energy company executive suggests lifting restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals, has to ask what LNG means. And also needless to say, this same energy company executive thinks this kind of ignorance is the kind of leadership the country needs.