Hidin’ Biden’s election plan includes a Trumpatini
It may end up being the first election where the challenger beats the incumbent president by hiding. Some are even calling the former vice president Hidin’ Biden. And because of COVID-19 forcing us to stay home, Biden has an excuse for not being seen. All the while the president, a renowned camera whore, is now being told to stay away from the press. Free TV coverage, which helped him get elected in 2016, is now hurting him during the coronavirus pandemic.
The truth is that Trump seems to be hurting himself. Case in point is what some are sarcastically calling his Trumpatini moment.
[The Trumpatini: two parts bleach or your favorite liquid disinfectant, add vodka or gin, a splash of vermouth, an olive if you’d like, and voila!]
Joe Biden is a disaster in front of a TV camera and has a history of gaffes that go back decades. His performances during the Democratic Party hopefuls’ debates were at best non-inspiring. At moments he seemed out of place, lost, and entangled with his own words. It is why the more I’ve thought about it, the more I believe that this is part of the Biden election plan: Keep him from the spotlight as long as possible.
Instead of running into problems of his own doing, people can dwell on the ‘idea’ of Joe Biden. Uncle Joe, the good guy with a big smile and a willing and friendly slap to the back. Barack Obama’s vice president. The one guy who calls the former president Barack.
The plan, if it is that, and with Trump’s help, seems to be working.
Snapshots of this race
We can start with the MAGA crowd. Trump once famously boasted, “I could stand In the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” The statement has turned out to be partially true. These are the ‘America Great Again’ Trump idiots, the deplorables as Hillary Clinton called them, who will find any excuse, even lies, to defend their president. Sadly, many are people most hurt by the president’s actions and policies. Read Amaury Cruz’ “The Cult of Trump” column of a few weeks back to begin to understand why some follow such a man.
But back to the Biden plan and the latest polls. And I know, anything can happen from here till November, especially when you consider that one of the two candidates will be the oldest president ever elected.
Nationally, right now, according to Real Clear Politics, Biden leads Trump by an ever increasing margin, 6.3 percent, 48.4 to 42.1.
More importantly, in the states where this election will be won, the swing states, Biden continues to pull ahead. In Wisconsin, for example, a state where Trump narrowly beat Hillary in 2016, Biden leads 46.7 to 44.0. In Florida, where they were statistically tied only weeks ago, Biden seems to have taken a lead, 46.5 to 43.3. Pennsylvania, out of reach for almost any Democrat in 2020, has Biden leading 48.0 to 41.3. In fact, a Fox News poll of the past week had Biden at 50 to Trump’s 42 in Pennsylvania.
Go figure. It seems that Trump may be running into his Waterloo. And it comes with a crown. And yet, for those who are bettors, the odds of winning the election are still with Trump. The betting odds (although it’s illegal to bet on a presidential election) have Trump with a 6.6 percent advantage, 49.9 to 43.3.
It’s early. Who knows how much longer we will be dealing with Covid and how it will continue to affect the president and his chances. But at this point, the economy, which Trump had hoped to flaunt as his crowning achievement, is in a hole not seen since the Great Depression. And things could get worse…
In the meantime, Biden rests at home. From time to time we might see him briefly via a Zoom conference or statement on TV or the Internet. I also understand he has a podcast few listen to. Still, the polls are favoring him and trending up.
So the Biden plan continues. The former vice president is hopeful that President Trump comes up with another of his cockamamie and dangerous ideas of injecting disinfectants, or mixing them into a late afternoon fix one can take like a martini after a long day of work.
Whatever the case, it looks like Biden’s people are as hopeful of Trump losing the election as they are of Biden winning it.
