What follows is political analysis based on a supposition that Hillary and Trump win their Party's nominations. It is derived from a notable opinion piece by Dan Balz entitled, "What would Trump be like as GOP nominee?" I paraphrase some of Balz's passages and use quotes, as well. Our conclusions are different. Dan Balz is Chief Correspondent at The Washington Post.

The General Election Strategy

Clinton and her team are planning to go early and hard against Trump. They are convinced that in the general election, Trump will be the same kind of opponent that he was in the Republican Primaries; that Trump's fall campaign style will continue to be slashing. They expect Trump to come at Clinton from both the right and the left.

Clinton’s team is preparing for what they believe will be one of the nastiest campaigns in recent memory. “Hillary set out a year ago to be a champion for everyday people and to help families finally start getting ahead again in this economy,” said Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager. “That’s what she’s going to keep talking about in the general election. . . . Trump, I’m sure, will try to bully and throw out insults. That’s not going to derail her.”

But the Trump that Hillary's Team is preparing for is not the Trump who will be running in the general election. And, that could derail her.

I was watching a recent Daily Show episode and how it blamed Trump's rise entirely on the news media hungry for viewers, and I couldn't help but remember how this same show literally begged Trump to run just last July, and how hypocritical they are to point fingers now.