The strategy of the Democrats following last Thursday’s disastrous debate seems to focus on the following few aspects:
1 – Pretend that it was just a bad night for Biden (compared to his 3.5 years in office).
2 – Maintain support from donors, big and small.
3 – Ensure that people who already supported Biden will continue to support him.
4 – Highlight the fact that Trump lied throughout the evening.
It’s a rather thin strategy. Let’s analyze each of these factors in more detail.
1 – It was just a bad night. This argument doesn’t hold up for the 50 million viewers. When we think of a bad debate night, we think of Obama vs. Romney in 2012: he was unassertive, he seemed to take his victory for granted, and he didn’t meet the expectations of his base. Biden had more than a bad night or a few « senior moments« : for 90 minutes, he left viewers completely astonished by his frail appearance, memory lapses, incoherence, and a look of total confusion on his face when Trump spoke. In essence, he justified all the rumours that he is too old to govern. I hate to be ageist, but the man isn’t applying to be the manager of the neighbourhood McDonald’s; he’s aiming for the position of leader of the most powerful nation ever known. He needs all the vigour and mental acuity, something which he didn’t demonstrate during the debate, quite the opposite.
2 – Keeping donor support. This is indeed very important – money is the lifeblood of politics – but money doesn’t directly buy votes unless we live in a banana republic. Money is used to fund massive advertising campaigns on TV and in non-traditional media. The issue here is that no argument will be as powerful as the many clips that Biden generously gave to his opponents the night of the debate. He convinced undecided voters that he doesn’t offer a credible alternative to Trump. At this point, Democrats can only hope that the undecided will vote against Trump because it’s clear they won’t vote for Biden.
3 – Ensuring the Democratic base remains loyal. Again, this is a very basic strategy but it doesn’t guarantee victory – the only thing that matters to the party. Pre-debate polls demonstrate this: Biden needs to attract new voters if he hopes to beat Trump. Relying solely on his base won’t be enough.
4 – Highlighting Trump as a liar. This is the biggest joke of this strategy: detractors and supporters of Trump alike know that the man lies as easily as he breathes. As Meghan Trainor’s song goes: « I know you lie ’cause your lips are moving ». Reminding everyone that Trump lied all evening is a futile effort.
As mentioned earlier, the only thing that matters to a party is victory and the power that victory brings. The crucial question Democrats should be asking at this point is: Can Biden bring us that victory?
The strategists seem to have forgotten a basic principle: victory does not come from donations, advertising campaigns, and favorable editorials – it comes from the ballot boxes. Voters are the major oversight in the Democrats’ delusional strategy. Voters do not believe Biden has the capabilities to govern; the polls have been clear on this, well before the debate. Regardless of the arguments, spin doctors, or even if Biden gives a stellar performance in the next debate in September, everyone saw that he has « bad days« , a euphemism for saying he is no longer fit for another four years in office. Especially considering he will be 86 years old at the end of the next term!
One cannot ask people not to see what they have seen; we are not in George Orwell’s 1984 universe. The Democrats are taking voters for granted, and they will pay the price on November 5th. They must bring in new blood or admit that they are heading for defeat.