My biggest problem with the "Trump is petrified of running against Biden" narrative is something I alluded to yesterday when talking about Bernie in the general election:
The GOP hate machine will do this to whoever the opponent is. With the same force and fervor.
The GOP hate machine will do this to whoever the opponent is. With the same force and fervor.
When the opponent is not a respectable older white male, we get people who start saying "Gee, this person has so many unfavorables. Maybe we should find a candidate with fewer weak points."
When it's someone like Biden, it becomes, "The enemy is terrified. Good."
When it's someone like Biden, it becomes, "The enemy is terrified. Good."
And that right there is a weakness in how we view the field. It shows our bias as an electorate, that the exact same behavior BY THE GOP (not the candidate) is viewed as a strength for a white man and a weakness for anyone else.
Is Trump terrified of Biden? I mean, I think he knows his odds are terrible in a fair contest with anyone, which is why he's desperately trying to tilt the landscape in his favor, including by sandbagging who he sees as the most likely "anyone".
That he's focused on bringing down Biden could be that he thinks Biden is the most likely candidate. It could also be seen as a sign that Biden is the candidate he's most prepared to fight.
Certainly the longer he fights Biden, the more invested he is in those lines of attack.
Certainly the longer he fights Biden, the more invested he is in those lines of attack.
An argument that has been made for Bernie Sanders in comparison to Clinton in 2016 or Biden now is that he doesn't have the same vulnerabilities, that if there was any decent ammo it would have been used by the Clinton campaign.
But the hate machine is a munitions factory.
But the hate machine is a munitions factory.
So am I arguing against Biden or for Biden? In this case, I am doing neither. I am arguing for a clear head and a rejection of attempts by the GOP to pick their own opponent.
Right, because they see Biden as the opponent.
If Sanders wins, they will seamlessly pick up entire lines of attack, pivot their aim to the left, and continue fire without missing a beat.
If Sanders wins, they will seamlessly pick up entire lines of attack, pivot their aim to the left, and continue fire without missing a beat.
If Bernie Sanders had won the Democratic Primary for 2016, do you think the GOP wouldn't have said his campaign represented the third term of President Obama (as they said about Clinton)? Wouldn't have worked as well against him, but other lines of attack would work better.
They used fears of socialism against Clinton even though those would work better against Sanders. They really don't care who the opponent is, at a purely strategic level. Their strategy is not rooted in truth or facts but in volume and quantity.
If Bernie wins the primary, then whether Joe Biden becomes his biggest cheerleader or retires from the field in shame to breed exotic birds, all the "dirt" they churned up against Biden? It's not going away. It becomes part of the attack on Bernie. Or anyone else.
"Bernie Sanders, leader of the party of Burisma."
"Why did Bernie Sanders never call for Hunter Biden to testify?"
"Biden was the frontrunner. What did Bernie [have on/give to] the famously corrupt Biden to get him to throw the election?"
"Why did Bernie Sanders never call for Hunter Biden to testify?"
"Biden was the frontrunner. What did Bernie [have on/give to] the famously corrupt Biden to get him to throw the election?"
Some Bernie and Biden fans are both looking at this thread and trying to figure it out why I have it in for their guy, but again, this thread is not about the pros and cons of particular candidates.
It's about GOP strategy and reading the wrong lessons off from it.
It's about GOP strategy and reading the wrong lessons off from it.
