First, Biden is good at this. He can give long, meaty answers without stumbling. He voices the right amount of disgust and anger at Trump for not pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin on bounties for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, for dividing the country on race, for creating scenes of violence for campaign ads and for botching the coronavirus response. Biden is nimble when it comes to pointing out Trump’s alienation from his own party. (Digging at Trump’s decision to abandon a convention in Jacksonville, Biden wisecracked: “Even the Republicans down there” figured out it would not work.)
Second, he is reasonably effective at avoiding the false-choice sort of question. Asked if he is running a campaign against Trump or for himself, he deftly answered: “I’m running because Trump is the president. And I think our democracy is at stake — for real. And what seems to be the case is many Americans, those who don’t like me and those that do, view me as the antithesis of Trump. And I believe that I am.” He also refuses to be put in a position that alienates his left-wing allies or chases away moderates and even conservatives. He explained that the measures he proposes are all consistent with capitalism but that there are things only government can do. He made explicit, however, that if his proposals get through, he will “go down as one of the most progressive presidents in American history.”
Third, he understands that rather than a revolution, many if not most voters want stability, functional government and a normal president. “This isn’t about law and order,” he said of Trump’s deployment of federal agents. “It’s about a strategy to revive a failing campaign.” He added that Trump was obviously trying “to scare the devil out of the American people.” As for Biden’s own qualifications, he cited foreign policy and the ability to work with others, rebutting the popular cynicism that you cannot work with the other side. “If we can’t unite America, we’re gone. We’re dead. Democracy is dead,” he said. “[Democracy] requires consensus.”
There was a reason Trump was so afraid to run against Biden that he turned to Ukraine and China for help. Biden is an elusive foe: He’s a staunch defender of public order (“we do need to hold those who violate the law accountable”) who can empathize with Black Lives Matter; a progressive who does not scare off swing states and centrist voters; and someone who by providing such a vivid contrast with the incumbent can remind us we dearly need a decent, trustworthy and informed president."
No comments:
Post a Comment