Subject: From Bill I
From: "Bill Ivey GCS" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2016 14:39:57 -0600

Dear John:

Congratulations on last night!  I was delighted to hear the "It's time for
America to rise" early in the victory speech and of course I assume it was
from my note. Ha, Ha.  Trump dismissed "time to Make America Whole" pretty
quickly, and it's just another indication of his instinctive, almost
animalistic ability to demean, diminish, undercut anything that comes at
him.  In this regard I would be very cautious about a strategy of attack on
Trump's character or experience.  He can twist anything and if our messaging
gets too spiteful in tone it will just be "those Washington insiders trying
to hurt our guy; we'll show them!"  Martin Wolf's piece in today's Financial
Times is right on - Trump is a monster who's been created, mostly  but not
entirely by Republicans over the past three or four decades.  But all policy
actors have been far to content to figure out policy from the inside, making
our deals inside DC, then slicing up the country demographically every few
years and targeting groups with slogans, promises to change things, etc.,
and with small initiatives "guaranteed" to push their voting buttons.  This
style of governing, combined with the complete abandonment of education in
history, civics, etc. means we have both anger and ignorance abroad in the
land, and it's difficult to gauge how wide and deep it is.  Could Trump's
message peel off African-Americans in the general - absolutely, positively -
and many other groups previously dependably in our camp.  This is serious
and can't be solved through polling or surveys or focus groups or messaging.
Smart people have to think about how to reach deep and inspire the best in
the electorate to not give into anger and fear but act out of America's
best, most-optimistic problem solving collaborative instincts.

I still like "It's time for America to Rise!" because it can be used in
three ways: "It is time for America to Rise above the hatred and fear that
make us less than we are; It is time for America to Rise, as we always have
in the past, to face the new threats and solve the new problems that
challenge us today ; and it's time for Americans to Rise together to forge a
21st-century nation that is stronger than ever, more dedicated than ever to
lead throughout the world, and more capable than ever to provide a life of
opportunity and purpose for all!"  This sounds like something from the
prescient 2012 book, "Handmaking America."  I have several copies around the
house if anybody on the campaign wants to read.  Again, Ha, Ha.

But seriously, I think the positive, high-road approach advocated by the
Times today is right, especially in the primary season.  If Trump is the
guy, she'll have to engage him soon enough, and no reason to start too soon.
And dealing with Trump is going to be like the old joke about wrestling a
pig - you'll both get muddy but the pig likes it!  That kind of match is not
Hillary Clinton's strong suit (to her credit). The Secretary can criticize
him thematically in primary season, and begin to advance her own vision, but
the takedown-attack, negative-research stuff has to wait until the general,
and because it can be turned back on the sender so effectively, maybe wait
forever.

And I still think "Fighting for us!" needs to be quietly retired (maybe
that's underway).  As I've written before, it just feels too much like a
routine, periodic, cyclical Washington promise to the unwashed.  It can seem
cynical and thus plays to the underlying sentiment that fuels Trump.

Again, congrats on a very good night.  These are just my musings as I head
to Alaska for a week of glacier flying; take them for what they cost.

Sent with a warm handshake,

Bill