Member-only story
I Underestimated Joe Biden
An old dog learned new tricks.
Citing certain lagging indicators (waning support, money problems, an enthusiasm gap, etc.) I asked a question last summer — is Joe Biden the new Jeb Bush?
Well, that didn’t age well.
I wondered if Biden’s brand could still resonate with the Democratic base. The progressive element of the electorate is energized, and Biden’s pragmatic centrism — a relic of a bygone era — might not be the soup du jour.
Alas, I was wrong. Let me be the first to admit that I underestimated Joe Biden.
We were promised gaffes, but there haven’t been many. Of course, the “you ain’t black” comment was cringeworthy, but part of its noteworthiness was its uniqueness. Had Biden made similarly outrageous comments regularly, as was anticipated, it would be harder to remember specific examples.
I am particularly struck with Biden’s ability, even as a mature statesman, to evolve. During the primary, his campaign struggled to raise money, routinely finishing in the second or third tier among his Democratic colleagues. As the nominee, Biden has raised nearly three quarters of a billion dollars in just August and September alone. In October, so far, Biden is tripling Trump’s fundraising, making the Biden campaign an absolute financial juggernaut. The…
