Joe Biden did this to himself. And to the rest of us.

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

After a fourth-place finish in Iowa and a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire, it’s time to take a good, hard look at former vice president Joe Biden, the once-dominant, now-floundering Democratic “front-runner.” Not to get too technical about it, but I would like to postulate that the Democratic front-runner should be, you know, in front.

A fourth- and fifth-place finish does not in any way constitute being in front. Yes: To run on electability, one should demonstrate the ability to be elected. That’s a trope that’s illustrated by — and stick with me here — winning elections. And perhaps the guy who ran for president three previous times but never placed better than fourth was an odd choice to make the case for electability in the first place.

...snip...

Biden has distorted the whole 2020 primary cycle: He sat on the top of the polls as the default front-runner for months, and in the process, he sucked up endorsements (five senators, more than two dozen House members, state-level elected officials all over the place) and cash (though perhaps not enough of it) that could have gone to other candidates who, instead, wound up having to drop out for lack of money and establishment support. And then he lost the first two elections. It’s only since his front-runner status started to slip that other centrist candidates have had much of a chance. The promise of Biden’s electability kept former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg from entering the race until November, and as New York magazine put it, “almost single-handedly stunted the growth of every other center-left alternative.” Biden took up the space that could have been occupied by an Amy Klobuchar or a Pete Buttigieg or a Cory Booker or a Kamala D. Harris, well before Bernie Sanders set off a panic among party insiders by winning the early contests.

It did, in fairness, almost seem like it could work. For a while, it looked like being chosen by Barack Obama might be enough for Biden to squeak by while Sanders and Elizabeth Warren engaged in mutual progressive destruction. He could coast on his eight years of being a completely fine vice president, an almost-incumbent.

But he wasn’t doing what needed to be done in a modern campaign. He didn’t go on Rachel Maddow, and he didn’t do selfie lines or Periscope or any of the other stuff that all the other modern candidates did. Biden is not, to put it mildly, a digital native. And even when the punditry class believed that he would win the hearts of white working-class men in diners, even then, Biden had trouble raising money because he just isn’t that good at this, and old clips show he has never been very good at this.

[VMA131Marine]

1. The important thing about being a front-runner

is not to act like it.

As much as I like Joe, he did not learn an essential lesson from Barack Obama, who campaigned like he was well-behind even when he was winning.

[OhZone]

2. I think this is what distorted the race -

[R B Garr]

6. ++++, yes to that, too!

Thank you.

[R B Garr]

3. Isn't there current news that Barr is accepting Guiliani's manufactured slop on Biden?

Wasn't Trump just impeached for smearing Biden by trying to manufacture slop on him?

Biden certainly hasn't done that to himself.

Also, I heard on MSNBC that some GOP operatives are descending upon South Bend. Whatever could that be about...? Reminds me of the Clinton Arkansas Project, when the state was combed for slop on Clinton, but in Biden's case, we know that they wanted to completely manufacture it.

Looks like Biden got more than a little Swiftboated.

[OhZone]

7. This!

[Dem2]

9. I think the smearing campaign may have artificially boosted support for Biden

Biden was already kind of faltering when the Ukraine story broke. I joked at the time that the idiot was going to get impeached over a candidate who was already showing signs that he wasn't going to win the nomination. I'm guessing you'll disagree, just thought I'd share my perspective from a voter who was more than eager to support Biden and leaned his way in part due to sympathizing with the situation he was in.

[R B Garr]

12. I thought that Biden's support went up, too, but then started seeing the

New Hampshire voters all claiming they didn't make up their minds until the last minute. I guess that's partly why Iowa and New Hampshire, two small largely white states don't show the whole picture.

edit: about faltering before Ukraine, I understood that Biden was committed to not attacking other Democrats, so it kind of goes with the territory that a candidate might not appear as tough, but in this case he didn't want to attack his own party.

[Dem2]

13. NH voter here. I didn't make up my mind until the last second

I ended up voting for Amy and still feel good about my choice even knowing her chance of getting the nomination is exceedingly small.

[R B Garr]

14. Yes, Amy is solid.

btw, I just added a comment about Biden's supposed fade before Ukraine, and I saw it that his commitment not to attack other Democrats might make him appear more measured.

[Dem2]

15. I can't tell you exactly why I don't "feel" it for Joe

Some of the comments "tired" "disinterested" "seems old" I heard from my mother (who is closer to his age) are the best I can come up with. Maybe a "fear of flubbing"? It seems he has played things too safely, making some wonder if his troubles making spontaneous statements without launching on the wrong word are concerning to him and/or his campaign? This isn't the 1st time he's faded in an presidential campaign - maybe he's just not destined to be president?

[StevieM]

11. Whitewater was also manufactured nonsense.

Ditto for the absurd talk about cattle futures.

The Republicans are all about swift boating.

[LanternWaste]

4. Tough to objectively measure the average speed only seven feet into a 20k marathon

But I get the optics and comfort doing so provides in the short-term.

[OhZone]

8. This too!

[Dennis Donovan]

5. I just didn't have the heart to post that article...

[brooklynite]

17. I do blame Biden...

Ultimately, he's responsible for how he campaigns and how his campaign staff operates. And someone with his experience should have know that Trump would weaponize Hunter and prepared for it.

[krissey]

16. This. Only I knew it wouldn't work.

[jberryhill]

18. "the guy who ran for president three previous times"

I think that's a point that sometimes gets lost in the noise.

IMHO, not many people were very familiar with Joe Biden until he became Barack Obama's VP. It takes one vote to become VP - the single vote of the ultimately winning nominee.

Being from Delaware, I've known and liked Joe Biden since he was on the New Castle County Council. We kept his signs in the basement, and duly planted them in the yard every time he ran.

In 1988, when Delaware had a caucus system, I was the last remaining person sitting at the Joe Biden table at the Shue-Medill Middle School in my district, listening to the Dukakis people explain to me that since everyone else had left my table, then I didn't meet the threshold for assigning any delegates. I thought it was just ridiculous that Delaware, a state with very little influence in the first place, couldn't muster enough support for OUR OWN SENATOR who was running for president.

The ONLY time in my life that I ever voted for someone else on a ballot against Joe Biden was when I voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 primary.

Joe is great at retail politics. Delaware is a small state, and he is fantastic at connecting with individuals and networking with community leaders to build support.

But, yeah, he's run for president a couple of times. It's not as if he's a different person.

[Garrett78]

19. This is easily the best he's ever done, but he's just not presidential candidate material.

[cwydro]

20. I wanted Joe right at the beginning. The first debate changed my mind.

A good friend of mine stayed with him until recently.

She was troubled by the fact that every time she saw him talking to groups, he always seemed to have note cards in his hands. She said she realized then he’d never be able to take on the orange idiot.

I think he’s looked terribly tired for some time now. I like the man, but I found myself thinking of him as I did my father when he started to falter in his later years. And that’s not a man who should be president.

I think a lot of people changed their minds as they watched him on the trail. The endless gaffes, the odd insults and peevish behavior...it was just too much. If he had become the nominee, I just couldn’t imagine him dealing with the pressures of the GE.

No one else did this to him, though I think he perhaps could have had better advisors. I wish him only the best.

[Peacetrain]

21. You know why this is total garbage.. The right has been hell bent to do to Joe

what they did to Hillary.

Its one thing to have differences over policies..its a whole other bag of potatoes to try and muddy him because he has basically been the one standing alone against the right wing destruction campaign.

Not to worry.. its headed your way if your choice gets the nod.

Be interesting how you will feel about people posting these kinds of articles non stop.

bookmarking just in case