Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumIvanka and Jared's Power Play
How the patrician couple came to have an outsized influence on a populist Presidential campaign.By Lizzie Widdicombe
The modern Presidential campaign may be the worlds most sophisticated pop-up operation, a billion-dollar multilayered organization that, if it hopes to succeed, must be as technologically sophisticated and responsive as any Silicon Valley unicorn. A campaign includes armies of social-media worker bees, data crunchers, messaging experts, policy advisers, media surrogates, fund-raising chiefs, oppo-research teams, volunteers, and, above all, coolheaded managers, who can formulate a coherent position on Chinese trade policy and a plan for how to get out the vote in Hillsborough County in a lightning storm.
Then, there is the Presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, which has followed this formula about as closely as the candidate follows the South Beach Diet. The Republican Party establishment has, if reluctantly, helped sketch the outlines of an organization. The campaign raised eighty million dollars in July; some of Trumps friends and donors have been tapped to form a team of economic advisers, who include numerous billionaires and men named Steve. But Trumps brain trust is largely the black box of Donald Trumps real and existing brain.
-snip-
But the Trump campaign is not without secondary figures. Rather than a Karl Rove or a David Axelrod, his true inner circle seems to be his family, especially his adult children. Its nothing new for the children of Presidential candidates to lend a hand. George W. and Jeb Bush worked alongside Lee Atwater in their fathers 1988 campaign. Al Gores daughters were well-spoken surrogates. The five Romney boysthose square-jawed Mittletsgave strategic advice to their father. But its different with Trump, because, as the political historian Julian Zelizer observed recently, the Trump kids seem at points to be the only people in the room.
For all the goofy charms of Eric (the golf-course expert) and Donald, Jr. (the force behind the unfortunately timed Trump Mortgages, which launched in 2007), Ivanka, who is thirty-four, is Donalds clear favorite. She lends a veneer of professionalism to the campaign, giving speeches that portray her father, who once told New York, referring to women, You have to treat em like shit, as a Lean In-style feminist. In early August, Trump, pressed to name a woman he might appoint to his Cabinet, could think of only one: his daughter.
Ivankas husband, Jared Kushner, a thirty-five-year-old real-estate developer, who owns the New York Observer, has become what the Times described as Trumps de facto campaign manager. He has acted as a liaison with dozens of influential figures, including Henry Kissinger, Paul Ryan, Rupert Murdoch, and, until recently, Roger Ailes. Ivanka has counselled Trump on his rhetoric and his policy choices, and Jared was instrumental in the running-mate selection.
more
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/22/ivanka-trump-and-jared-kushners-power-play
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
9 replies, 1206 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (3)
ReplyReply to this post
9 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Ivanka and Jared's Power Play (Original Post)
DonViejo
Aug 2016
OP
If I were Jared, I wouldn't be bragging about being any kind of campaign manager.
Happyhippychick
Aug 2016
#2
enough
(13,259 posts)1. One thing the Trumps are not is "patrician." (nt)
Happyhippychick
(8,379 posts)2. If I were Jared, I wouldn't be bragging about being any kind of campaign manager.
It's the worst campaign in history.
patsimp
(915 posts)3. donald jr and erik are thugs who hunt big game animals to hide the fact they have small penis's
like their stupid father's small hands.
Avalux
(35,015 posts)4. Why must this family be legitimized in any way?
Ivanka is a hack, her brothers are hacks, her husband is a hack, and so is her father.
They should be taken as seriously as
"Kardashian" is.
GeorgeGist
(25,321 posts)6. The Fall of the House of Trump.
I'd pay to see it.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)7. I can't understand then why they aren't pulling in more younger voters?
SaschaHM
(2,897 posts)8. So we're just changing up the word populist now?
tanyev
(42,567 posts)9. So why are two of Trump's most trusted advisors vacationing in Croatia right now?
Surely those sights would still be there after the November election. Or was there some urgent need to touch base with Putin's girlfriend? Things that make you go hmmmm.