Thursday after President-elect Donald Trump wrapped up his appearance in Cincinnati that was part of his “Thank You” tour, Democratic strategist and long-time Clinton ally Paul Begala acknowledge Trump deserved some credit for the announcement earlier in the day that a Carrier manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, IN would be keeping 1,000 jobs in the United States instead of moving those positions to Mexico.
Begala argued that although he didn’t think the gesture measured up to what President Barack Obama had accomplished, the “showmanship” of Trump was something from which Democrats should learn.
“Democrats need to learn from this, not pooh-pooh it,” Begala said. “Part of leadership is showmanship, not all of it. This guy is a master showman. But part of leadership is showmanship. My father was a salesman. He used to say, ‘Facts tell but stories sell.’ President Obama takes off and unemployment in Indiana is 10.7 percent. He drops it to 4.4 percent and loses Indiana in reelection. He takes office and unemployment in Michigan is 15 percent and drops that down to 4.7 percent. And Hillary, his successor, loses Michigan. Why? Because Democrats often think in terms of statistics and broad policy and ‘the people’ but not ‘people.’ And I’m telling you, I am Trump’s most ardent critic and Democrats need to learn from this. This is very effective salesmanship.”
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