Politically Polite
audience,” Hinck said. “You’ve got undecided voters. You’ve got independent voters, and you’ve got the moderates in the party who might not have made a decision yet.”
In his research, he has identified five levels of comments candidates have made, calling the most aggressive one a “direct face threat.” An example he gave was when Democratic candidate John Kerry in 2004 debated incumbent President George W. Bush, saying Bush made a “colossal error in judgment” by going to war in Iraq.
In the most mild level, candidates compliment their opponents when framing issues. That happened in 1960, when Kennedy called Nixon an “effective leader of his party” while adding the question is which point of view and party should lead voters.
Trump’s past strategies of “ridicule or insult,” while they’ve worked early in the campaign, are “not necessarily a strategy he can use and get away with in the general election debate,” Hinck said in an interview.
“If he uses it selectively, he might get away with it, but if he opens that door, maybe Hillary’s team has got some sort of response planned,” he said.
Clinton, on the other hand, has the question from some voters about her likability, so if Trump challenges her and she feels pushed, her response could confirm those perceptions. Yet if she doesn’t respond to Trump’s challenges, there is also the risk of looking weak.
He adds this qualifier: “I have no way of knowing and the dynamics might change. It might start out really friendly and then get to be aggressive.” Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.