Trump's blowing it, but …

As one of those who has suggested Donald Trump has the potential not only to win the 2016 presidential election, but to win in a landslide, it's time for a note of clarification.

With Hillary Clinton skyrocketing in polls, Trump getting off message and shooting from the hip in too many gaffe-prone appearances and the Democrats relentlessly attacking Trump in TV ads, my predictions are looking, well, a little less than prophetic.

While Trump is out publicly day after day commenting on too much, Hillary is in virtual hiding, realizing the more the American public see her, the less they like her.

Thus, Hillary's stealth strategy is working, and Trump's "Zelig" strategy is not.

As a Trump supporter, let me state this plainly and unequivocally: Trump is blowing it. He's not acting presidential. He's talking too much about extraneous matters – and doing so recklessly. He's not on message. He's actually doing his best to feed the image crafted by his adversaries – a guy not prepared or equipped for the presidency.

But it's not too late for Trump to win.

It's not too late for him to turn this thing around.

It's not even too late for him to rack up a historic landslide victory.

It's late, but it's not too late.

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He needs to stop winging it in speeches. The comment about the Second Amendment folks was a gift to Hillary. He needs to stop giving his opponent gifts. It was sure to be magnified by his adversaries, both Democrat and Republican – and it was exploited indeed. Everyone knows Trump wasn't suggesting assassination, for heaven's sake, but why does Trump offer up such opportunities for his opponents to exploit?

He's got to stop. Once, he was a political force of nature. He's become his own worst enemy.

It's so obvious what Trump needs to do to recover and win:

He's running against an opponent who is not liked even by those supporting her. He needs to attack her where she is vulnerable. He needs to do it consistently and expertly, without any more backfires. She's a crook, a liar, a national security nightmare, a socialist demagogue, a seriously unhealthy contender for the presidency and a political relic of the past who wants to carry on business as usual, while she gets richer along the way through her "public service." Attack, attack, attack.

The only other target in his political crosshairs should be Barack Obama. Hillary represents four more years of what we've had – but without the "charm" many mysteriously see in Obama's personality. It means Wall Street has its way with us. It means taxation without representation as more and more decisions about America's fate are made by foreigners and those who would transfer political power to global institutions. It means less freedom. It means more political correctness. It means more government control over our lives. It means less prosperity for all. It means a Supreme Court that rules like an unaccountable oligarchy. It means an end to the Second Amendment and the absolute, God-given right to defend oneself and one's family and property. How hard is this to do?

He needs to stay on script. He needs to be calmer, cooler – to demonstrate that he is not controlled by emotions. Stop all the tweeting and the Facebooking. Act like someone who wants to be and is equipped to be the commander in chief. You don't have to say whatever is on your mind at a given moment. Take a breath and think before you speak.

If Donald Trump does these three things – and only these three things – he can still win this race and win it big.

I'm sure of that.

I'm just not sure he is disciplined to follow this advice. I'm sure I'm not the only offering it to him. But it's just that simple.

Of course, there is one more important component to winning. His TV ads, focused on Hillary's vulnerabilities, which are legion, need to be expertly crafted, run through focus groups, test-fired and then the public needs to be carpet-bombed by them.

Few presidential candidates in recent history have had such a passionate support base as does Trump. But it's time to expand his broader support. In fact, it's late. There's a big universe out there of people who do not like Hillary already. It's way more than half the voting populace. While he may not be able to romance them, he can certainly bring them to the point of revulsion for his opponent.

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