Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Trump Campaign Reorganized, Fundraising Lags Clinton

Political campaigns are won with money and organization. While a well-funded and well-structured campaign doesn't guarantee victory, a poorly funded and badly organized effort almost inevitably results in defeat. The Trump campaign claims that it is running a new kind of operation. They had better hope so because there is both chaos in the structure of the campaign and a shortage of funds. If they don't have a new paradigm, they are in the process of losing the general election well before the convention next month.

The chaos in the campaign structure was in evidence yesterday when Corey Lewandowsky, the campaign manager, left the Trump offices with a security escort having been fired. Politico reported, "He'd grown increasingly reckless in his power struggle, taking on the candidate's own family and Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus. He'd already told associates more than once in the past few months that he was on the verge of quitting, and some of his allies had either backed away from him or quit the campaign. So when Lewandowski was informed in a meeting with Trump's adult children that he was being relieved of his dream job running the first-time candidate's presidential campaign, the career GOP operative didn't argue."

His position will be taken over by Paul Manafort, whom Mr. Lewandowski had upset by continually encouraging Mr. Trump to be outlandish rather than disciplined. Mr. Manafort was already in charge of the convention for the Trump campaign, and the change can be spun as a positive one. It takes one set of skills to win primaries, the argument goes, and another to win a general election. Replacing Mr. Lewandowski with Mr. Manafort makes sense under such circumstances.

However, the bigger picture of the campaign structure belies that interpretation. Yesterday, Jamelle Bouie wrote at Slate.com, "At last count, the Trump campaign hasroughly 30 staffers nationwide. By comparison, Team Clinton has hired 50 people in Ohio alone [emphasis in the original]. Even if it's still early in the cycle, a typical campaign would have several senior staff members in place in most, if not all, contested states. Trump has close to none. And while the Republican National Committee has people on the ground in swing states and other vital areas, they're focused on the entire ticket. Trump needs dedicated, professional help and he doesn't have it. He seems to be waiting until July, at the earliest, to determine hiring and placement." In other words, losing the campaign manager is not a big deal because, apart from Mr. Trump's personal appearances, there is no campaign to manage.

Part of the staffing problem stems from a lack of funds. The Republicans thought they had a good thing going with a self-funding billionaire as a candidate, but as it turns out, Mr. Trump may or may not be a billionaire. If he is, his real estate assets are hardly liquid enough for him to drop a few hundred million into the campaign coffers between now and November.

Yesterday, the monthly fundraising reports came out. The New York Times observed, "Mr. Trump began June with just $1.3 million in cash on hand, a figure more typical for a campaign for the House of Representatives than the White House. He trailed Hillary Clinton, who raised more than $28 million in May, by more than $41 million. The Trump campaign has not aired a television advertisement since he effectively secured the nomination in May and has not booked any advertising for the summer or fall. Mrs. Clinton and her allies spent nearly $26 million on advertising in June alone, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group . . . . Mr. Trump's fund-raising for May reflects his lag in assembling the core of a national finance team. In the same month that he clinched the Republican nomination, Mr. Trump raised just $3.1 million and was forced to lend himself $2 million to meet costs."

A lack of funds for campaign staff and for advertising leaves the field to the Democrats who will frame the debate to their liking until the Republicans in general and Mr. Trump in particular get some kind of operation in place that will answer them. Of course, Mr. Trump's New Model Campaign could change the way politics in America work. More likely, though, he is setting up Hillary Clinton for a landslide victory.

© Copyright 2016 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.



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