Seib (WSJ): What Joe Biden Is Revealing About Democrats

[question everything]

(Jerry Seib writes a political column and is not part of the rabid editorial)

(snip)

A funny thing has happened: Mr. Biden started at the front of the pack and has stayed right there. Normally, this would hardly be surprising, considering how well-known and deeply rooted Mr. Biden is within the party. But these aren’t normal times, and the political universe was full of people who thought Joe Biden was (you can pick): too old, too old-school, too centrist, too willing to work with Republicans, too weighed down with baggage from past controversies, too prone to campaign gaffes. It is very early, of course, and those potential flaws could yet prove fatal. But for now, the buoyancy of Joe Biden raises the question: What is he telling us about the Democratic Party? Four things come to mind:

—Democrats may not have moved as far left as widely thought. Many observers put together the very real energy among the party’s liberal base and the party’s success in the 2018 midterm elections and concluded that the first was responsible for the second. That has emboldened the liberal wing of the party to try to push the party’s agenda well to the left. This almost certainly represents a misreading of the 2018 midterm election, when the most important victories weren’t by candidates on the left, but by 21 House freshmen who won in districts President Trump carried in 2016. They were centrist candidates, and represent where many Democratic and independent voters are: on the center-left.

(snip)

—Defeating President Trump isn’t just a priority for Democrats; it is far and away the top priority. From the outset, Mr. Biden has declared flatly that the 2020 race is above all about beating Mr. Trump—and that he is the candidate with the gravitas to do that. That turns to have been smart positioning. As it happens, Mr. Trump, by directing so much of his Twitter fire at Mr. Biden, actually seems to be helping him make this case, by suggesting he is the Democrat the president considers the biggest threat.

—As a result of this Trump focus, this election may be more about values than ideology. Starting with his announcement video, Mr. Biden’s message, implicit and explicit, has been that Mr. Trump’s values and behavior, more than the policy debate, are the real issues in the 2020 campaign. This approach presumes that voters are most interested in a candidate who represents the opposite of Mr. Trump in terms of style and demeanor, and puts less importance on ideology and policy positions. Mr. Biden will have his own policy proposals, of course—he rolled out a big education plan just a few days ago—but this approach still represents a calculated gamble. It is also a contrast with the approaches of Mr. Sanders and, especially, Ms. Warren, who has begun to gain traction with a series of detailed liberal policy proposals—a wealth tax, a corporate tax, student-debt forgiveness.

—The idea of working with Republicans isn’t anathema to Democratic voters. Mr. Biden presents himself as a traditional Democrat with traditional middle-class sensibilities—but also one who knows how to reach across the aisle to work with Republicans and find actual consensus in a Washington where there has been precious little of that.

More..

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-joe-biden-is-revealing-about-democrats-11559569772 (paid subscription)

[kimbutgar]

1. Biden represents the good old days of the Obama administration.

When we had a kind, intelligent president and good international relations.

[shanny]

2. Unfortunately, the Obama administration thought they could work

with Republicans, as apparently Biden still does. But that wasn't true, was it? No matter how hard we tried, they wouldn't work with us. And I doubt if they will have an epiphany.

[kimbutgar]

3. Sadly, you are correct

We have to crush the repukes in 2020 and take the presidency and both houses.

[shanny]

4. +1

[question everything]

8. I am not sure how hard they tried to work with Republicans

After his term ended, there was a three-part program on PBS summarizing his presidency.

Frankly, I watched the first part but could not the rest. Was too close and too painful, they way they went after him.

But, what I do remember was that when he first took office, he went to meet with the Republicans to discuss budget. I remember him going to a meeting and debating with Ryan point by point. Perhaps was a different meeting.

Anyway, they promised to offer their counter proposal but when Obama returned to the White House, his advisors were against reaching a common proposal. "Elections have consequences" the term came. And that was it. He never returned to meet with them

We have to remember that while both Clinton and Obama served eight years, they had a Democratic congress for only two the first two years. They had to at least try to reach to them.

So I think that determining ahead that our president will not work with Republicans is a mistake. I think that short of voters on the fringe, most voters are tired of the dysfunctional government, of the divisive members and do want the two parties, the two branches to work together.

[Cha]

5. This is Key.. and what many of us have been saying since 2018..

—Democrats may not have moved as far left as widely thought. Many observers put together the very real energy among the party’s liberal base and the party’s success in the 2018 midterm elections and concluded that the first was responsible for the second. That has emboldened the liberal wing of the party to try to push the party’s agenda well to the left. This almost certainly represents a misreading of the 2018 midterm election, when the most important victories weren’t by candidates on the left, but by 21 House freshmen who won in districts President Trump carried in 2016. They were centrist candidates, and represent where many Democratic and independent voters are: on the center-left.

Thank you, question everything

[question everything]

6. And these newcomers are also the ones who do not support impeachment (yet)

And thank you for your kind comment

[Cha]

7. And, who we can't

lose in 2020.

Nancy has a tough job!

Thank you for your OP!

[Scurrilous]

9. K&R

[comradebillyboy]

10. Another failure of the pundit class.