If Trump campaign were a business it would be in trouble
Published September 16, 2016
by Professor Michael Bitzer, Catawba College, published in Salisbury Post, September 10, 2016.
With Donald Trump’s newest attempt to reboot his presidential campaign, speculation abounds as to whether this latest campaign shake-up, along with the candidate’s mea culpa in Charlotte, will have any profound impact on his poll numbers in the race towards November.
Most modern campaigns are structured around core components: a candidate who has a compelling message; a campaign infrastructure that is focused, flexible, and deep; and an environment that is understood and worked within, not around.
For Trump, the candidate certainly has developed a compelling message, one that appeals strongly to a core base. However, that same message has been prone to significant challenges in making an appeal beyond that dedicated constituency, especially due to the off-the-cuff and “tell it like it is, whether it is reality or not” speeches and comments by the candidate himself.
For the campaign infrastructure, the latest revamping of bringing in a CEO and separate campaign manager shows an organization not yet ready for the prime time.
Smart campaign planning develops and hones a consistent message, while advancing a core strategy that is readily apparent and fits into the context of the political environment of the day.
This strategy revolves around the ideas of what should be done, when it should be done by, who should be doing it, and how to make it happen.
With the third iteration of campaign leadership within just the past six months, Trump’s campaign, while arguing it is nimble and flexible, has shown itself as unstable and inconsistent.
Trump has made it a hallmark of running an unconventional campaign, by relying on a late 19th century campaign approach of generating attention, all focused on himself; however, the need to have a sophisticated structure beyond Trump is what is lacking and astonishing at this point.
The constant turnover, in both personnel and direction, should give significant pause to most supporters and Republicans as we head into the final lap of the campaign.
Many times Trump will bolster his “business acumen” and the qualities of his “art of dealing” that have garnered him the attention that he enjoys. But think of any modern business operating as his campaign has: a turnover in corporate leadership, a slew of mixed (and oftentimes offensive) advertising and messaging about the brand, and an unwillingness to make the investments in selling the product in a competitive environment.
How would Wall Street react to such a business operation? While there may be dedicated consumers of the product that Trump is marketing, the broader markets of the electorate is showing their reaction — and the product isn’t likely to create the demand of 270 electoral votes, unless a major retooling happens.
Dr. Michael Bitzer is provost and professor of politics at Catawba College. This column is from the blog he writes for WFAE radio, The Party Line.
September 16, 2016 at 10:32 am
Richard L Bunce says:
Political campaigns are not a business... they are largely a flim flam/ponzi operation... promising large groups of voters government benefits and services to be paid for by other smaller groups of voters.
From time to time and increasingly so startup businesses can have a profitable for some run based on sizzle but in the end no steak. Political campaigns also often produce such results, even or especially at the Presidential level. It is the structure of our Constitution more than the people filling it's elected offices that result in the survival of the American people with only a few exceptions since the nations founding.
September 16, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Norm Kelly says:
And then there's the liar. The wanna-be chief who wouldn't recognize the truth if it stood in front of her. But being a God-awful liar is the least of Hildabeasts problems.
We also need to consider her health. Or lack of health. It's obvious her health is worse now than Reagan's was when he started his second term. Yet, demons wouldn't let go of Reagan's supposed health issues.
Again, John McCain was and remains healthier than Hildaliar, but the press beat the heck out of John for being too old and probably gonna die in his first term. Where is the media on Hildaliar's health? Covering for her. They can't help it, they gave up doing their jobs a long time ago. The purpose of most media types is to be a supporter, ally, defender, excuser for lib pols. And when it comes to the Clinton crime family, there is no level media types won't stoop to in order to excuse the failings of their beloved leaders!
But, we digress.
If Hildaliars campaign were a business ...
Wait. What exactly does Hildaliar KNOW about ANY BUSINESS? Nothing. In her never wise opinion, and failed tactics, the only thing a business is good for is funding demon pols through taxes, funding the Clinton Family Crime Foundation through pay-for-play schemes, or providing expensive benefits to employees through government edict. Hildaliar knows NOTHING about business, so why would we trust her with anything financial?
At least The Donald has business experience. He has been in a position to make major decision, and has been responsible for whether his decision were wise or costly. He has made major statements on policy.
Where's Hildaliar on policy? So far what she's told us is she will tax greatly, buy millions of solar panels using tax dollars, expand socialized medicine (already proving a failure!), and give more money to more people, including illegal aliens and those from third world mooslum countries who want to kill us. (for any peace-loving Muslim out there who stumbles across this post, obviously that statement does not apply to you. it applies only to those radicals who kill those of us who follow the true Savior)
What's to admire about the Beast? Not a darn thing! She's not even a good liar. When Bill lied, people mostly accepted it, hoped he was finally telling the truth and eventually gave him the benefit of the doubt. Of course, it turned out he was always telling lies anyway, but some still gave him the benefit. With Hildaliar, nobody believes her. It's so obvious she's telling lies, just because she's so bad and obvious about it.
Say what you want about Donald. You are stuck with the liar, health-less, scum-sucking Beast! Couldn't come up with a worse candidate if you tried. Even porn-Weiner would be less troublesome than the Beast. But media types, government employee types, college employees, and politically uneducated remain solidly in Hildaliars court. Please explain your lack of standards!
