Doll Is Mine wrote:It's got to drive Republicans crazy that he's wasting time campaigning in states like WI and CT.

MoBettle wrote:He's definitely special in some ways.

Robert Costa ‏@costareports
Just spoke to someone who is close to Trump. Bannon has reportedly lit a fire with Trump. Bannon has convinced Trump that rest of campaign needs to be bare-knuckles brawl, w/ full-bore populism/movement politics. Huge rallies. Gloves off. Brutal fights with Clinton. Heavy emphasis on nationalism and populism. That's the Bannon strategy. What I hear: Bannon's calculation is that Trump can still win but only if he is truly seen as "change," as "the total outsider".

Doll Is Mine wrote:

Robert Costa ‏@costareports
Just spoke to someone who is close to Trump. Bannon has reportedly lit a fire with Trump. Bannon has convinced Trump that rest of campaign needs to be bare-knuckles brawl, w/ full-bore populism/movement politics. Huge rallies. Gloves off. Brutal fights with Clinton. Heavy emphasis on nationalism and populism. That's the Bannon strategy. What I hear: Bannon's calculation is that Trump can still win but only if he is truly seen as "change," as "the total outsider".

@washingtonpost
Rudy Giuliani declares Trump’s speech "the best speech that any Republican, at the least, has ever given"

Youseff wrote:

@washingtonpost
Rudy Giuliani declares Trump’s speech "the best speech that any Republican, at the least, has ever given"

Doll Is Mine wrote:

Robert Costa ‏@costareports
Just spoke to someone who is close to Trump. Bannon has reportedly lit a fire with Trump. Bannon has convinced Trump that rest of campaign needs to be bare-knuckles brawl, w/ full-bore populism/movement politics. Huge rallies. Gloves off. Brutal fights with Clinton. Heavy emphasis on nationalism and populism. That's the Bannon strategy. What I hear: Bannon's calculation is that Trump can still win but only if he is truly seen as "change," as "the total outsider".

Doll Is Mine wrote:It really is awful. In the meantime, Hillary is doing her thing, visiting small businesses, doing rallies, bringing people together, etc. Luckily, the American people seem to enjoy Hillary's strategy more.

Today's dispatches from my friend on the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania:

"The campaign ordered thousands of polybag campaign signs... they're all in Philadelphia. No one knows what the plan is to get them to us or anywhere else."
"Oh, and they forgot to order wickets"

"I have volunteers in here once a week making calls."
ME: "To whom? You don't have any voter contact lists."
"Rally attendees."

"there are literally so many racists and old white people around the campaign it's unfathomable. and no regular activists are involved. everyone around this campaign are first timers and they all believe trump is winning 80-20"
"i was out in bumfuck, PA last night and tried to explain selection bias to a bunch of our people. it didn't go well"

Monkeyboy wrote:I'm not sure it's a bad strategy where he's sitting. He's not going to convince some people that he's not insane, so his best chance is to get his base so riled up that they go to the polls while Clinton's stay at home for this or that reason. I do think he'll outperform his polls because I'm sure some people will vote for the racist nonsense when in the privacy of the voting booth.

A lot of people don't trust the intel community, so I'm not sure he'll hurt himself there, though it's obviously something that makes no sense.

I'm trying to not get complacent.