March 21, 2020

"Joe Biden is planning a regular shadow briefing... to show how he would handle the crisis and address what he calls the lies and failures of President Trump."

"Biden gave a preview of what’s to come in a conference call with reporters Friday, where he listed a litany of false and misleading statements from Trump.... 'President Trump stop saying false things, will ya?' Biden said. 'People are worried they are really frightened, when these things don't come through. He just exacerbates their concern. Stop saying false things you think make you sound like a hero and start putting the full weight of the federal government behind finding fast, safe and effective treatments.'... [H]e said, his house is being outfitted with equipment that would enable him to livestream events, have interactive tele-press conferences and broadcast interviews with network television. 'I would like to get in the position and we're trying to work out so that the headquarters ... to be able to accommodate my directly answering questions in front of a press that's assigned to me,' he said. 'We've hired a professional team to do that now. And excuse the expression that's a little above my pay grade to know how to do that.'"

Politico reports.

It is a real challenge for Biden and his people to figure out how to campaign from a distance. Sitting on the sidelines and taking potshots at the man who is working nonstop to manage the crisis — this might not feel right to some of us. Biden has to stay in the game somehow, but maybe less is more. Don't make the President's job any more difficult than it is. And don't turn on the cameras just to agitate us with non-insights like "People are worried... they are really frightened." Every guy in America knows how to watch TV and then turn on the videocam and live-stream about how the President bothers him.

Or... I guess Biden wouldn't know how to make such a video. He has "a professional team" to push the little buttons for him, and he's not embarrassed to call the work "above my pay grade."

If you're trying to remember when Obama used that expression, it was in answer to the question when does the unborn have human rights: "… whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity … is above my pay grade." I believe Obama was trying to say he is not God, so he cannot be the one to say where that subtle line is.

In the case of Biden, he was just trying to say, he doesn't do electronic gadgets. He didn't really mean that the work he can't do is above him. More like below him. Or part of a world that he hasn't engaged with and never will.

IN THE COMMENT: rehajm said:
So he's going to pretend he has a job where he has press conferences and updates people on the functioning of government even though he doesn't work for the government. Then he's going to do mystery science theater on Trump press conferences and also 'fact check' Trump and government agencies.

How faux Presidential. That's not helping...
Chris N said:
When I was young it was all sidewalks and bikes and maybe a few hot rods out there. Guys n gals at Community pools. You wanted mashed potatoes you got mashed potatoes but some people need help with the butter.

Folks, this isn’t that hard. We’re a global village now with global challenges and 18 gigs of RAM!

208 comments:

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Big Mike said...

I didn't remember this from the State of the Union, but here it is:

Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases. We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the Coronavirus outbreak in China. My Administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat.


No wonder Pelosi tore up her copy of the speech!

hombre said...

ARM: “We should all give thanks for Fauci. Not sure how long he can last with Trump, but he is a national treasure who has real world experience with fighting plagues. And, unlike Trump, he is doing his best to tell the truth.”

Do you really pay attention to Fauci. In his early appearances he stated clearly that he took to the road to correct media errors. Most recently, he stated clearly in response to a provocative media question that what he was saying about chloroquine did not contradict President Trump.

You are a caricature of a reasonable man.

cyrus83 said...

The simple plan would be this: wait until Trump does his daily briefing, pick out the good parts, say essentially the same thing a few hours later. Press criticizes Trump while praising Biden for the exact same ideas, or press accuses Trump of plagiarizing Biden despite Trump speaking first.

This sounds like a bad idea by Team Biden. It's hard to see what they can add to the conversation or what the upside is to tossing out alternative ideas.

Balfegor said...

I don't think there's even a real campaign this year. If the coronavirus peters out over the Summer, and the economy comes roaring back, stock market booms, hiring recovers, etc. in August/September/October, then even if we end up in a worse situation than we were in December 2019, Trump will surely win (unless some other comparable "real" crisis occurs -- not another cockamamie impeachment). Conversely, if coronavirus continues to be a problem through the Fall, and daily life in the US doesn't return to some sort of "normal," I can't imagine how Trump could win at all.

I don't think there's a whole lot Biden can do to change those outcomes.

ken in tx said...

TV actor Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E) wanted to be president so bad he had a copy of the oval office build in his home. Friends said he spent a lot of time in it pretending to be president. Maybe Biden could do that instead of bothering and embarrassing everyone else.

Daddy Binx said...

"Where have you gone, Joe My-Brain-Is-Slow?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you,"

With apologies to Paul and Art.

Crazy World said...

What a hilarious thread. It’s pouring rain on my little Island and they are going to quarantine anyone coming here for 14 days. And uncle joe is a sad joke.

Caligula said...

So, Biden's become the President-Pretend. Is that something like being the world's best air-guitar player?

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