PHILADELPHIA, May 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – As the one true known quantity in
the Democratic nomination race, former vice president Joe Biden sits atop the
pack of 2020 presidential contenders, relishing the prime position as he
hosts a kickoff rally Saturday.
No one knows whether the man who served as number two to popular Democratic
president Barack Obama for eight years will run away with this contest — his
third White House bid in as many decades — or fade out in the months-long
test of political skill and stamina to come.
But the former longtime senator and lion of the Democratic Party is gearing
up for what is certain to be a titanic battle against President Donald Trump.
After a month of modest events at union halls and pizza joints in early-
voting states like Iowa, Biden is counting on making a splash at a rally in
Philadelphia, the largest city in must-win Pennsylvania, a state Trump
snatched from Democrats in 2016.
He has made Philadelphia his campaign headquarters, in a further sign of
the importance he is placing on winning back the state for his party in 2020.
His kickoff will be held near the Philadelphia art museum steps
immortalized by the scrappy boxer’s run in the movie “Rocky.”
Biden was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and the rally is a nod to his
modest roots.
But far from being the underdog, Biden is looking to cement his status as
the man to beat, the blue-collar voter whisperer who is best positioned to
take on and defeat Trump.
And while his delayed entry into the race drew criticism that he might not
be ready to mount a thoroughly energized campaign, the slow-and-steady
strategy appears to be paying off.
By setting his own terms, limiting media engagements and minimizing chances
for going off-script, the gaffe-prone Biden is emphasizing his status as
preeminent party dignitary.
Polls give Biden, 76, a comfortable lead over the 22 other hopefuls.
The latest RealClearPolitics aggregate puts him at 39.1 percent support,
more than double the 16.4 percent of his nearest rival, liberal Senator
Bernie Sanders.
No one else is in double digits.
After a deeply divisive 2016 race, Democratic voters may be looking for an
antidote to Trump, the brash politically inexperienced billionaire.
“What matters to them at the moment is a safe choice, a known entity, and
somebody who they believe could beat President Trump at his own game,” Lara
Brown, director of George Washington University’s Graduate School of
Political Management, told AFP.
Nearly nine months before the first nomination votes are cast, Biden is the
lone Democrat, aside from perhaps Sanders, with the celebrity status that
comes close to Trump’s.
But as voters start paying more attention, Biden — who to date has
campaigned mostly in broad strokes — will be under pressure to flesh out
positions on everything from health care and wages to immigration.
“Biden is the right man for the moment,” Brown said. “Whether he will be
the right Democrat eight months from now is still really up in the air.”
– Blue-collar appeal –
Biden’s dominance has already changed the race’s dynamic, with its early
stars like senators Sanders, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren forced to
play catch up, and leveling criticism at the frontrunner.
Warren and Sanders, each of whom is highlighting the need to narrow the
nation’s economic inequalities, are expected to ramp up criticism of Biden as
the embodiment of the Washington establishment.
Several rivals are from a newer generation, putting them at odds with the
old-school Biden, whose major challenge may well be appealing to younger
voters.
And while candidates like ex-congressman Beto O’Rourke are keeping up
relentless schedules, honing their messages at townhalls and meet-and-greets,
Biden has opted for more protected environments.
“Let’s see what happens when he’s taking questions that haven’t been
vetted,” Brown said.
Doing so will require fleshing out his policies, something that has already
sparked controversy.
Biden caught flak from liberal groups and candidates for failing to embrace
more progressive positions on climate change. He says he will lay out a
climate policy in the coming weeks.
He has aligned himself closely with Obama, drawing major support from
African American voters, a crucial constituency.
But he will also need to be prepared to lean leftward to acknowledge the
party’s more progressive tilt.
At the same time, he styles himself, like Trump, as an ardent defender of
working class Americans, someone who can win back the Midwestern white, male
blue-collar voters who went for the Republican in 2016.
“If you’re appealing to older, more mainstream voters, I think the story
that’s emerging from his campaign is not that he’s the agent of radical
change, but that he’s going to be a more stable leader,” said political
science professor Robert Boatright of Clark University.