One of my favorite bits of ancient wisdom, which I have quoted many times over the years, is the Chinese military theorist Sun Tzu's adage that a battle is won before it is fought because it is won by choosing the terrain on which it is fought. Accordingly, as I noted in a column a few months ago: "If former President Donald Trump and other Republicans on the ballot this fall want to win, they must choose the proper terrain."
He who controls the narrative and framing necessarily controls the result. Every good trial lawyer knows this. And so should every good politician.
Although recent days have been more focused and suggest a possible turning of the tide, the electoral terrain for Republicans has generally been rather shaky ever since the bloodless Kamala Harris coup of Joe Biden a few weeks ago. Asking whether Harris -- the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants -- actually counts as "Black" for U.S. demographic purposes is fair substantive game, but it is certainly not fertile swing voter terrain. Even less compelling, and certainly less propitious, is incontinent friendly fire directed at the popular governor of a crucial swing state, Georgia.
Early voting begins in Pennsylvania, arguably this........