Trump’s Attacks on Khan Family Roil Race But May Not Alter It

[DonViejo]

Despite negative news coverage and an uproar on social media, Trump's remarks may have little effect on his standing in the polls.

By Margaret Talev, Kevin Cirilli, Jennifer Jacobs

Donald Trump’s swipe at the heartbroken parents of a Muslim-American war hero killed in Iraq has sparked condemnation across party lines, prompting top Republicans in Congress to distance themselves from the GOP presidential nominee, and for Democrat Hillary Clinton to reassess her own tack with voters during a weekend bus tour across Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, may be tempted to see Trump’s tangles with the Khan family as a defining moment with 98 days left in the race. That's especially true on the heels of Trump’s latest controversial statements. In recent days, he has criticized John Allen, a top retired Marine general who backs Clinton; stated he wishes Russia success in hacking Clinton’s e-mails; and appeared to justify Russian aggression in Ukraine.

There are also many reasons why the Clinton and Trump campaigns believe these events may change nothing.

“I don’t know where the bottom is,” Clinton told reporters during a stop for milkshakes and pictures with voters on Sunday at Grandpa’s Cheesebarn in Ashland, Ohio. “It’s hard to imagine anyone who has ever run to be president of the United States saying any of what he’s said, and the accumulation of it all is just beyond my comprehension.”

-snip-

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-08-01/trump-s-attacks-on-khan-family-roil-campaign-but-may-not-alter-race

[beachbum bob]

1. I beg to differ, from personal knowledge of 2 close conservative friends who just gave up

on trump. They are typical diehard conservatives who found it hard to vote for romney in 2012 and really didn't like trump to begin with as they see him as a typical Northeastern opportunist...... They both said he has lost their votes becasue of the antics of the past few days.. They wont vote for hillary but neither will they vote for trump.

The fence sitters are starting to jump off the fence and trump's antics are proving the accusations of his lacking in temperament every day. Other typical GOP voters are finding a new level of disgust and I think some will do as my 2 friends will...and not vote for trump..

[Zambero]

2. I could not disagree more

If this pertains to Trump's hard core support of around 35%, the argument could be made for those particular voters since they will be going for Trump no mater what. The 15% or so of the electorate still in play is another story. Johnson and Stein will garner around 10% between them. Hillary appears to have a base of around 40%. Trump's ongoing death by a thousand cuts will erode whatever potential support for increasing his standing at a time when he needs to increase his core of support. This real-life movie hasn't begun to play out in its entirety, but the reviews for Trump based on his own words and deeds are not looking good and will likely get worse with time.