It’s possible to pinpoint the exact moment Democrat hopeful Hillary Clinton lost her presidential campaign. No, it wasn’t a dodgy email server scandal, her constant falling over, the unhinged shrieking of Elizabeth Warren, or that self-righteous I’m a woman! narrative.

Hillary Clinton decided to go on a rant, describing Republican voters as ‘a basket of deplorables’. This was a genuine election strategy to separate right-wing voters into two baskets and, presumably, attempt to convert the softer Trump vote.

It went something like this: ‘You could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the “basket of deplorables”. Right? The racists, sexists, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.’

She was far from the only Democrat to disparage Republicans. Obama said much the same thing, but with far less bile. Clinton’s sanctimonious tone is the glue that bound the comment to her campaign.

Labels in politics are critical, which is why Donald Trump gave each of his opponents a nickname, but giving voters a nasty nickname ensures they will remember the slight long after the soundbite dies.

‘Basket of deplorables’ even has its own Wikipedia page. This will follow Hillary Clinton’s legacy long after her demise.

In addition to the original comment, Clinton tried to qualify the remarks by saying Trump had ‘deplorably’ amplified so-called ‘hateful views and voices’. Asked later if she later regretted isolating half the nation, Clinton replied: ‘My argument is not with his supporters, it’s with him and the hateful, divisive campaign he has run.’

It was easy for Donald Trump to lift these jilted voters up in his arms and redirect their anger straight toward the polling booth. ‘While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hardworking American patriots who love your country.’

Trump knew he was on a winner. It ended with him parodying Les Misérables as Les Déplorables with Do you hear the people sing? playing on stage. Then he ran an advertising campaign to that effect. MAGA supporters adopted the banner ‘deplorables’ as a term of endearment. It was a catastrophe for the Democrats.

There are many disparaging things you can say about Donald Trump’s election tactics, but his approach remains remarkably effective. The one talent you rarely hear acknowledged is his ability to force opponents into errors of judgment. Trump brings out the worst in those who face-off against him. They do bizarre and out-of-character things. They sweat, they stumble over their words, they become enraged, they turn red, they forget the names of their policies… It is my belief that Pauline Hanson has a similar effect on established politicians.

Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has never been in possession of an original thought.

Last week, he borrowed from Hillary Clinton by casually crafting his ‘darkest forces’ comment to describe Pauline Hanson and her followers.

‘You know, Pauline Hanson appeals to our darkest forces. Uh… I want to appeal to light and to optimism and to unity. Because that’s the way our country will go forward.’

It is impossible to know why some phrases stick and others slip out of the news cycle, but this one clung onto Albanese as if he’d trodden on dog shit laced with chewing gum.

‘Darkest forces’ swirled around the internet until Karl Stefanovic picked Albanese up on it during a podcast, asking if he regretted describing hardworking people as ‘dark forces’.

‘I have never done that, Karl, so don’t suggest that I have. I don’t suggest that for one minute!’ snapped the Prime Minister.

Of course, Albanese can play semantics all night but the fact remains that suggesting people are voting based on their ‘darkest forces’ and calling them ‘dark forces’ is splitting hairs.

‘I’m describing Pauline Hanson, and whether you appeal to people’s better instincts, or whether you try to amplify divisions in society … I want to see people support mainstream politics. I’ve said in the past that I’d prefer people not to support One Nation. They don’t represent [working class] values.’

That’s almost exactly how Clinton tried to pivot. It didn’t work for her and it won’t work for Albanese.

This is especially true, as One Nation finished last week by launching their new ‘dark forces’ merchandise.

Available for pre-order, the website describes the Star Wars inspired T-shirts as:

Anthony Albanese has labelled Pauline Hanson’s supporters as ‘dark forces’. It was his ‘deplorables’ moment, a stark flash of contempt that showed exactly how detached and arrogant this Labor leadership has become.

It then invites people to ‘wear it proudly’, which they probably will … just as they sang along to Trump’s parody songs.

The dirty tricks against Pauline Hanson and One Nation have already started. That much is obvious to any political observer. Social media is swarming with dubious accounts repeating obvious falsehoods trying to create insane narratives. And then we have the collective mainstream press cycling through tired old headlines while running interference for Labor and the Coalition. MPs and Senators are being prodded to make comments while academia is half-a-step away from standing in the street and screaming at the sky as they did when Trump was first elected.

Curiously, this method of discrediting One Nation isn’t working. It is almost as if the public has become impervious and that any criticism against Pauline Hanson is interpreted as criticism against them instead. Negative press fuels her polls.

This makes running a political campaign against her very difficult.

Having an entire army of volunteers wearing cool-looking ‘dark forces’ shirts at the South Australian election and the NSW and Victorian by-elections is not going to help Labor’s cause. If the label sticks, it might even derail Albanese. He gifted One Nation the image of a rebellion fighting the evil, dictatorial empire. Not victims … warriors.

This was a mistake from Albanese and an easy win for Pauline.