Political experts will tell you that the presidential campaign doesn’t really begin until after Labor Day and for the most part they are correct.

What we are witnessing right now is the lead-up to Labor Day with Republican Donald Trump taking every advantage of the limelight to spread his sarcastic take on domestic policy and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The Republican establishment is counting on the Trump campaign to pivot right after Labor Day. By “pivot,” political experts mean changing the tone of the campaign from one of perpetual bashing of the opposition to a focus on the issues that most American voters care about: the economy, job development, terrorism and international relations and national security.

But Donald Trump isn’t the only one who faces the challenge of pivoting his campaign. Hillary Clinton needs to pivot as well. Her campaign since her nomination has been nothing but small gatherings with fundraisers and potential donors and one-on-one interviews with television personalities.

If she fails to pivot her campaign toward the truth, she may well hand Donald Trump the keys to the White House. She may prove shortly after Labor Day that the schoolyard chant “Liar! Liar pants on fire!” may become “Liar! Liar! Pantsuit on fire!”

That is a moniker that will stick with her longer than Trump’s take on “Crooked Hillary.”

Why won’t Hillary Clinton appear at a news conference the way that Donald Trump does just about every five days? What is she afraid of? If she is indeed the most qualified person to ever run for president, why isn’t she more comfortable facing the general media for one hour at an open news conference?

When she was recently caught in a lie, she blamed it on a “short circuit” in her response to a question about the Department of Justice and the FBI regarding her handling of her emails. Speaking of her emails, she is now blaming former Secretary of State Colin Powell for advising her to get a secret, private server to handle her electronic communications. Liar! Liar! Pantsuit on fire!

There are legitimate concerns about her personal health, but she insists she is as fit as a fiddle, despite the legitimate claims of her constantly losing her balance and her inability to stay on her feet for more than 15 minutes at a time. She claims she is in perfect health. Liar! Liar! Pantsuit on fire!

How much longer can Hillary Clinton keep avoiding the public and the scrutiny that goes with being a candidate for President of the United States? Surely the most qualified person to ever run for president must have enough confidence and poise to deal with voters and the media.

Once Labor Day rolls around in 10 days, we will all begin focusing more closely on Hillary Clinton’s honesty. Perhaps by then she will be able to extinguish the flaming pantsuit image and show us just how qualified she is to be the next President of the United States.

 

A native of Niles, Jack Strayer moved back home in 2009 after living and working in Washington DC since 1976. Strayer has served as a congressional staffer, state legislative press secretary, federal registered lobbyist and Vice President of the National Center for Policy Analysis. He is a nationally recognized expert on federal health policy reform and led the fight for the enactment of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).