Joe Biden 2020 campaign megathread v2

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The reason he's polling high is the nostalgia for the previous administration. If he remained a Senator and still ran this cycle, he'd be doing about as well as in 2008. And the nostalgia factor may very well wear off too, especially since Obama is keeping his distance from Biden's campaign.

Biden is a man from the past, and a poor fit for today's Democratic base. His attempts at readjusting himself comes across as insincere and poorly executed. His record is hanging around his neck like a giant albatross. His goofy "I'm your cool uncle Joe" schtick won't do the trick.

And no, I'm not discounting the possibility that his uncertain lead could carry him to the nomination if the opposition remains so divided (especially in early, crucial states), but I don't see him generating "more" enthusiasm. As of the whole talking point of his "moderate credentials" making him more "electable" come general election than other Democratic candidates, that's just deluded.

[McGarnagle]

He can drop out.

[Mr. Smith]

He can drop out.

This.

[Biden Stans Are Cringelords]

Nothing. Biden has no substance, no ideas to help the lives of young people. He offers nothing but cringy platitudes. His "how are you gonna pay for that" schtick is right out of the Ben Shapiro playbook, so maybe he could get some never Trump Republican crossover support, but I doubt they'll be enthusiastic enough to help him in the Dem primaries.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Become 20 years younger?

[heatcharger]

The reason he's polling high is the nostalgia for the previous administration. If he remained a Senator and still ran this cycle, he'd be doing about as well as in 2008. And the nostalgia factor may very well wear off too, especially since Obama is keeping his distance from Biden's campaign.

Biden is a man from the past, and a poor fit for today's Democratic base. His attempts at readjusting himself comes across as insincere and poorly executed. His record is hanging around his neck like a giant albatross. His goofy "I'm your cool uncle Joe" schtick won't do the trick.

And no, I'm not discounting the possibility that his uncertain lead could carry him to the nomination if the opposition remains so divided (especially in early, crucial states), but I don't see him generating "more" enthusiasm. As of the whole talking point of his "moderate credentials" making him more "electable" come general election than other Democratic candidates, that's just deluded.

You've got some badly outdated talking points there. Even most leftists, pivoting to claiming his brain is melting, have given up saying Biden is "out of touch" with the party... maybe because it's clearly not true? The most recent CNN poll had liberals at 42% of the primary electorate and moderate/conservatives at 57%. Biden is of course dominating the latter category, but he remains competitive with the former too.

The base is not what you think it is.

As for the thread, you don't need a large pool of enthusiastic fanatics to win an election. The internet has distorted many people's minds.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The reason he's polling high is the nostalgia for the previous administration. If he remained a Senator and still ran this cycle, he'd be doing about as well as in 2008. And the nostalgia factor may very well wear off too, especially since Obama is keeping his distance from Biden's campaign.

Biden is a man from the past, and a poor fit for today's Democratic base. His attempts at readjusting himself comes across as insincere and poorly executed. His record is hanging around his neck like a giant albatross. His goofy "I'm your cool uncle Joe" schtick won't do the trick.

And no, I'm not discounting the possibility that his uncertain lead could carry him to the nomination if the opposition remains so divided (especially in early, crucial states), but I don't see him generating "more" enthusiasm. As of the whole talking point of his "moderate credentials" making him more "electable" come general election than other Democratic candidates, that's just deluded.

You've got some badly outdated talking points there. Even most leftists, pivoting to claiming his brain is melting, have given up saying Biden is "out of touch" with the party... maybe because it's clearly not true? The most recent CNN poll had liberals at 42% of the primary electorate and moderate/conservatives at 57%. Biden is of course dominating the latter category, but he remains competitive with the former too.

The base is not what you think it is.

There's one thing, a generic 2010's "moderate" Democrat is not really the same thing as a generic 1990s moderate Democrat. With the general polatization between the parties, Democratic base did move leftward over the last two decades, to varying degrees of course. And plenty of people who are not considering themselves as part of the party's "left-wing" (as represented by Sanders or AOC) have doubts about Biden and his record, and can't be taken for granted in the calculation.

As for the thread, you don't need a large pool of enthusiastic fanatics to win an election. The internet has distorted many people's minds.

