'It's not about you': Democrats bet Trump coronavirus response a 2020 winner for Biden

By Trevor Hunnicutt

 

FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the 11th Democratic candidates debate of the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, held in CNN's Washington studios without an audience because of the global coronavirus pandemic, in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - Joe Biden's U.S. presidential campaign and his Democratic Party allies have gone on an all-out offensive against President Donald Trump's coronavirus response, betting it will be a winning issue with American voters in November.

 

Just weeks ago, Democrats were treading carefully as Trump commanded the spotlight with his daily briefings on the virus, hesitant to avoid looking too partisan as the pandemic took its toll on jobs and health.

 

Now Democrats believe weeks of Trump's unfiltered media performances have done more harm than good for the Republican president seeking re-election on Nov. 3, and their aggressive response aims to expose what they see as his faulty handling of the crisis.

 

Biden's campaign team talking points accuse Trump of "one of the worst policy mistakes any president has made in our history." New campaign ads in battleground states say Trump failed to act on the coronavirus, which has now infected more than 977,500 Americans and killed more than 55,000, and call him overly trusting of China during the pandemic.

 

"This has given us an issue that is unifying across all walks of life," said Bradley Beychok, president of American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic group funding some of the ads. "Trump's superpower is distraction. You can't distract from this."

 

More registered voters say they would support Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, over Trump, favouring the Democrat 47% to Trump's 39% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week. Biden's lead has widened even as the coronavirus has forced him to isolate himself from the virus in his Delaware home, holding little-noticed briefings.

 

But voters are more closely split when polled on the health crisis. Reuters/Ipsos polling found that 52% of Americans said Biden was better equipped to steer the coronavirus response, while 48% favoured Trump. Trump, however, had an edge of 53% to Biden's 47% as the better leader to manage the U.S. economy.

 

Trump saw only a brief uptick in his overall approval rating early in the crisis, and some of his advisers have been alarmed by his undisciplined televised briefings.

 

Internal polling by the pro-Biden outside political group Priorities USA showed that, while the country remains deeply divided along partisan lines, there are signs that more people find fault with Trump's crisis management after earlier seeing his White House briefings as a show of his command of the issue.

 

"Initially the press conferences they were doing might have been benefiting the president because the consequences of his actions weren't clear and present," said Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities. "Fast forward a month later, and you're now past 50,000 dead."

 

MORE FORCEFUL TACTICS

Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield has urged the more forceful tactics to counter Trump's message. She sent a memo last week to supporters outlining four Cs to use as points of attack: Trump's cosiness with the Chinese government, cover-up of the crisis, chaos in responding, and corporate favouritism in how stimulus money was distributed.

 

The campaign also ramped up its Facebook and Google ads, spending more than Trump did during the week of April 12-18, according to Acronym, a liberal nonprofit group.

 

A Biden campaign video released on Friday shows Trump at a recent briefing saying, "nobody wants to take care of me," while statistics flash about the rising U.S. death toll and unemployment claims surpassing 26 million.

 

"Mr. President, it's not about you," the ad concludes. "It's about America."

 

"We are witnessing one of the worst failures of leadership by a president in our country's history, and that's the only thing that will be on voters' minds this fall," Biden campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo said of the new approach.

 

Trump allies recently launched their own videos criticizing Biden's favourable comments about China and touting Trump's travel restrictions on the country.

 

"The President is boldly leading the nation in the war against the coronavirus while Joe Biden is snipping from the sidelines," Ken Farnaso, a Trump campaign spokesman, said in an emailed statement. "Biden is attempting to undermine the Administration's unifying response, instilling fear with his message of uncertainty."

 

Some Democrats remain worried about criticising a sitting president in a time of crisis. They see an advantage in Biden maintaining a statesman's role while his supporters go in for the kill.

 

That quality helped the former vice president make it through the Democratic primary race without alienating too many voters. His opponents later endorsed him.

 

Others are eager for a tougher approach.

 

"Trump, who has bet his campaign on the economy, is uniquely vulnerable," said Jim Manley, a longtime adviser to Democrats, including former U.S. Senator Harry Reid, a Biden ally. "If the elections were held today, it's pretty obvious that the president would lose. The problem is the elections aren't today. Democrats should be pressing him harder."

 

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Additional reporting by Chris Kahn; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-28

 

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Only in America after Trump's handling and statements of Covid19 would he need defeating by election????

Yeah we all know there's no tragedy too big for a Democrat to exploit. 

 

That aside, Im calling it now. The Democrats are going to do everything in their power to keep Biden locked away in a basement somewhere so people can't witness his brain turning to tapioca pudding or him screaming at union workers or giving away unwanted hugs, kisses, and creepy child sniffing. 

It's not about you.  That's for sure.  It's always and only about the Democrats regaining power.  I ain't fooled.

5 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

Yeah we all know there's no tragedy too big for a Democrat to exploit. 

 

That aside, Im calling it now. The Democrats are going to do everything in their power to keep Biden locked away in a basement somewhere so people can't witness his brain turning to tapioca pudding or him screaming at union workers or giving away unwanted hugs, kisses, and creepy child sniffing. 

This is funny. After the week trump had, in the minds of trump supporters it is Biden who need to be locked in a basement. LOL. 

3 minutes ago, sirineou said:

This is funny. After the week trump had, in the minds of trump supporters it is Biden who need to be locked in a basement. LOL. 

 

Can you not read? I said the democrats are going to keep him locked up. Democrats. 

 

And I promise you more than anything that every single person on the right 100% wants Biden to be live and public. 

13 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

It's not about you.  That's for sure.  It's always and only about the Democrats regaining power.  I ain't fooled.

In politics its always about me ....

