BTRTN 2020 Vision: Will Biden's Campaign Die a Death of a Thousand Gaffes?

[reggieandlee]

Born To Run The Numbers just posted the latest installment of its monthly "2020 Vision" feature, which provides an up-to-the minute snapshot of the Democratic Race:

http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-2020-vision-will-bidens-campaign.html

Excerpts:
"The headlines...Joe Biden remains at the head of the field nationally, with slightly lower support levels than last month, while Elizabeth Warren continues to climb, and is now tied for second with Bernie Sanders..."
"The third Democratic debate featured only ten candidates... Joe Biden came out strong in the debate but faded into gaffe mode, raising questions once again about the long term sustainability of his campaign. But he scored early on both Warren and Sanders over their 'Medicare For All' plan, and came out on the sympathetic end of a clumsy Julian Castro attack on his age. But Beto O'Rourke's passionate plea to ban assault weapons was the most powerful moment of the night."
"If the debate had ended after an hour, Biden would have won it hands down. When Julian Castro staged an inartful attack on Biden’s age ('are you forgetting what you just said two minutes ago?'), Biden survived it easily (the audience gasped), but the contretemps allowed other candidates an entry point on the delicate issue of Biden’s competence, which took up a fair amount of post-debate oxygen. And, Biden’s 'record player' reference was certainly one of the most replayed moments of the night..."
"It seems unlikely that this debate will shake up the polls in any meaningful way...But there was a signal shift in the debate, and that was Biden on the offensive, and attacking Warren directly, a first thus far. And the overarching question remains… is Biden built to last, or will his campaign die a death of a thousand gaffes? He has a huge reservoir of goodwill, for sure. But that might not be enough..."

[lapfog_1]

1. yes, lets tear down the front runner

for minor inconsequential things.

Just so we can nominate someone that will make it much easier for Trump to cheat and steal the election.

yeah, that's the ticket.

[peggysue2]

6. x1000!

A thousand tiny cuts is meant to do specifically that and that alone. Because we must have a pony on Election Day which Trump will use to trot himself into the White House for another 4 damaging, ugly years. At everyone's expense, I might add. And then, no promises will be kept beyond bringing the country to its knees. Something that President Obama spent 8 years reversing.

Happy Days!

[oasis]

2. A Thousand Gotchas.

[Gothmog]

11. Opinion: There are more important things to worry about than Biden's gaffes

Link to tweet

My response to both was the same, as it was when I was asked about the Biden issue on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.” There is a racist sitting in the Oval Office implementing a white supremacist policy agenda. So, you focus on Biden’s mouth marbles, and I’ll keep my eyes on the prize. The prize being the eviction of Trump from the White House.

As Waldman also wrote, Trump “is waging a reelection campaign based on racism and fear,” not to mention being “the most prolific liar in American political history (he just passed 12,000 false or misleading claims).” And what makes the focus on Biden’s mouth extra aggravating is how it wipes our memories of the moronic things said by this president, as my follower @absolut_irish was so kind to remind Biden’s critics.

Link to tweet

Some of these are funny. Some are worthy of a cocked eyebrow. But they are not nearly as consequential as the racist and white supremacist beliefs parroted by Trump and the right-wing echo chamber that found their way into the manifesto of the suspect in the El Paso mass shooting, who told police his target was "Mexicans.” The atmosphere of menace and danger is now indisputable. Your time would be better spent worrying about the shredding of our values, ideals and the rule of law than the flubs of a particular candidate who would put an end to this shameful chapter.

[oasis]

15. True that!

[kimbutgar]

3. It certainly reminds me of the Hillary's email problem

They harp on Biden for every gaffe and pretend MF45 never makes them. Mainsteam media really likes the drama of MF45 and if re elected they will be harassed, intimidated and forced to censor themselves. They are supporting a deranged evil maniac over a deceit man with empathy who will stand by our constitution.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Only if the lazy media make it happen.

Kind of like Hillary’s emails.

[awesomerwb1]

5. LOL That website

Only has that ONE article?



Edit: Correction, it has a few more.

[tgards79]

7. That's OK

You only missed about 1,000 articles over 8 years....it can happen!

[LanternWaste]

8. No real evidence suggests as much...

Other than pipe dreams, crossed fingers, and the hipster hopes of second- and third-tier candidates.

[aka-chmeee]

9. More likely A thousand stab wounds in the back.

From "members" of his own party

[Gothmog]

12. These alleged gaffes are eye-rolling examples of the absurdity of the press or the woke left

Link to tweet

To many Biden supporters, who polls consistently show are older, more working class, and more culturally conservative, these alleged gaffes are eye-rolling examples of the absurdity of the press or the woke left. They think the young activist in eastern Iowa should toughen up, that the throwaway line to the 13-year-old is endearing, and that Biden’s lack of precision when he speaks, about scooters or so many other things, is a sign of his authenticity. And they grouse that Biden is held to a standard President Donald Trump is not.

How Democrats see such episodes is at the heart of the Democratic primary. One side views these sorts of typical Biden campaign-trail moments as evidence of a politician well past his prime — casually sexist in a way that might have gone unremarked in, say, 1973 when he first joined the Senate. His supporters see them as good examples of why he’s the lovable Democrat best-suited to beat Trump. What is clear is that the critics, who are louder and more visible online and on cable TV, have had absolutely no impact on changing Biden’s status as the steady front-runner in the race.

This woke-working class divide is at the heart of the most salient fact about the Democratic primaries: Nothing has damaged Biden. Biden entered the race with about 30 percent support nationally and he has that same 30 percent today.

[aka-chmeee]

16. You would think that a "gaffe" is the moral equivalent of an outright lie (As in Trump)..

perhaps even worse.

[Gothmog]

10. Joe Biden's childhood struggle with a stutter: How he overcame it and how it shaped him

Joe is very well equipped to take on trump the bully

Link to tweet

Valerie Biden Owens, the former vice president’s younger sister, says that one lasting impact of his childhood stutter is that it has given him more empathy and compassion for others’ trials, and it uniquely equips him to handle Trump’s taunts.

“Trump is a bully, and Joe has been standing up to bullies his entire life,” Owens said in an interview. “Joe’s stuttering, I think, is one of the principal reasons — a major, major, major reason — that he is the good and compassionate and kind man that he is.”

About 3 million Americans suffer from the speech impediment of stuttering, marked by involuntary repetition of sounds, syllables or words. According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, most children outgrow their stutter, but for 25% of them, stuttering is a lifelong challenge.

Biden has overcome the serious stutter of his youth, but remnants of it resurface on occasions such as when he is very tired, he said in a 2016 speech. Experts on stuttering who follow him closely say they have noticed it on several occasions during the campaign, such as an interview on “The View” when he addressed complaints about his tendency to touch and hug women while campaigning, and an April speech in Pittsburgh launching his campaign, when he struggled with words.

[OhZone]

13. No.

[stonecutter357]

14. Donald Trump is a racist pig !