Nervous Democrats Point to Three Flaws in Biden Campaign
Author: Greg Valliere
September 14, 2020
JOE BIDEN MAY BE THE SHAKY FRONT-RUNNER, but if Donald Trump defeats him, the recriminations among Democrats will be vicious. In fact, the second-guessing has already begun.
WE’VE SPOKEN TO DEMOCRATS who are dismayed by the Biden campaign’s sluggishness in general, and there are three issues in particular that they point to:
1. Biden’s inexplicable lack of outreach to Hispanic voters: We ranted in August that Hispanics were virtually invisible at the Democrats’ convention, and a shocking new survey in Florida shows the push-back. Trump and Biden are roughly tied in
Florida among Hispanics; Hillary Clinton won this key constituency by about 27 points in 2016.
Biden finally will visit Florida tomorrow and he still could win there — largely
because Mike Bloomberg will dump $100 million in the state, and senior citizens
disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic. But Hispanic activists simply aren’t
excited about Biden; he has ignored them and their issues, which could be a very big negative in Florida, Arizona, Nevada and several other states.
2. A lack of enthusiasm among progressives: The Washington Post reported this weekend that Bernie Sanders is grumbling about Biden’s reluctance to embrace liberal issues such as a minimum wage hike, more health care benefits, bans on fracking, student loan relief, etc.
Sanders is also perplexed by the Biden campaign’s lack of outreach to younger voters, who don’t like Trump but have little enthusiasm for the former vice president. “Most 20-year-olds don’t know who Joe Biden is,” a nervous Democratic operative told us.
3. Biden’s silence on pandemic aid: The country’s crucial economic issue is that more stimulus is needed; the Federal Reserve is urging more spending. and Trump is too. But Nancy Pelosi has dug in her heels, refusing to consider half a loaf, to the dismay of many Democrats in Congress.
Many small businesses can’t hang on much longer, evictions are increasing, and bankruptcies loom, yet Biden — who boasts that he can reach compromises with Congress — has not intervened.
WE STILL THINK THE SEPT. 29 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE will be pivotal, and we still make Biden the shaky front-runner. But he needs to shift into another gear — Trump has. The president will do anything to win; jamming people into indoor rallies doesn’t concern him in the least. Biden, meanwhile, hasn’t energized Hispanic and progressive voters, and that’s not a good place to be in mid-September.
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