What the Republicans will do, depending on who the Democrats nominate:
They'll do what they always do. They'll run countless negative ads about the nominee. It doesn't matter who the nominee is. They'll use whatever they can to pour negativity on the nominee.
If the nominee is Hillary Clinton, they'll use all the old arguments and bring up all the old debunked scandals they can find about her and former President Bill Clinton. It will look like the 90s all over again. Then, they'll pile on with the "emails" and "Benghazi" and as many negative, misogynistic memes they can generate. They'll trot out every photo that makes Clinton look old and tired and mock her typical clothing. They'll hint at the possibility that Chelsea isn't Bill's daughter and show photos of Hillary and Huma Abedin and hint at other things. They'll revive every old meme they can come up with. That's what Republicans do. They have no limits on the kind of negative campaigning they will resort to. They'll be predictably vicious.
If Bernie Sanders is the nominee, they'll have less history to work with, but enough for them to go on to present him as the worst possible choice as President. Chief among those will be to call him, on a continuous, daily basis, a "SOCIALIST." That's their main tool, a word that has been anathema for Republicans since the end of WWII. They'll use old Soviet poster imagery in ads, and shout the word "SOCIALIST" as often as they can. They'll hint at his Judaism, of course, but they have to be careful about that. They'll bring up the child he fathered out of wedlock as an example of how "He's not like us TRVE CHRISTINAS™." They'll hint that he's really an "ATHEIST." They'll dig out every photo of him glaring at the camera and make him look as old as possible.
Most presidential elections in this country end up being pretty close, with only a few percentage points separating the winner from the loser. It's rare when there's a genuine landslide. Like it or not, we live in a society that is pretty evenly split, politically. So, who will win? The Democrat? The Republican, whichever clown car passenger is the nominee? You know what will decide that?
What will decide that is the turnout of Democrats at the polling places next November. That's what will decide the election. It doesn't really matter who the Democratic nominee is. What matters is how many Democrats turn out to vote. The Republicans will attack either candidate equally strongly. They'll use whatever they have and make up what they don't. The election will turn one way or another, depending on turnout. Independent voters will be split, as usual, in about the same proportions as people who declare a party affiliation. They matter, of course, but will make up their own minds, as they always do. They're hard to predict.
Make no mistake. Democratic turnout, especially in the 10 or so swing states that usually decide presidential elections, will be what determines the winner. That's why I'll begin working on GOTV as soon as the Conventions are over. I'll be doing it just as hard as I can. Here on DU, I'll be posting daily to encourage everyone here to work on GOTV, too. That's what will make the difference.
To those who declare that they will not vote for the Democratic nominee, I will have nothing to say. They are no longer in play. Most will no longer be here. They don't matter at all. It is all those people in all those precincts who need to be convinced to vote who matter. That's what will make the difference. Whoever the Democratic nominee turns out to be, GOTV is the answer. It's always the answer. When enough Democratic voters turn out, Democrats win. It's that simple. I'd like for us to win in 2016.
Who knows? It could be my last presidential election. I'm going to give it my best shot.
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There's only one die needed to cast. That's it.
