Back in 2016, when then candidate Donald Trump was vilifying Hillary Clinton at every turn by calling her “Crooked Hillary,” I suggested she return the favor by disparagingly calling him, “Don the Con.” (Hillary Needs To Rebrand Trump)
She never did.
Maybe it was that whole “when they go low, we go high” thing championed by Michelle Obama. Or maybe it’s just that Democrats are not very good at political “branding.” Whatever … Clinton missed a golden opportunity to stick Trump with a simple, hit-him-where-it-hurts nickname.
Let’s face it, Republicans are masters at the art of framing issues. They understand political marketing.
According to David Aaker, “Being able to frame the discussion by imposing a perspective that’s driven by a label is key to winning — whether it’s a divisive political argument or a tough brand battle.”
The linguist, George Lakoff, has noted that winning the framing war with respect to a brand, object, or issue will dictate perceptions, attitudes and behavior — no matter what the logic and evidence may say. Strong frames or perspectives smother and distort rational information processing.
Thanks to Republican efforts, the abortion battle is framed around being “pro life” instead of “anti-choice”; inheritance taxes are labeled “death taxes” and not the rare estate taxes few people pay; The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is branded as “Obamacare” not as a law to make healthcare more affordable.
People have short attention spans and they tend to be lazy, especially when it comes to politics. So a simple, easy to remember name or label is just good old-fashioned marketing.
Look at what has happened with Mitch McConnell being labeled “Moscow Mitch.” The name has stuck; it has gone viral. You can buy “Moscow Mitch” t-shirts and mugs online! The repeating of the too-close-to-home moniker has clearly gotten under McConnell’s skin.
Can we ever forget these nicknames: “Low Energy Jeb,” “Little Marco,” “Lyin’ Ted” or “Crazy Bernie?” No, the names stuck because they were repeated by Trump ad nauseam. This is what Democrats should do with Trump.
Democrats need to burden Trump with one simple, unflattering nickname … and stick to it. It doesn’t matter if it’s “Don the Con” or some other equally disparaging name. “Lyin’ Donnie” or “The King of Corruption” would work just as well.
The key here is for Democrats to do to Trump what he so ably does to them … keep repeating the demeaning nickname until it sticks in people’s subconscious … and in Trump’s craw!
Photo | punchingbagpost.com
