How the national chaos can help Donald Trump

NEWS AND OPINION:

Shrill media coverage, political turmoil, a nervous public — these will have an impact on political campaigns.

“The United States faces numerous chaotic problems including: a border crisis, hurricane death and destruction, rampant crime, and skyrocketing inflation,” said Louis Perron, a political consultant, campaign strategist and author of “Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections,” a book published this year by Radius Book Group.

Former President Donald Trump may benefit from the chaos in his quest to return to the White House, according to the author.

“Generally speaking, the circumstances help Trump,” Mr. Perron said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“There is a general sense of chaos — and people think that the country is going off the wrong track. In order to benefit from it, he however urgently needs to become a more disciplined messenger and candidate,” Mr. Perron said.

“Natural disasters are usually an advantage for the incumbent. I write about it in the book. The playbook is pretty straight forward: you need to release emergency funds, be seen on the ground, give logistical support etc. This is arguably what helped Barack Obama in 2012,” he wrote.

A LETTER OF NOTE

“Dear Vice President Harris and former President Trump: We are asking you to make the critical issue of our skyrocketing national debt one of your top policy priorities as you seek the presidency,” an open letter to the presidential candidates from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reads in part.

The nonpartisan group is committed to educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact, according to its mission statement.

The letter is signed by 36 people — including 10 former House members and four former senators, along with White House and administration officials, state governors, mayors and prominent businesspeople.

“Our mounting debt is a bipartisan problem, and whoever wins the presidency should confront this challenge within their term. Our publicly held debt will soon surpass the entire size of the U.S. economy, and debt is projected to exceed its previous record, 106% of [gross domestic product], in 2027. At a projected cost of $892 billion this year, our nation already spends more on interest on the debt than we do on both national defense and all federal spending on children,” the group wrote.

“Unfortunately, high and rising debt carries significant repercussions for all Americans, including slower economic growth and higher interest rates. Rising debt also limits our ability to respond to unexpected emergencies like natural disasters and pandemics, and it is a national security threat as well,” they said.

“Presidential leadership will be absolutely necessary in addressing these challenges. American voters deserve to hear your plans for improving our fiscal trajectory. A robust debate on this issue would not only enrich our democracy, but also equip voters with the necessary information to make informed decisions this fall,” the letter said.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

They are getting the word out for Republican candidates as Election Day approaches.

The Congressional Leadership Fund — the super PAC endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders — has released $3.5 million in new advertising this week alone.

“These latest additions will run in California and Arizona and come on the heels of last week’s announcement of another $18.5 million in ad reservations,” the fund said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“This brings the fund’s total investment to $179 million in fall ad reservations, building on previous announcements from May and September of this year. CLF may continue to make additions as we approach Election Day.

“Our focus remains on growing our resources and taking the fight to Democrats,” said Courtney Parella, the super PAC’s communications director.

SCIENCE CORNER

There’s more to the phrase “good dog” than we think. Humans are getting better at speaking in dog language.

“Humans slow their own speech when talking to their dogs, and this slower tempo matches their pets’ receptive abilities, allowing the dogs to better understand their commands, according to a new study,” Science Daily reports.

The research is from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

“Dogs respond to human speech, even though they themselves cannot produce human sounds. To better understand how people and pups communicate, the scientists analyzed the vocal sounds of 30 dogs. They also analyzed the sounds of 27 humans across five languages speaking to other people, and 22 humans across those languages speaking to dogs,” the publication said.

“The scientists also used electroencephalography (EEG) to examine the brain responses to speech in humans and dogs. Humans are much faster ’talkers’ than dogs, the study showed, with a speech rate of about four syllables per second, while dogs bark, growl, woof and whine at a rate of about two vocalizations per second. When talking to dogs, the humans slowed their speech to around three syllables per second,” it said.

In case you wonder, 65.1 million households in the U.S. are home to a dog, according to the American Pet Products Association.

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POLL DU JOUR

• 23% of U.S. adults say they identify politically as a “strong Democrat.”

• 12% say they are a “not very strong Democrat.”

• 7% say they “lean Democrat.”

• 8% say they “lean Republican.”

• 13% say they are a “not very strong Republican.”

• 19% say they are a “strong Republican.”

• 14% say they are a political “independent.”

• 3% are not sure about their political identity.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,638 U.S. adults conducted online Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.