One thing Hillary has to do is make clear the contrast between her proposed policies and Trump's sketchy plans. Trump tends to introduce his agenda explosively. His unstable temperament is part and parcel of his proposals. It shapes and conveys all at once. The ideas burst forth in spurts and tweets, long on angry force and short on details.
If Hillary's campaign is any indication of how she intends to go at Trump, she will not be ignoring his shady side, and why should she? There is a lot of blank space in Trump's plans. Here is the campaign's latest volley.
Here is a somewhat longer and more specific version.New HFA Ad On Trump’s Failure to Release Tax Returns, Hiding His Russian Business Dealings
Hillary for America is airing a new television ad which links Donald Trump’s unprecedented refusal to release his tax returns to the growing concerns about his financial conflicts of interests especially with Russia. Trump has failed to disclose the most basic information expected from presidential candidates and the latest revelations about his connections to Russia make it all the more pressing that he disclose the extent of his financial network and how he will divest from it.
The ad highlights new revelations this week that Trump’s financial ties to Russia are far more extensive than previously understood. Trump has apparently profited from “hundreds of millions of dollars” invested by Russian business interests which could impact his national security decisions as president. ABC News reported this week that Trump profited from hundreds of millions of dollars in Russian business deals, potentially giving motive to his Pro-Kremlin policies. In addition, Yahoo News discovered that one of Trump’s foreign policy advisors is being investigated by U.S. intelligence officials for ties to the Kremlin. Sure enough, a recent op-ed by the Chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush and the chief White House ethics lawyer for President Obama argued that “A Trump presidency would be ethically compromised” because of conflicts of interests like these.
The details of his conflicts remain a mystery. While every major party nominee in the last 40 years has released their tax returns, Trump has refused. Recently, Donald Trump, Jr., admitted the real reason Trump won’t release his tax returns is because it would “distract” from his message. Recently, GOP Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said Trump should release his tax returns as did GOP Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz. In comparison, Hillary Clinton released her 2015 personal tax return – meaning all returns have been public back to 1977 - and Senator Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton released 10 years of their returns.
The man who could be your next president may be deeply indebted to another country. Do you trust him to run ours? pic.twitter.com/5TU9olTqd5— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 22, 2016
The implications for foreign policy under a Trump administration are beyond disturbing. In polar opposition to his slogans, Trump's hidden deals threaten to put America last and diminish the United States as a world power. Trump's supporters may be in the mood for a strongman, but history teaches us that strongmen rarely give much of a damn for the populace except to the degree the people serve their purposes, and it is difficult to be a strongman when you are beholden to foreign powers and money.
