Uncle Joe Emerges as 2020's Steady Eddie - Seib

[question everything]

(as posted before, Seib is the not rabid political columnist of the WSJ)

The nickname many Democrats use for former Vice President Joe Biden is Uncle Joe, an affectionate nod to his avuncular style and senior status in the party. A more appropriate nickname right now might be Steady Eddie.

The simple persistence of Mr. Biden, in the face of repeated questions about his age and campaign acuity, is emerging as a leading story of the Democrats’ 2020 race so far. A new set of polls out this week underscored the point. Statewide polls showed Mr. Biden leading in South Carolina, California and Texas, and three other polls showed him with a lead nationally. He still faces problems in the opening states of Iowa and New Hampshire, but his national standing appears to have solidified.

The question is whether this represents a sign of durable strength, or merely an illusion that will disappear if he stumbles in the first round of voting, or once the field around him sorts itself out. That sorting-out process will continue next week, when Democrats gather for their sixth presidential debate. Only seven candidates have met the party’s threshold targets of poll standing and fundraising strength to qualify for the debate—meaning eight other candidates still in the race won’t be onstage. Perhaps the most noteworthy absentee will be New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who practically begged voters to give him enough poll support.

Mr. Biden will be at the center of the stage, and the renewed focus on him is playing out in other ways. His aides worked to knock down a story that said he is telling associates he would serve only one term if elected. The Biden camp’s fear is that such a pledge would only serve to suggest to voters they ought to be worried about the age of the 77-year-old former vice president.

And Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a veiled shot at Mr. Biden’s insistence that he could lead Washington back to bipartisan solutions. She declared that, “unlike some candidates for the Democratic nomination,” she won’t count on Republicans to back tax increases on the rich or hold big businesses accountable.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/uncle-joe-emerges-as-2020s-steady-eddie-11576299662 (paid subscription)

[JoeOtterbein]

1. Liz is correct. Or as I like to use an old phrase:

"faint hearts" never won fair lady.

[Kath2]

2. I am waaay tired of old white men.

If the candidate is old, white and straight that is the same BS.

Hillary Clinton won the general election by about 3 million.

[eilen]

4. color and sex are not a disqualifier, main goal is to get Trump out.

I don't hold his age and sex against him. I think he is the probably the best bet to win the election although I think Amy Klobuchar would be great too and while she is my favorite, I am realistic enough to understand she does not have his numbers nor name recognition.

[Kath2]

5. I love Amy Klobuchar.

But there is no realistic way she can win the Dem nomination.

[TexasTowelie]

12. Unfortunately, the issue that developed with Amy Klobuchar

is her lack of charisma. While I like her personally, when it came down to choosing candidates for the election I can't help but think that it would be like going to Baskin Robbins and asking for a vanilla ice cream cone. That left me with the impression that she would be a caretaker president even though she has accomplished quite a bit as a legislator and that she wouldn't have the coattails to help in the down ballot elections.

[LongtimeAZDem]

10. I'm waaay tired of people who feel no qualms at voicing outright prejudice

[George II]

3. This puzzles me:

She declared that, “unlike some candidates for the Democratic nomination,” she won’t count on Republicans to back tax increases on the rich or hold big businesses accountable.

So she doesn't think she can be effective at uniting the country or getting things done? Why is she running then?

[Kahuna7]

13. Exactly! That's a hell of a message. Vote for me and I'll continue to divide!!!

[ritapria]

6. Another "Crucial " Debate

That won't move the numbers ….I am for conducting debates but their impact on the race has been minimal ,,,,

[Cha]

7. Steady as it Goes Joe.. I don't care about gender or

race, or age.. I want to beat trump.

That's nice some Dems use "Uncle Joe" affectionately.. but I don't.. I prefer former VP Joe Biden..

[Thekaspervote]

8. Maloha Cha!

Agree...They keep trying to say it’s issues of gender, age and race.

I could care less as well... Joe Biden is the one to beat the squatter in the WH!!!

[Cha]

9. And such a Deplorable Dispicable Squatter

trump is.

Mahalo to you, Kasper!

[Sloumeau]

11. Senator Warren said:

And Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a veiled shot at Mr. Biden’s insistence that he could lead Washington back to bipartisan solutions. She declared that, “unlike some candidates for the Democratic nomination,” she won’t count on Republicans to back tax increases on the rich or hold big businesses accountable.

More likely than not, Republicans will hold onto the Senate. If Republicans hold onto the Senate, how, exactly, does Senator Warren expect to get tax increases without counting on at least some Republicans?

Fortunately, Steady Eddie will keep being steady, and we won't have to worry about what Senator Warren would do.

[Gothmog]

14. What Biden has going for him

Biden is the Democratic Party's most electable candidate https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/17/what-biden-has-going-him/

Biden is also having success pulling in liberal voters (perhaps those who have gotten nervous about the electability of Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts). In the Fox poll, Biden leads among these voters with 26 percent; in the Quinnipiac poll, he also draws 26 percent (although he claims only 15 percent among very liberal voters). The IBD/TIPP poll points out: “Before the 2020 Democratic primaries begin, Biden gets just 17% of liberal support, vs. 21% for Sanders and 23% for Warren. The elusive, but much-coveted moderate voter, favors Biden by 31%, Sanders by 21% and Warren by 23%.” Put those liberal or somewhat liberal voters together with moderate voters who favor him overwhelmingly, and Biden has broad ideological support to go with his racially diverse base.

In additional to Biden’s relatively broad base, he has another couple of things going for him. First, the other candidates are fighting among themselves, leaving him out of it. The subject of a lot of the sniping between Warren and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg over their work for corporate America does not affect Biden, who has released his taxes going back decades and has spent virtually his whole adult life in the public sector.

Second, as the Boston Globe’s Michael Cohen points out: “Seeing Biden on the stump is a constant reminder that for all his faults — his verbal gaffes, his meandering speeches, his often uninspiring debate performances, the creeping sense that politics has passed him by — Uncle Joe is, at his core, a good guy.” Cohen concludes, “There is perhaps no simpler explanation for why, in a campaign where so much of the attention has been focused on his political rivals, Biden remains the Democratic front-runner and the candidate best positioned to not only win his party’s nomination but become the next president of the United States.”

Emotional connection. Affection. No other candidate, with the exception of Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) who left the race, is so engaged at a visceral level with voters. Warren rattles off her list of proposals. Sanders prides himself on being a grouch and wants voters to do the talking about their struggles. Buttigieg is a cheery whiz kid, but not the kind to grab voters by their shoulders and stare intently at them while sharing stories of loss.

Gut-level emotion, hugging and back patting (remember when Biden was in trouble for that?) may not be every voter’s cup of tea, but plainly an awful lot of voters, especially African American voters, feel comfortable with him. If Buttigieg is most akin to the cool, cerebral President Obama, then Biden might be in the mold of another successful Democrat: President Bill Clinton. He too felt voters’ pain, won over African Americans and cornered the market on moderate Democrats. That coalition elected him. Twice.