May 2, 2020

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads."

"On Friday, he went on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the Tara Reade allegations. It was not a good argument for changing this strategy.... In the face of mounting evidence that Reade’s allegations are more than the baseless smear his campaign has dismissed them to be, Biden has mostly faded into the background, while his surrogates, supporters, and some pundits went to bat for him, deploying timeworn canards about sexual assault victims and what circumstances justify disbelieving them, or dismissing Reade outright before a fuller picture sees daylight.... [C]olumnists from the New York Times to the Nation stepped up to discredit her, and politicos from Stacey Abrams to Nancy Pelosi reaffirmed their support of the vice-president. Even Kirsten Gillibrand, who drew ire from within the Democratic Party when she pushed for Al Franken to resign after evidence of his misconduct surfaced in 2017, doubled down on her support.... [Biden is] largely staying true to the strategy that’s guided his campaign since early on, which holds that the winningest Biden is one to be imagined, not seen, heard, or even thought about too hard. His staff recognizes that the less its candidate speaks, the less opportunity his supporters have to neglect evidence that undermines their faith — in his competence, his election odds, and, increasingly, his innocence. If there’s one thing for which the Democrats have yet to punish Biden this cycle, it’s his silence in the face of lingering doubt. To change that now would be to change the very foundation of his campaign’s success."

From "Tara Reade Is Making It Harder to Hide Joe Biden" by Zak Cheney-Rice (in NY Magazine).

I don't think Cheney-Rice mentions the coronavirus lockdown that's helping Biden hide. Biden doesn't have the option to come out of hiding by doing events surrounded by supporters who make him seem comfortingly normal. He can only do that face-in-the-camera sort of appearance from his basement, and he's not that great at that — and, in fact, no political candidate is good at campaigning like that.

57 comments:

madAsHell said...

Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads.

It's over. They're going to hit him with the heart attack gun.

rehajm said...

...the winningest Biden is one to be imagined, not seen, heard, or even thought about too hard

It's the 'empty vessel' strategy. Worked for Obama...

rehajm said...

...didn't work for Beto.

Matt Sablan said...

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads."

-- Why not? Worked for Obama, who was both a moderate Democrat who could respect religious freedoms and bring Republicans to the table, and a far left advocate for whatever fancy you wanted. Not having a specific platform is, for politicians of all stripes, a very attractive position to take these days.

Bay Area Guy said...

""Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads."

Let me re-write that for NY Magazine:

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low, pretend it didn't happen and let his hapless supporters in the mainstream media ignore the charges too!"

Howard said...

yes exactly that's what I have been saying you can check the record I'm sure you will because you want to verify everything that I say is being accurate as per the facts in evidence.

Less is more

Matt Sablan said...

If he wants us to check his records, surely he'll provide her employment records, including all discussions on why she was fired, whether she was fired, meetings she had with staff, etc.

The problem is that he said that we could look for her complaint in the National Archives, even though we know Congress still has, what, a few hundred accusations of sexual harassment and other claims sealed? He basically said we could look for the thing that he knows can't exist in the place that wouldn't have them, instead of giving us something that everyone should be asking for: "Why did she stop working for you?"

deepelemblues said...

The contention that Biden does well in front of a crowd is... belied by the evidence of Biden looking and sounding just as lost and confused in front of crowds as he does in front of a camera in his basement.

chuck said...

They're going to hit him with the heart attack gun.

It will be more like Murder on the Orient Express.

TJM said...

Strange these Dem politicians hit on Dem women and the Dem women can’t be believed

rhhardin said...

Abraham Lincoln called James K. Polk a "bewildered, confounded, miserably perplexed man."

Historical note.

Perhaps Biden would be Polk without the sense of humor.

AlbertAnonymous said...

While I agree C19 prevents Biden from going out and doing rallies and speeches, etc. it certainly does not prevent him from speaking from his basement any time he wants (with full coverage from a compliant media). So, no. He’s not hiding because of C19. He’s hiding because the campaign knows he’s demented grandpa Joe. They can’t trust him to say anything that they don’t pre-write into the teleprompter. And they can’t trust him to say what they write.

I think the C19 lockdown was good for him because they could limit him to these snippets of scripted shit and thought we wouldn’t see the man behind the curtain. Problem was he couldn’t even hold up enough for the short snippets.

