(IDEA FOR MEDIA) Stop asking Republicans if what Trump did was wrong. You already know the lie they'll tell. Instead, pose this question: "Will you here, today, invite your 2020 or 2022 Democratic opponent to put out a worldwide call for foreign intelligence-sourced dirt on you?"
1/ We keep assuming that politicians who may have foreign dirt on them, like Graham and McConnell, will of course support Trump. But do they realize they're ushering in an era of it being permissible for Democrats to go directly to foreign governments to get dirt to destroy them?
2/ Russia wants chaos in the U.S. What could be more chaotic than Putin and every enemy of America opening wide their blackmail vaults for long-term Democratic use, in response to Republicans telling America that asking foreign governments for dirt on your political rivals is OK?
3/ I'm *not* saying Democrats should do this. I'm saying that there's no harm in Democrats saying quite clearly that what Republicans are *urging* them to do is contact the FSB and SVR and Mossad and Iranian intelligence to get whatever dirt they can on any Republican they can.
4/ When your opponent in a debate makes not just a bad and disingenuous but scary and dangerous argument, sometimes the best thing to do is say, (1) OK, let's get you on record as supporting a new order in which your view holds sway, and (2) here's a picture, now, of your future.
5/ The picture Democrats can paint for Republicans: commercials in which a Democrat says, "I don't know for sure if Graham is being blackmailed by anyone, but my unnamed sources say he is and this is an open call to every foreign intelligence service to find out and let me know."
6/ So a good interview with any key Republican right now would be to run through 8 to 10 of these terrifying hypotheticals and get them to agree to them in advance. Don't ask about Trump—forget about Trump. Get them to sign onto the Brave New World they're dying to bring forward.
