Trump, Clinton negatives may cancel each other out

As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton fix their fire on each other following their respective primary slogs, each has sounded the alarm about the danger of electing the other in November.

But the pair of presumptive nominees share more in common than their rancorous rhetoric suggests. They have many weaknesses in common.

Both of the candidates are old: Trump would be 70 upon election, Clinton would be 69. Both carry decades of tabloid baggage. And both are attempting to craft populist messages that appeal to the proletariat despite each having amassed great wealth through self-promotion: Clinton with highly-paid speeches, Trump with reality television.

Because Trump and Clinton bring to the 2016 race many similar characteristics that have traditionally been considered negative, the two New Yorkers may struggle to launch conventional attacks on each other.

"Some things will probably cancel each other out, but then there will be other things that will be litigated during this campaign, and they should be," said Doug Thornell, a Democratic strategist.