Honestly, WTF. First Hillary has to be helped and carried and thrown into a van by the deep state, and now Biden is being held up by strings and forced to say things in 10 second clips spliced together in video form because that’s all the attention they can get from him before he goes catatonic again or needs more soup...

Deep bench that DNC..

rhhardin said...

Hillary annouced support for Biden but she stressed prepositions, not actual words about it.

Mark said...

He can only do that face-in-the-camera sort of appearance from his basement, and he's not that great at that — and, in fact, no political candidate is good at campaigning like that.

Certainly not one that cannot extemporaneously put together a coherent entire paragraph. Even when he was doing townhalls, not merely this cycle, but for decades -- or even in his Senate committee hearings -- all Biden could ever do is speak in trivial one or two minute segments.

But anyone who is accustomed to speaking for long periods off the cuff or from notes, someone from talk radio for example -- or maybe even a professor type -- could easily have a daily one hour online video show. And be good at it.

Unknown said...

“Zak” with a ‘K’. And a hyphenated last name. I dislike him already. Are any of the so called reporters out there looking into why this story is coming out at this particular time. Oh wait, sorry, I forgot, there are no reporters, just stenographers.

Mark said...

From 1975 to 1979 Ronald Reagan gave more than 1,000 daily radio broadcasts.

Matt Sablan said...

"Hillary Clinton agrees I didn't have non-consensual sexual relations with that woman" is really not the sort of powerful endorsement I would want, were I Biden.

Ralph L said...

His staff recognizes that the less its candidate speaks, the less opportunity his supporters have to neglect evidence that undermines their faith

Huh?

Fernandinande said...

"Joe Biden congealed inside their heads"

Ee-yew! [sp?]

Lucien said...

He should go on the offensive by claiming what he did makes him “Kennedy-esque” (when you’re a Kennedy they let you do it). He’s already gone in the right direction by tapping Chris Dodd.

Lurker21 said...

From "Tara Reade Is Making It Harder to Hide Joe Biden"

Ain't no mansion big enough,
Ain't no bunker deep enough ...

by Zak Cheney-Rice

Hands up everybody who thought there was something funny in the way Dick and Condy were always ogling each other.

Sebastian said...

"no political candidate is good at campaigning like that"

It seems, though, that Trump's has put the "press briefings" to mostly good political use.

Of course, he's better a full rallies, but as a TV star before he turned to politics, he can turn it up when he wants to.

Phil 314 said...

My first thought reading this post was “When did the Veep and the Secretary of State get marries and have kids?

Lurker21 said...

Biden doesn't have the option to come out of hiding by doing events surrounded by supporters who make him seem comfortingly normal. He can only do that face-in-the-camera sort of appearance from his basement, and he's not that great at that — and, in fact, no political candidate is good at campaigning like that.

That's true. Plus, habit and structure are great reinforcers. If you are on the campaign trail and have to make 5 points in every speech, the odds are good you'll make more than half of them. To be cooped up at home is to get out of practice and become unmoored. Like the rest of us, Joe is losing the sense of time. On top of everything else he's lost that doesn't help.

When people appear old and weak, though, it can be easier to imagine them as benign. When someone healthy says "I didn't do it" you may not so easily believe it as when someone feeble says it. Or do you assume that they may have done it and just forgot about it? Do you figure that someone less vigorous will do less harm? Or is that lack of alertness itself the greater danger?

GatorNavy said...

Is Zak Cheney-Rice somehow related to the Wyoming Cheney’s? That would be a hoot.

Birkel said...

Does that comfortably normal include being handset with random female strangers, including little girls?
Weird.

JPS said...

"let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads"

Who thinks they're voting for any version of Joe Biden? I assume he's a proxy: Vote for him and Our People will be running the show again. It's not about him and hardly anyone bothers pretending it is.

Balfegor said...

Every day he spends under lockdown is a day he can't be caught on video calling young women "dog-faced," calling old men "fat," and challenging voters to pushup contests and fisticuffs.

His handlers must be so relieved.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie...

Thanks! Have a nice Saturday, everyone!

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

If Biden can prove Reade’s allegation is true, I’ll consider voting for him.

robother said...

Is that a vision of Joe Biden congealed inside your head, or Alzhiemers' plaque? Or is there a difference?

dreams said...

