It seems pretty clear that Old Joe Biden is not going to make it to the White House. He has a major problem with his foot that is going to prevent his "victory" The problem is that he keeps putting his foot in his mouth. I was reminded of this by Biden's latest tirade against Trump, one that he is going to deliver in a speech in Iowa today. His campaign released the text in order to give his media supporters (most of the mainstream media) a chance to play his words up big. According to Old Joe, the President is "an existential threat to democracy". Old Joe says much more, but this is the topic sentence or more accurately the topic charge.
So what's wrong with Biden attacking President Trump as an existential threat to democracy? To start, it's not true. Even more, anyone who isn't already a rabid Trump hater knows that it isn't true. The President hasn't done anything to undermine our democracy, and Old Joe has nothing to point to in this regard. But that's not what's really the big problem for Old Joe. No, the problem is that throwing around obviously false and over-the-top nasty charges like this takes away from Old Joe his chance to look presidential, to look above the fray, to be a decent man who could lead our country away from the non-stop political confrontation that is Washington DC.
Think back to Barack Obama for a moment. Obama ran for president in 2008 with a message of hope. He didn't bash president Bush although he disagreed with Bush's policies, especially regarding Iraq. Obama didn't present much in the way of detailed ideas, but he presented an idea, a concept in which he restored hope and change. Sure, Obama slipped up when he called certain people in Pennsylvania bitter clingers (who clung to their guns and their religion) but that was an uncommon mistake. Obama was someone for whom it was conceivable for most Americans to see as a president. Even in office, Obama always did his best not to lose that patina. In 2016, Trump ran differently. He slashed and smashed his opponents, and he ran as a non-politician who would drain the swamp of all those politicians. Hillary Clinton managed to take the worst of both sides of this argument (one of her most enduring traits.) Hillary tried to smash and slash, but she attacked those who supported Trump (the basket of deplorables) more often than she hit Trump. And she offered herself as president without any possible uplifting view of what she would or could do.
Old Joe Biden is never going to stand up to President Trump in a smashing campaign. Trump has the skill to beat anyone in such a contest. For Biden to win, he has to offer and uplifting message delivered by a decent and presidential man. Old Joe seems to be trying to throw away his message. In just the last week, he has flipped his position of 40 years on abortion in order to try to placate the radical left wing of his party. It's just the latest move in which Biden makes clear that he has no core values. So much for his message. Now Biden is moving to get rid of his decent persona. Screaming that the President is an existential threat to democracy is the sort of move one would expect from a harpy like Elizabeth Warren, the always angry candidate. An exaggerated and obviously false broadside is not what most voters are drawn towards.
As I said, it is becoming clear that Old Joe Biden is not going to make it to the White House.
So what's wrong with Biden attacking President Trump as an existential threat to democracy? To start, it's not true. Even more, anyone who isn't already a rabid Trump hater knows that it isn't true. The President hasn't done anything to undermine our democracy, and Old Joe has nothing to point to in this regard. But that's not what's really the big problem for Old Joe. No, the problem is that throwing around obviously false and over-the-top nasty charges like this takes away from Old Joe his chance to look presidential, to look above the fray, to be a decent man who could lead our country away from the non-stop political confrontation that is Washington DC.
Think back to Barack Obama for a moment. Obama ran for president in 2008 with a message of hope. He didn't bash president Bush although he disagreed with Bush's policies, especially regarding Iraq. Obama didn't present much in the way of detailed ideas, but he presented an idea, a concept in which he restored hope and change. Sure, Obama slipped up when he called certain people in Pennsylvania bitter clingers (who clung to their guns and their religion) but that was an uncommon mistake. Obama was someone for whom it was conceivable for most Americans to see as a president. Even in office, Obama always did his best not to lose that patina. In 2016, Trump ran differently. He slashed and smashed his opponents, and he ran as a non-politician who would drain the swamp of all those politicians. Hillary Clinton managed to take the worst of both sides of this argument (one of her most enduring traits.) Hillary tried to smash and slash, but she attacked those who supported Trump (the basket of deplorables) more often than she hit Trump. And she offered herself as president without any possible uplifting view of what she would or could do.
Old Joe Biden is never going to stand up to President Trump in a smashing campaign. Trump has the skill to beat anyone in such a contest. For Biden to win, he has to offer and uplifting message delivered by a decent and presidential man. Old Joe seems to be trying to throw away his message. In just the last week, he has flipped his position of 40 years on abortion in order to try to placate the radical left wing of his party. It's just the latest move in which Biden makes clear that he has no core values. So much for his message. Now Biden is moving to get rid of his decent persona. Screaming that the President is an existential threat to democracy is the sort of move one would expect from a harpy like Elizabeth Warren, the always angry candidate. An exaggerated and obviously false broadside is not what most voters are drawn towards.
As I said, it is becoming clear that Old Joe Biden is not going to make it to the White House.
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