A debate usually rages at about this stage of a political campaign about whether or not the front runner should run negative ads against the challenger.
The lesson of the 2012 Obama-Romney campaign is to use negatives early in the process to define your opponent soon after he or she is introduced to the voters.
In March of 2012, Romney had begun to define himself as a job creator/businessman until he ran into the negative campaign the Democrats ran defining him as a "vulture capitalist" who stripped companies of their profitable sectors and left only useless and money-losing operations in their wake.
The unrelenting criticism in negative ads completely changed Romney’s image.
Romney never answered; his campaign slowly died.
Even though Romney’s people — led by skilled media producer Stuart Stevens had very good rebuttal material already filmed showing how Romney had saved thousands of job by turning distressed companies around, the GOP failed to reply.
They saw rebuttal ads as going over to the defensive, and that violated their doctrine borrowed from the French Army as it was collapsing in World War II: "l’offense a la outrance" (offense at the start).
By June 2012, the election was over and Romney could never repair the damage he sustained. Trump’s campaign must not make the same mistake.
They must wallpaper the swing states with 30-second negative ads exposing support by Kamala Harris for:
- Defunding the police
- Treating shoplifting under $950 as only a misdemeanor
- Refusing to treat illegal immigrants as criminals while providing them with taxpayer-funded free healthcare
She also must explain her opposition to fracking even though it produces 79% of American natural gas and 65% of our oil and her opposition to off-shore drilling.
She must elaborate on where our energy is going to come from cut off from these sources.
She needs to explain why she opposed the death penalty for David Hill who murdered police officer Isaac Espanoza pumping 45 bullets into the decorated police officer.
Renata Espinoza, the widow, told reporters "I want people to know who she [Harris] is,"" how she was back then and how her actions affected us.
"I want people to know everything about her, even in the past, before they vote for her. And I want them to hear Isaac’s story."
So should the voters of America.
We need seriously to understand that Harris wants to replace private health insurance with government paid healthcare, burdening Medicare with massive obligations it can only meet by rationing that care and denying us access to the doctor of our choice.
As San Francisco is ransacked by brazen shoplifters who ostentatiously parade their loot on television, Harris will have to explain why she changed state law so that offenders would only be prosecuted if they stole more than $950 of merchandise.
Now offenders in the City by the Bay have to check the prices of the goods they are stealing to make sure that the amount they are not paying is under $950 so they can get off scot free.
Harris wants to raise corporate taxes from the current 21% to 35%.
She wants owners to pay capital gains taxes on the increase in their home’s values, even if they haven't sold it.
Usually, you pay capital gains taxes on the profits from your home sale.
Not Harris, who wants you to have to pay even if there is no sale and no profit, and the tax has to come out of your ordinary income.
Harris is dangerous and the Trump campaign needs to get busy identifying her as what she is. The ultimate San Francisco radical.
Dick Morris is a former presidential adviser and political strategist. He is a regular contributor to Newsmax TV. Read Dick Morris' Reports — More Here.