The democrat party has become the party of psychopaths and ignorant snowflakes.

gilbar said...

remember how, when Hilary would go somewhere, her poll numbers there would go DOWN
it will be MORE SO for Jo Biden

His ONLY hope, is to ONLY get prerecorded, edited, multiple shot, videos
Either that,
or talk to his Chinese masters and have them tell their servants at Disney to work on an Animatronic Biden

Which, if you think about it; is an idea a Long Time Coming

bagoh20 said...

I don't get why Stacey Abrams is even a thing. She's a loser and a bad one at that. She's a woman of color, but an exceptionally unattractive one in a lot of ways. Is she the only one there is. They really can't find a better one? Her and Biden are a monument to how weak the Democrats' field is. They belong at the top of that party.

Wince said...

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads."

"Looks like a no-brainer."

Achilles said...

madAsHell said...
Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads.

It's over. They're going to hit him with the heart attack gun.

But they will put COVID-19 as the cause of death.

He will catch it in some red state that lifted their lock down.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

oh, one more thing-- re: digital intercourse--

Biden is innocent due to the position of the female vagina

..but you science deniers wouldnt know about that.

Kevin said...

Biden doesn't have the option to come out of hiding by doing events surrounded by supporters who make him seem comfortingly normal.

Trump didn't win in 2016 by having huge rallies or running a traditional campaign. He sent out media-ready tweets on provocative topics and called into news shows to discuss them.

And he's doing the same thing now.

Nothing is stopping Biden from doing the same things, other than he's a 20th century candidate in a 21st century political environment.

If Biden didn't have the media and surrogates constantly propping him up, he'd fall right over.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

...Stacey Abrams to Nancy Pelosi reaffirmed their support of the vice-president.

Abrams and Pelosi are supporting Pence?!?

Presidents and vice-presidents get to keep the title when they leave the job, so you can refer to Biden as vice-president Biden. But you can't refer to him as the vice-president. There is only one at a time, and that one is Pence.

narciso said...

Zak is a some lives activist, that we've seen before on these pages, practicing category error,

FullMoon said...

deepelemblues said... [hush]​[hide comment]

The contention that Biden does well in front of a crowd is... belied by the evidence of Biden looking and sounding just as lost and confused in front of crowds as he does in front of a camera in his basement.


We have all seen the clips of goofy Biden fumbling and stumbling with his words and thoughts. And, have read of his mental decline.

I kinda took them as typical out of context type stuff that can make anyone look stupid.
Seeing current videos in full and comparing to clips of Biden years ago, it is very obvious his mental functions are deteriorating. May not go full Alzhiemers or senile
but is not up to par. Never thought of him as particularly smart, but he was a pretty good talker. Can't even do that anymore.

Debates would be interesting ,even with Joe getting questions in advance. All the time he had to practice for the response to accusation, and he looked like a big dummy.

Iman said...

If Biden picked Abrams as his running mate, would he be stupid enough to try to feel her up and risk being beaten to death with his offending/torn off at the shoulder arm, or would he be happy “to fold”?

Cuz she’s got a lot of ‘em...

doctrev said...

GatorNavy said...
Is Zak Cheney-Rice somehow related to the Wyoming Cheney’s? That would be a hoot.

5/2/20, 10:57 AM

I figured Condoleeza was more likely to marry Liz Cheney than Dick Cheney, but you never know.

FullMoon said...

He can only do that face-in-the-camera sort of appearance from his basement, and he's not that great at that — and, in fact, no political candidate is good at campaigning like that.

He has millions of dollars and dozens of experts to help him do podcasts every day. All combined, they don't have the sense or skill of a competent you tuber. Teenagers making vids on you tube better equipped than the democrat machine.

dreams said...

You know what goes around, comes around, so look who's getting fingered now.

Birkel said...

I understand what you meant and I am not trying to be a pedant. Still, this sentence made me laugh to myself:

"From 1975 to 1979 Ronald Reagan gave more than 1,000 daily radio broadcasts."

"1,000 daily" would mean they average about a minute long each given about six hours of sleep plus personal grooming time.

Thanks for the unexpected laugh.

Yancey Ward said...

