It’s been a difficult few days for Democrats and supporters of Joe Biden. In the middle of a national crisis, the first pandemic to strike in nearly 100 years, the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden essentially disappeared for several days. President Trump has been holding daily press briefings on the coronavirus, tweeting regularly and dominating the news headlines. In contrast, the former Vice President retreated to his Delaware home where he was out of sight for almost a week. Presumably trying to avoid the coronavirus, Biden spoke briefly with a few reporters but otherwise was invisible. The hashtag #WhereisJoe started trending on Twitter. Bernie Sanders is holding virtual town hall meetings, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gives daily briefings, and even Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont is sending phone messages to every Connecticut state resident. Where is Joe?
The silence created a stir on the Left. As one liberal commentator recently wrote in USA Today, “Joe Biden is hiding in plain sight. He’s running away with the Democratic presidential race after decisive wins Tuesday including the big prize in Michigan. Yet, on the campaign trail the former vice president is laying low, apparently trying to avoid unforced errors while slow-walking to the nomination.” This “lay low” strategy seems to have worked for Biden in the primary, but it has most establishment Democrats very concerned about whether Biden can actually run a hard campaign for four straight months against Trump. They remember well Hillary’s physical collapse in New York City and her constant coughing fits which forced her to reduce her campaign schedule while Trump piled on rally after rally in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Reacting to the criticism, Biden gave a short video response from his home today on the coronavirus. It did not go well. Reading from a teleprompter, Biden had to desperately signal to his handlers that he had lost his way half way through the speech. The words themselves were fine, but the gaffes and monotone delivery by the 77 year old politician made the situation worse, not better. As one Twitter commentator wrote, “After a week where he was totally missing, this is the best they could do?” It really was that painful to watch.
The reality is now sinking in. President Trump is unpopular, polarizing, and facing a massive recession caused by the coronavirus. Yet he remains vigorous and a formidable competitor. This should be the moment when Democrats rally behind a bold leader to offer voters hope about a new future. Instead, Democrats have selected an aging career politician to be their flag carrier. Maybe Democrats can drag Biden across the finish line, but it’s not going to be easy.
NewEnglandPolitics.com 