Dr. Jill and the president are discussing campaign strategy at the White House.
JOE: Well, Super Tuesday is over, with no great surprises. It’s time to talk seriously about the general election campaign.
JILL: Not a moment too soon. We’re behind in the polls, and panic is starting to set in.
JOE: So, how would you suggest we run the campaign?
JILL: I have some ideas for commercials that will set the tone for it.
JOE: Let’s hear them!
JILL: The first one is entitled “Covid.” People have forgotten what it was like during 2020. We would have images of Trump telling people to eat bleach, downplaying the virus, and refusing to wear a mask interspersed with shots of screaming ambulances, unemployed workers, and exhausted nurses. That’s Trump’s America. We deserve better.
JOE: I like it. What else?
JILL: The second one is called “Dictators.” Trump is on camera saying great things about Xi, Putin, and Kim. Then we show him saying he will be a dictator on the first day. Why shouldn’t we believe him?
JOE: OK. Next?
JILL: “Witnesses.” Quotes from people like Bolton, Mattis, Barr, and Tillerson who worked for the man. You don’t have to take it from us; everyone who served him says he’s unfit for office.
JOE: Next?
JILL: “Ukraine.” Lots of images of destruction and death caused by Putin and the Russians. Trump wants to hand Ukraine to the invaders. Is that really what America wants?
JOE: Good Next?
JILL: “Abortion.” Shots of Trump taking credit for the end of Roe mixed with horror stories about women who were forced to give birth in extreme circumstances.
JOE: That one should resonate. Anything else?
JILL: Three more. “Tariffs” will focus on Trump’s desire to raise prices at the grocery store, “Climate Change” will mix images of hurricanes and wildfires with shots of Trump throwing paper towels to desperate people in Puerto Rico and saying climate change is a Chinese hoax, and “Health Care” will make it clear that Trump still wants to repeal Obamacare.
JOE: That sounds pretty powerful.
JILL: It better be. We’re rowing upstream against a current of Trump nostalgia. If we don’t overcome it, we’re going to lose, and God knows what happens after that.
JOE: Let’s get to work!