And I said in this very thread that Biden's current level of support can carry him to the nomination.

[President Johnson]

The reason he's polling high is the nostalgia for the previous administration. If he remained a Senator and still ran this cycle, he'd be doing about as well as in 2008. And the nostalgia factor may very well wear off too, especially since Obama is keeping his distance from Biden's campaign.

Biden is a man from the past, and a poor fit for today's Democratic base. His attempts at readjusting himself comes across as insincere and poorly executed. His record is hanging around his neck like a giant albatross. His goofy "I'm your cool uncle Joe" schtick won't do the trick.

And no, I'm not discounting the possibility that his uncertain lead could carry him to the nomination if the opposition remains so divided (especially in early, crucial states), but I don't see him generating "more" enthusiasm. As of the whole talking point of his "moderate credentials" making him more "electable" come general election than other Democratic candidates, that's just deluded.

You've got some badly outdated talking points there. Even most leftists, pivoting to claiming his brain is melting, have given up saying Biden is "out of touch" with the party... maybe because it's clearly not true? The most recent CNN poll had liberals at 42% of the primary electorate and moderate/conservatives at 57%. Biden is of course dominating the latter category, but he remains competitive with the former too.

The base is not what you think it is.

As for the thread, you don't need a large pool of enthusiastic fanatics to win an election. The internet has distorted many people's minds.

There's one thing, a generic 2010's "moderate" Democrat is not really the same thing as a generic 1990s moderate Democrat.

Biden isn't even a centrist, he's an Obama-style liberal Democrat. He's not as far left as Warren (let alone Bernard), but he's center left where most Democrats outsider the Twitter safe space are.

[Roronoa D. Law]

He could lie like the others.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The reason he's polling high is the nostalgia for the previous administration. If he remained a Senator and still ran this cycle, he'd be doing about as well as in 2008. And the nostalgia factor may very well wear off too, especially since Obama is keeping his distance from Biden's campaign.

Biden is a man from the past, and a poor fit for today's Democratic base. His attempts at readjusting himself comes across as insincere and poorly executed. His record is hanging around his neck like a giant albatross. His goofy "I'm your cool uncle Joe" schtick won't do the trick.

And no, I'm not discounting the possibility that his uncertain lead could carry him to the nomination if the opposition remains so divided (especially in early, crucial states), but I don't see him generating "more" enthusiasm. As of the whole talking point of his "moderate credentials" making him more "electable" come general election than other Democratic candidates, that's just deluded.

You've got some badly outdated talking points there. Even most leftists, pivoting to claiming his brain is melting, have given up saying Biden is "out of touch" with the party... maybe because it's clearly not true? The most recent CNN poll had liberals at 42% of the primary electorate and moderate/conservatives at 57%. Biden is of course dominating the latter category, but he remains competitive with the former too.

The base is not what you think it is.

As for the thread, you don't need a large pool of enthusiastic fanatics to win an election. The internet has distorted many people's minds.

There's one thing, a generic 2010's "moderate" Democrat is not really the same thing as a generic 1990s moderate Democrat.

Biden isn't even a centrist, he's an Obama-style liberal Democrat. He's not as far left as Warren (let alone Bernard), but he's center left where most Democrats outsider the Twitter safe space are.

Yes, he's not a "centrist", which isn't even a real ideological thought, more an abstract line used to divide broadly defined left and right. However, he'd been long tied to policies that were more popular among Democrats in the 80s and 90s, when the party tilted closer to said "center", like expansion of federal death penalty, laws leading to mass incarceration, repeal of Glass-Steagal and other disastrous relaxation of economic regulations, things that aren't playing well with today's democratic base. Yes, he's been trying to distance himself from his past record, but it's also getting renewed scrutiny, which isn't helping.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Nothing. He is not going to inspire young people and low propensity people of color. I don't care how big his lead is with black primary voters. They are not enough to win a general election.

My prefered candidate wouldn't make non-white turnout skyrocket to Obama levels but I think she would do a better job of getting first time voters and unlikely voters to vote. I can't imagine an 18 year old watching Biden v. Trump on a debate stage and being inspired to vote for either of them while they have a pissing match.