He can't run a campaign like this forever- at some point, Biden does have to come out of the basement and run a real campaign. I watched the primary campaign events more than I normally would have- Biden was awful during the entire time- I mean, seriously awful. He is only where he is right now because the Democratic leadership shoved all the other candidates out that ran in Biden's lane, got Warren to stay in just long enough to bleed away the support Sanders needed on Super Tuesday, and Clyburn pull the South Carolina rabbit out of the hat for Biden to give him the momentum that was absolutely required to win the state decisively. It was an impressive demonstration of the party's power, but it only works in a primary setup- in the general election, the candidate has to carry the load.

One of the reasons Trump was able to win in 2016 was because Shelob basically had a 2-day work week on the campaign trail, and she never once appeared at any un-planned, unscripted event- even the debates don't count because it was clear that she was given every single question asked beforehand except for one single, foreign policy event where Trump wasn't on the stage with her for rebuttal.

Lurker21 said...

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads."

The latest treat from the Vermont ice cream makers who gave us "Yes, Pecan!" "Bernie's Yearning," and "Bernie's Back" ice cream: "Congealed Biden."

That puts me in mind of something, but I'll keep it clean and not try to make a joke about it.

West Texas Intermediate Crude said...

Yancey-
Your post makes perfect sense as far as it goes, but then we have to ask, "Now, what?"
What is the Dems plan for the general election? Are they just accepting that they have no chance against PDJT and are giving an old soldier one last hurrah? Are they hoping that, at long last, PDJT will say something that will derail his presidency? Surely the party leaders have compared Biden's previous glibness with his present state- you know that Elmer Fudd comparisons are just waiting in the wings.
I saw early today that Eric Trump tweeted that the current restriction on crowds of greater than 10 people was unfair because Biden could still hold rallies but Eric's father could not.

n.n said...

To flatten the curve, as it were.

Richard Dolan said...

"Joe Biden’s most effective campaign strategy has been to lie low and let people vote for whatever imagined version of Joe Biden congealed inside their heads."

That was partly Obama's approach in 2008 -- not the 'lie low' part, but definitely the calculated vagueness so that everyone could vote for whatever imagined version of O they had. He definitely wanted to downplay the leftiness, and talked frankly (e.g., his dismissal of 'the clingers') only in what he thought were off-the-record gatherings.

I don't think Biden has O's ability to pull that off. Biden can't stay on script and often forgets when or even how to fudge.

LakeLevel said...

Remember Joe Biden corruptly using his position to kill a Ukrainian investigation into the company that his son was getting millions from? Yeah me neither.
The Democrats have a plan. Soon someone will emerge, accusing President Trump of what will be described as much worse than anything Joe Biden did. Then all Joe's sexual assault problems will fade into the media background. That will be the plan anyway. Bank on it.

Clyde said...

The more Biden is seen and heard and the more that is known about him, the less likeable or palatable he is unless one is a yellow dog Democrat. Unlike Obama, who was a blank slate that any kind of "hope" could be projected upon, Biden has a 47-year public record. And then there are the pictures and videos of Biden making women and girls uncomfortable by groping and sniffing them. You can count on those being all over television in anti-Biden ads this fall. This election will not take place under Marquess of Queensbury rules.

Rico said...

I always find references to the Al Franken situation so amusing. First, IIRC, it happened about the tine Roy Moore was running for the Senate, so getting rid of Franken was a great way to draw a distinction between the two parties. Second, and more importantly, a Democratic governor was going to name his replacement, so it wasn’t some brave stance it’s often made out to be. I mean, what did they risk in cutting him loose?

mtrobertslaw said...

The only strategy left that may well carry the day for Biden's election is to turn him into Chauncey Gardner of Being There. Uncle Joe is a natural for this part. But he will need writers to come up with endless streams of quotable series of words that, when mumbled, sound like deep wisdom but in reality are nonsense. He can stay in his basement and each day deliver 2 or 3 example of this gibberish. The left wing press will do the rest of the job by writing article after article fawning over his brilliance.

Bilwick said...

Instapundit discusses how Biden's handlers are keeping him in low profile so that the Dems' willing handmaidens in the MSM can act as his Praetorian Guard while he hunkers down in some bunker.

JAORE said...

"If Biden picked Abrams as his running mate, would he be stupid enough to try to feel her up..."

Pick through all those pictures of Joe groping. Find one where the girl or woman is a person of color.

If there are any, I don't recall them.

And yet the left wants everything to "look more like America".

Perhaps Joe is not an equal opportunity creep.