Dear Hillary:

Odds are you will be Democrat nominee for president, even if you stubbed your toe here in Indiana. If successful, you will be facing off against Donald Trump, the most unconventional candidate of a major political party in the history of the republic.

You need to recognize that there are a lot of folks in this country – including, but not limited to, the ones wearing Trump t-shirts – who are fed up with their government and its seeming inaction. Their wages are stagnant, and have been for years. They wonder about their own futures, but more importantly, about the futures of their kids. They see the income inequality. They are certain the game is rigged – and not in their favor. They see their jobs exported overseas, and they associate that loss with trade deals that may have benefited American business but sure as heck haven’t benefited American workers.

They are patriotic, and their brand of patriotism includes tallying up what they see as wins and losses. They see the wins as being few and far between. As a former Secretary of State, I am sure you have a much more sophisticated understanding of the situation – but they’re not buying it, and they, not the international community, will determine your fate.

They are sick and tired of the status quo, and a Washington establishment they see as being out of touch. Their complaints are real and have merit. Don’t try to convince them otherwise.

If you run a professional and conventional campaign in the face of what is likely to be an unpredictable circus with The Donald as ringmaster, it is very possible you could lose.

So let me make some suggestions.

Be very nice to Bernie. Yes, I know, he can be a bit crotchety. However, he is your link to the energy, enthusiasm, and numbers that your campaign will need to counter the Trump followers. He has tapped into the same vein of discontent as The Donald, and can give you credibility with the disaffected left that can serve to offset The Donald’s advantage with the disaffected right.

Don’t wait to counterpunch. The Donald will come at you with all sorts of wild swings hoping to land a punch. Each crazy thing he says becomes the subject of the day’s insatiable and repetitive news loop. No matter how effectively you respond, the response is secondary to the initial charge. Lord knows you have enough material; go at him first. Put him off balance for a change. He doesn’t react well to being on the receiving end of the same kind of garbage he so gleefully dishes out.

He has conceded the “woman card” to you. Beat him over the head with it. Women will cast more than half the votes this November, and the vast majority of them think The Donald is a shmuck. Don’t let him walk back from the misogynous things he has said. Keep on the attack.

Have your staff get you the telephone number for every morning news and entertainment show on TV. Call in. It doesn’t have to be a formal sit down. Chat a little. Laugh a little. Show the human side. There is a pretty good chance that what you say on Morning Joe, or wherever, will be repeated throughout the day for free. It certainly worked for The Donald as he climbed through the nomination seasons.

Find someone’s 13-year-old granddaughter to explain social media, and the uses thereof, to your staff, and then turn them loose to saturate the digital world – your staff, not the 13-year-old. Well, maybe the 13-year-old.

The Donald is mercurial. Have you ever tried to pin down a drop of mercury? It can’t be done. Don’t waste time trying to engineer an “oh wow!” moment where his shortcomings become apparent to all. It won’t happen. Exploit the character trait, however. Come at him from so many different directions that he doesn’t know which end is up, down, or sideways. Make him scoot around like that fascinating drop of mercury on a glass plate. If he is reacting, he can’t be attacking.

None of this is calculated to promote an adult debate about the issues facing the republic, but this election is unlikely to be about debate, adult or otherwise. It will be about charge and countercharge. Negative ad versus negative ad. I wish it were otherwise (obviously, what we need is some adult debate aimed at reaching real solutions to our very real problems), but you have to be ready to play the hand being dealt to you.

And adapt as necessary to play it effectively.

Yours, Ken