Don’t worry, Trump’s a total phony
by digby
Or not. I’m not sure:
Donald Trump’s convention manager sought to convince top GOP congressional officials on Capitol Hill that Trump can compete for the Latino vote, exploit Hillary Clinton’s weaknesses and become a Reagan-esque figure in the party, according to attendees and sources familiar with the meeting.
After Trump himself attempted to sooth House and Senate Republican leaders over how the presumptive nominee will conduct his campaign and work to keep Congress in GOP control, it was Paul Manafort’s turn on Thursday to try and win over some of the top GOP operatives in the party. Facing a room full of seasoned campaign veterans and longtime congressional aides at D.C. law firm Jones day on Capitol Hill, Manafort struck a confident tone.
He told attendees that Ronald Reagan used to be criticized just like Trump is now for his polarizing reputation within the Republican Party, the sources said. And the senior Trump adviser said the campaign will work hard to court Latinos, despite Trump’s poor approval ratings among Hispanics and Trump’s controversial comments about Mexican immigrants, said one attendee.
Though Manafort has joined the campaign to bring an extra layer of seasoning to an operation filled with fresh-faced Republican operatives, he insisted that his power is limited: Trump, he said in so many words, is going to be Trump.
[…]
But Manafort also reinforced a message that Trump delivered to GOP senators last week: That Trump realizes that Republicans are concerned with the tone and tenor of his campaign. When asked about Trump’s high negatives, Manafort said it was the result of the Republican primary and that Trump’s “behavior can be changed.”Perceptions of Clinton are more ingrained, he argued.
Her “high negatives are driven by her character. It’s something we can’t wait to exploit,” Manafort said, according to the same attendee.
Well, many members of the press seem to be willing to portray Trump as a “tell it like it is” straight shooter and Clinton as a corrupt, dishonest old bag, so Manafort may be right.
But if reality has any place in our politics the American people will see through this.
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