Heh, I remember wanting Obama to wait to run until 2016 and the economy was doing better, and saddle the GOP with the recession through and through. I get the cycle thing, and, yes, had Clinton won in 2016, we probably would have gotten destroyed in 2020.
See; I don't think white identity politics have "taken over" rural areas - I think they did for this election because of the nature of Trump v Clinton, but people forget that Obama could have had 2004 electoral turnout and still easily won election in 2008. These things are super swingy; and 4 years is a long time. Coalitions are generally unique to presidential candidates more than people tend to realize - and I think trying to shift towards suburbs and cities
a) is not feasible because the policies suburbanites will want will be in extreme conflict with what someone who lives in the city would want - Trump being so un-civil forged a stronger alliance between the two groups than normally happens, but that alliance shatters the second a non-Trump candidate shows up. Taxes, public infrastructure, etc.
b) is electorally extremely weak due to the nature of the electoral college and Congress.
Also, that mental health rule was BS - even the ACLU opposed it.
http://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/2/6/14522132/gun-control-disabilities-republicans-nra-obama