There is a blue wave coming, but many Republicans are living in blissful denial.
The Democrats have a massive advantage in voter enthusiasm. Huge numbers of Democrats would brave a hurricane or a zombie apocalypse to get to the polls and vote to show their contempt for President Trump. That’s why every credible poll taken in the past several weeks shows a blue tidal wave in the making.
Meanwhile, huge numbers of Republicans have their heads firmly planted in the sand: According to an internal RNC poll, 57% of strong Trump supporters believe it’s unlikely the Democrats will win the House.
This is a staggering percentage of vital Republican voters who are living in a different reality. More importantly, these are the Republican voters who are most likely to stay home because they think their local Republican congressman or candidate isn’t conservative enough or supportive enough of Trump.
The good news is that these hardcore Trump supporters live at Trump’s beck and call. If Mr. Trump tells them that it is critical to his efforts to get out and vote for the Republican candidate in their district, they will go out and do so.
Only Donald Trump himself has the power to motivate his complacent supporters to get out and vote this November.
Mr. Trump must work with the RNC, NRCC, and other Republican allies to do that, but they nust do it in a targeted way. Trump is probably the most polarizing figure to hit American politics since the 18th century. If he makes his appeal to the public at large, as many of his opponents are going to be more motivated to vote as his supporters.
The Republicans therefore must communicate an emphatic appeal from President Trump personally to his core supporters. And they must do so in a targeted – but forceful – manner.
They must appeal to Trump’s core supporters with a message from Trump himself that it is vital that they get to the polls come Hell or high water to vote for the Republican congressional candidate. They must make that appeal in Trump’s name repeatedly through targeted mailers, emails, social media, phone banking and every other means available to reach his core supporters without antagonizing his sworn enemies. And they must make that appeal from Trump continuously without letup every single day between now and the election.
The blue wave is coming. Trump’s supporters see him as a superman who can overcome any obstacle. Here’s his chance to prove it.
For the sake of the country, I pray that he does.
Author: Ken Falkenstein
Ken Falkenstein is the Managing Editor of Committed Conservative and brings a wealth of experience and expertise in public affairs to the job. Ken served in the U.S. Army in the last years of the Cold War as a Russian linguist for military intelligence and the NSA. After leaving the Army, he earned his degree in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University, where he also wrote a popular column in the student newspaper.
Upon graduation, Ken worked as a Legislative Aide to two Republican members of the Virginia House of Delegates. Ken also served as Corresponding Secretary of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia, managed several successful political campaigns, and managed governmental affairs operations for a local Realtor association.
In 1995, Ken moved to Washington, DC to serve as a Legislative Assistant to Sen. John Warner (R-VA). While working for Sen. Warner, Ken attended law school at night, earning his J.D. with honors from the George Mason University School of Law (n/k/a The Antonin Scalia Law School). Since that time, Ken has practiced as a civil litigation attorney, including serving for three years as an Associate City Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Ken previously was a contributor to the highly-regarded political blog Bearing Drift and was a weekly co-host of The Steve Batton Radio Program. In 2016, Ken ran unsuccessfully for the Virginia Beach School Board. Ken is also a former President of the Down Syndrome Association of Hampton Roads.
Ken now lives outside of Denver, Colorado with his wife, Kim, and three sons, Adam, Dylan, and Joshua, who has Down syndrome. Ken’s writing is motivated and informed primarily by his concern for his kids’ future.
