Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumPolitico's Holly Otterbein: If no one can beat Biden with black voters, Biden has the nomination
Politico article about a discussion of "What We Know About the Democratic Primary" by founding editor John Harris and reporters Natasha Korecki, Holly Otterbein, and David Siders.
Holly Otterbein is the daughter of DUer Joe Otterbein.
I don't always agree with Holly, but I think she's correct about this:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/03/what-we-know-about-the-democratic-primary-227996
I think that is pretty much the race, right? she noted. Right now a big part of the reason that Joe Biden is ahead is because hes just crushing every else among African-American voters. Pete is doing atrociously with black voters. Elizabeth Warren is not doing well Shes kind of won a lot of high-profile black activists over but shes not done well with the [broader] electorate there yet. Bernie is doing okayhes second usually, but hes just way behind Biden. And, you know, if no one can beat Biden on that front, then I think Biden has got the nomination.
The article came up with some other takes on the campaign, basically theories about it, that I believe didn't exactly hit the mark. I can agree with some of this section about how "razzle-dazzle has fizzled" but they don't seem to understand Biden's appeal:
So far the Democratic race has featured multiple candidates who credibly hoped to lay claim to that traditionand drew lots of news media cheerleading for their efforts. Beto ORourke has tried to channel the urgent electricity of Bobby Kennedys appeal; Pete Buttigiegs youth and Rhodes scholarship and teachers pet speaking style looked like it might make him this years Bill Clinton; Kamala Harriss poised bearing, combined with her prosecutorial brand of argument, drew 20,000 people to her announcement and seemed ready to become a Democratic sensation. Cory Booker and Julian Castro have reputations for being dynamic and even glamorous and have shown flashes of command on the debate stage.
So far, all these candidates after the first waves of interest and excitement are laboring to stay in the first tier (Buttigieg and Harris) or penetrate it at all (ORourke, Booker, Castro).
The year seems to be creating a new standard of charisma, as illustrated by the magnetism many Democrats feel toward Bernie Sanderss flyaway gray hair and give-em-hell leftism, or Elizabeth Warrens crisp, professorial town-hall performances. Biden, meanwhile, seems to be making the case that his familiar ol-Joe non-charisma is what Democrats need to unify the party and defeat Donald Trump.
They define charisma as "a combination of photogenic looks and rhetorical inspiration." And yet they dismiss Biden with a line about his "his familiar ol-Joe non-charisma."
I guess they haven't looked at Biden lately
https://tinyurl.com/y2bmq6ld
or considered that his ability to deliver great speeches reduced Rachel Maddow to fangirl raving after his 2016 DNC speech
or even considered the reactions to Biden's speech in Iowa a few weeks ago:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/07/bidens-big-speech/
Even the Washington Post's theater critic, who's very much a Warren fanboy, and who sniped at Biden otherwise, said that sometimes, watching Biden campaign, "You can feel you're watching a film star playing a presidential candidate."
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287240456
That's charisma.
It might be more of the sort of everyman-hero charisma of a Tom Hanks or a Jimmy Stewart, or Kevin Costner in some of his roles. But it's charisma.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BannonsLiver
(16,352 posts)A digital right wing tinged rag founded by a Reaganite that has contributed mightily to turning our politics into a never ending infotainment horse race narrative.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
highplainsdem
(48,959 posts)writer.
She's also -- as far as I can tell based on stories she's written -- probably a Sanders or Warren supporter (like her dad, apparently, from his posts), so her saying this about Biden struck me.
Of course, we've had plenty of discussions here at DU as well about how important that support from black voters is to Biden's lead.
But Holly's statement about it was particularly concise.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BannonsLiver
(16,352 posts)And yes I have read her dads vicious attacks on Biden here from time to time. I just figured thats where the bias came from.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
highplainsdem
(48,959 posts)while back that his guess is that most political reporters favor Warren, followed by Sanders and Harris and Buttigieg, in no particular order. That's been my impression, too. And Dave Weigel of the Washington Post tweeted recently that people in his Washington bubble tend to favor Warren and Sanders.
It isn't just Politico.
As for who Holly favors -- it's quite possible, since I'm reading her articles through the prism of knowing what her dad posts here, that I'm seeing more bias than is actually there.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Skya Rhen
(2,701 posts)smile and wit.
I have felt this way about him for over 25 years and still feel the exact way, today. There is no other politician, besides Obama, whose charisma compares to his - as far as I am concerned...
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Response to Skya Rhen (Reply #2)
BannonsLiver This message was self-deleted by its author.
seaglass
(8,171 posts)to be very charismatic. I do find Harris and O'Rourke to be.
I also don't find anything copied from this article to be either original or insightful, just a repeat of conventional wisdom. YMMV
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Cosmocat
(14,561 posts)election.
Seriously, the public at large seems determined to right the election of a deluded 80 year old white guy with a decent, nice 80 year old white guy.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)guys who just has and makes friends wherever he goes because he likes people and likes being with them. Over the years we've known a number of people who are always like that. Even when we don't know them well, we're friends when we meet. Their doing mostly, and so appreciated and reciprocated.
I think that's a big part of Biden's appeal, his substance. Contributing to but separate from the charisma most politicians have at least some of, including that peculiarly commonly seem in sociopaths, like Trump's.
Liking people in general, enjoying being with them, and having the confidence of knowing one is liked is very attractive literally and otherwise. And reassuring. It's real, and wherever we've gone, if one of those was there, we had a friend in the room.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
highplainsdem
(48,959 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Gothmog
(145,086 posts)No one will be able to win the nomination of the Democratic Party without the support of African American voters.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Tarheel_Dem
(31,230 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
LincolnRossiter
(560 posts)to run the table in the states with significant black and brown representationespecially the South.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Cha
(297,123 posts)like Biden envy. And ".. Hillary not inspiring.." ".. Al Gore.. boring..".. ".. rather have a beer with ******* bush.. "
IOW.. reporter talk for what they think and are trying to push on the American public.
I don't let them think for me.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
highplainsdem
(48,959 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
betsuni
(25,455 posts)At least some in the press apologized later for what they did to Gore. Then they go and do the same damn thing. It's like they want us to stay in high school our entire lives.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Cha
(297,123 posts)stays in high school or lower.. doesn't mean the America public does.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
betsuni
(25,455 posts)This part confused me. They say being authentic is having some kind of flaw, not being polished: Trump's off the cuff craziness, Biden's gaffs, Warren's wonkiness, Bernie's repeating the same things over and over. People like authenticity. But the last Democratic nominee was constantly called a "flawed candidate" but was not considered authentic.
And OF COURSE Biden has charisma.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden