by Mike Smith It seems Donald Trump is doing everything possible to hand the presidency to Hillary Clinton, which only bolsters the belief by some that this has been the plan all along. These conspiracy theorists are convinced that Trump and Clinton are working hand-in-hand to make sure she wins. Trump’s role is to attract a base of supporters in the Republican primary so that he can win the nomination while simultaneously alienating large segments of the American population — including many traditional Republicans — making it impossible for him to win in a general election. For her part, Clinton’s focus is on fending off the challenge of a progressive socialist, by saying whatever needs to be said in order to secure the nomination.
Adding fuel to this conspiracy theory is the fact that Trump is a past political supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, frequently praised Mrs. Clinton in his public comments, and even attended the wedding of the Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea.
If this theory is true then it’s similar to a Fred Tuttle strategy, but on steroids: Nominate a candidate that has no intention of winning and in fact wants his opponent to win. For those unfamiliar with Fred Tuttle’s venture into politics, here’s a quick refresher. Fred was a long-time Vermont farmer, who defeated a party favorite earning him the right to oppose Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. But after winning the nomination Fred declared his support for Vermont’s senior senator. The result: an easy victory for Sen. Leahy.
However, a deeper look at this conspiracy theory exposes two major problems with the notion of a rigged election: First, taking a dive in this election so Clinton can win doesn’t serve Trump’s business or personal interests. With an election loss, his brand — and brand means everything to Trump — would suffer a major setback. His enterprise is built on brand, not necessarily on cash. Second, it would represent the greatest political scam of all time and, if uncovered, it could destroy the political system as we know it.
So how does one explain Trump’s derogatory comments about a judge of Mexican heritage who ruled against him in a case dealing with Trump University; or attacking a very popular Hispanic Republican governor in New Mexico as not doing a very good job? It’s simple: Donald Trump is a thin-skinned political novice who is long on rhetoric, but very short on substance. And although these characteristics served him well in the primary, they will make him extremely vulnerable in the general election.
With Donald Trump, it’s all about him, not about the country, a core political philosophy, or even his supporters. If you’re a judge and rule against him or a governor that doesn’t support him, or a journalist who asks tough questions — it gets personal, fast. The more Americans see of this the less likely they are to support him.
His temperament may be suited for the rough and tumble world of urban real estate development and reality television, but as president it would mean giving the government’s political and military (and spy) power to someone who detests being challenged and is hell-bent on getting back at those he feels have wronged him.
It is not that Hillary Clinton is a formable opponent; she’s a terribly flawed candidate. In fact, the Republicans should be eager to run against her. She could still lose this election in spite of Trump’s deep faults. But she took a smart step recently by engaging Trump on his foreign policy, instead of going down the rabbit hole Sen. Marco Rubio fell into by trying to be as big of a bully as the presumptive Republican nominee.
Trump’s response to her criticism of his foreign policy was remarkably — even alarmingly — weak. And it’s a powerful reminder that if Clinton continues to attack his policy positions, instead of him, and he continues to attack her personally, instead of her policies, she will gain the upper hand in this election. Still, other events intended to hurt Trump may be actually helping him. Large violent protests against him and his supporters will ultimately turn off many voters who bristle at the notion of any attempt to stifle speech and intimidate political adversaries. In many respects these violent protests against Trump have probably diluted the full impact of his hostile rhetoric and some of his more outlandish positions.
At the end of the day, this election is not about who is the most likeable candidate — both Clinton and Trump are viewed unfavorably by a majority of Americans — but rather, who is the least objectionable. Which has many shaking their heads at our choices and the process that led us to this point.
It is probably true that Donald Trump is helping Hillary Clinton, but not in the way that the conspiracy theorists believe. Rather, it is because he is failing as a candidate. And that may ultimately be what Hillary Clinton is counting on.
Mike Smith was the secretary of administration and secretary of human services under former Gov. Jim Douglas. He is the host of the radio program, “Open Mike with Mike Smith,” on WDEV 550 AM and 96.1, 96.5 and 101.9 FM. He is also a political analyst for WCAX-TV and WVMT radio and is a regular contributor to the Times Argus, Rutland Herald and Vermont Business Magazine.