[TML]

He needs to give progressives hope that their preferred policy proposals have a chance to be passed, even if he doesn't personally agree with them. Remember when Hillary said during the 2016 campaign that single-payer health care could never happen? That was one of the things which contributed to depressed Democratic turnout. If Biden does something along those lines, he could very well end up just like Hillary.

[The Other Castro]

He'd generate enthusiasm as a surrogate for the eventual nominee.

[We Live in Black and White]

Nothing. He's incapable of it.

[Xing]

I'm not sure what he can do at this point, since changing a lot of his positions are going to be met with skepticism and criticism, but if he were to win the nomination, choosing a solid progressive as his VP would at least be a start.

[Hermit For Peace]

I agree with the others that he's got nuthin. He is who he is and if you like that, then vote for him.

But if he wins, we'll all be stuck with an anachronism.

[libertpaulian]

Ever since the beginning of the summer, most people here banked on Biden making a gaffe at the debates or being overpowered by a younger candidate.  While he has suffered a few punches at the debates and on the campaign trail, such as Kamala Harris' big moment in June and the whole Hyde Amendment debacle, he's mostly been able to recover from them.  His numbers with African-Americans are as strong as ever, he's polling solidly in key swing states, and he's poised to win Iowa if the caucuses were held tomorrow.  

Instead of banking on a big moment, perhaps it's better to view a prospective Biden decline as gradual?  His comments on race come off as a 60-year-old in the 1950s at times.  He says things that make him sound like he belongs in a nursing home.  He relies on Obama as the "black best friend," as a security blanket of sorts.  He's viewed as endorsing the policies of yesterday.  Many view him as too establishment.

To make a post short...is it possible Biden 2020 dies the death of a thousand cuts, as opposed to a fatal stab?

[I Can Now Die Happy]

A lot can still happen in 3.5 months. I think the "death of a thousand cuts" scenario is reasonable, but I won't treat the 'fatal stab' scenario as beyond the bounds of reasonable likelihood. It's going to get harder for Biden from here until late January, not easier. Marathons are not made for old men.

[John Dule]

The existence of "Corn Pop" isn't the question. Biden's telling of the story was utterly unintelligible. He didn't put one single coherent sentence together in that entire clip.

I understood it. Maybe you just haven't been around enough Baby Boomers. If you actually listened, the story was not at all hard to follow.

Well, my parents are boomers. Though to be fair, I don't listen to them either.

[Mr. Smith]

I've long hypothesized something like this, though I figured Harris would be the one building off the decline...for now it appears Warren is the one standing to gain from such a decline.

That said, there is a pretty obvious stab...Iowa. He has to win Iowa like no one else.

Hillary lucked out that Bernie didn't completely go all in after Iowa in 2016, but I doubt Warren/Harris/etc. are going to be so merciful.

[Crumpets]

I think of it this way: Biden is in a similar position to Clinton at this point in the primary, but polling about 30 points lower. Bernie eventually leveled off. Warren (at least so far) has not, and has a lot more room to grow than Bernie did.

[They not like us]

I don’t think anyone is expecting a career ending moment, but a lot of people are expecting a campaign ending moment.

[AngryBudgie]

The last debate showed that some of the rust is coming off of ol' Joe. But he still has alot of issues with being inchoherent and being a gaffe machine. Come the general, i really hope hes back in tip top shape. The last thing democrats want is to make Trump look smart and put together.

[Higgins]

The existence of "Corn Pop" isn't the question. Biden's telling of the story was utterly unintelligible. He didn't put one single coherent sentence together in that entire clip.

I understood it. Maybe you just haven't been around enough Baby Boomers. If you actually listened, the story was not at all hard to follow.

Well, my parents are boomers. Though to be fair, I don't listen to them either.

Well, they're all evil people because they're to the right of you, right, comrade?

[eric82oslo]

The existence of "Corn Pop" isn't the question. Biden's telling of the story was utterly unintelligible. He didn't put one single coherent sentence together in that entire clip.

Also they don't care about climate change.
I understood it. Maybe you just haven't been around enough Baby Boomers. If you actually listened, the story was not at all hard to follow.

Well, my parents are boomers. Though to be fair, I don't listen to them either.

Well, they're all evil people because they're to the right of you, right, comrade?