1 minute ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Can you not read? I said the democrats are going to keep him locked up. Democrats. 

 

And I promise you more than anything that every single person on the right 100% wants Biden to be live and public. 

I think it is you who cant read , or if you can , understand what you are reading. I said :

"in the minds of trump supporters it is Biden who need to be locked in a basement. LOL. "

I did not say anything as to who should be doing the locking up. You are the one who thinks Biden should be kept hidden , and I would think it would be the democrats who would advise him to do so if that was the case, unless you think Biden takes advice from the republicans. 

1 minute ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

<snip>

 

And I promise you more than anything that every single person on the right 100% wants Biden to be live and public. 

Absolutely.  Search for "Joe Biden news" and you'll come up empty.

6 minutes ago, sirineou said:

You are the one who thinks Biden should be kept hidden

 

13 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

I promise you more than anything that every single person on the right 100% wants Biden to be live and public.

 

????

8 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I think it is you who cant read , or if you can , understand what you are reading. I said :

"in the minds of trump supporters it is Biden who need to be locked in a basement. LOL. "

I did not say anything as to who should be doing the locking up. You are the one who thinks Biden should be kept hidden , and I would think it would be the democrats who would advise him to do so if that was the case, unless you think Biden takes advice from the republicans. 

I'd have to support Mama Noodle on this one.  I have no clue as to where you get the idea that the right wants Biden locked in the basement.  We all want him to speak as much as possible.

1 minute ago, Tippaporn said:

I'd have to support Mama Noodle on this one.  I have no clue as to where you get the idea that the right wants Biden locked in the basement.  We all want him to speak as much as possible.

Show me where I said that the right wants Biden locked up in the basement 

29 minutes ago, sirineou said:

This is funny. After the week trump had, in the minds of trump supporters it is Biden who need to be locked in a basement. LOL. 

There you go.

3 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Show me where I said that the right wants Biden locked up in the basement 

 

Just stop and walk away, you're making it worse and its all on the first page. 

2 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

There you go.

And you think trump supporters are the right.?

Just now, Mama Noodle said:

 

Just stop and walk away, you're making it worse and its all on the first page. 

Thank you for your concern

 

Just now, sirineou said:

And you think trump supporters are the right.?

Are they on the left?  I dunno, where are Trump supporters on the left/right scale?

1 minute ago, sirineou said:

4 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

There you go.

And you think trump supporters are the right.?

I can understand the confusion

Just now, Tippaporn said:

Are they on the left?  I dunno, where are Trump supporters on the left/right scale?

Being somewhere and being something are two different things, You understand that right? 

5 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Being somewhere and being something are two different things, You understand that right? 

It's common practice to categorize people as to left or right political views.  It is well accepted that political supporters of Biden are on the left and Trump political supporters are on the right.

 

You seem to be spinning your answer and I would take Mama Noodle's advice and simply walk away from your gaffe.

The Dems pretty much conceded the election when they anointed Biden.  Seems like they just can't help themselves.

Just now, impulse said:

The Dems pretty much conceded the election when they anointed Biden.  Seems like they just can't help themselves.

 

Im old enough to remember when the Dems were regarded as the party of the working man. 

 

Lordy how far they have fallen.

I think if there is anything that could get Trump out of the Whitehouse then it should be used to the maximum and if it is Covid fine.

We all know exactly what Trump would be doing if the roles were reversed.

13 minutes ago, Thailand said:

I think if there is anything that could get Trump out of the Whitehouse then it should be used to the maximum and if it is Covid fine.

We all know exactly what Trump would be doing if the roles were reversed.

The Dems focus is by and large on disparaging Trump and removing him from office.  They do not focus on any of their policies which would be an improvement over Trump's.  Other than to speak in terms so vague as to be meaningless, but not in specifics.

 

Using a pandemic for political purposes is sick.  And people wonder why the libs are so often detested.

Obviously Trump's behavior, and not only in the last couple of months, should be enough for anybody to demand anybody else as president. And the way he behaves even many GOP politicians should be better.

 

But then again the DEMs are obviously not able to elect a decent and inspiring candidate. They should have a candidate with good ideas, inspiring, energetic, who motivates people. But instead they have an old man. And it seems the best which can be said about Biden is that he would be better than Trump - as if that is any high standard.

 

Wouldn't it be great if Americans would have a choice with at least one inspiring candidate?

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Wouldn't it be great if Americans would have a choice with at least one inspiring candidate?

 

They actually had a couple of them but as we all have known since the beginning - the DNC was always going to put Biden front and center with an Obama endorsement. 

 

It was always gonna be that way, same as 2016 and Hillary. 

 

Yang was likable, Tulsi as well. 

But nope, they went for Biden the creep with declining faculties who's a Clinton era womanizing Democrat. 

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Obviously Trump's behavior, and not only in the last couple of months, should be enough for anybody to demand anybody else as president. And the way he behaves even many GOP politicians should be better.

 

But then again the DEMs are obviously not able to elect a decent and inspiring candidate. They should have a candidate with good ideas, inspiring, energetic, who motivates people. But instead they have an old man. And it seems the best which can be said about Biden is that he would be better than Trump - as if that is any high standard.

 

Wouldn't it be great if Americans would have a choice with at least one inspiring candidate?

The Dems don't have a viable candidate because they are all so consumed by hatred of Trump that they don't give thought to much else.  They are shooting themselves in the foot.

 

The idea of electing anyone else, even if they are totally inept, is a poor battle cry.

Trump landslide winner not even close.

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Trump landslide winner not even close.

When the dust settles, nobody in their right mind will vote for creepy Joe

TBF I think Biden will be in a nursing home by August

Edited April 28, 20206 yr by Canuck1966

Tara Reade