… In the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey, registered voters were asked to identify whether or not they “could see (themselves) supporting” a certain candidate for president in 2016. Just 41 percent of those polled could see themselves supporting Clinton in November, while 58 percent, a sizeable majority, said they could not support her. For Trump, the numbers were even worse: Only 31 percent of voters could see themselves supporting the New Yorker for the White House, and a smashing 68 percent answered they could not see themselves supporting him. …
One reasonable conclusion is that if Trump — or Clinton — were running unopposed on the November ballot, he or she would lose. So, the most inviting campaign strategy for both candidates is to focus the electorate’s attention almost exclusively on the failings of character and career, and the total unacceptability, of the opponent. CONT.
Mark Shields