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Joe Biden skipping straight to the general election
Hot Air.com ^ | June 6, 2019 | JAZZ SHAW

Posted on 06/06/2019 3:15:34 PM PDT by Kaslin

Where in the world is Joe Biden? The 2020 Democratic primary frontrunner is missing out on all of the big parties. He was a no-show at the California Democratic convention and he’s also RSVP’d in the negative for some other major cattle calls. Rather than the early primary/caucus states, Joe is knocking around in the swing states. That’s prompting some people, like Seth Mclaughlin at the Washington Times to ask the question… is Biden hidin‘?

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden has left his fellow 2020 presidential candidates and local party leaders in early voting states miffed with his light and strictly scripted campaign schedule.

His latest no-show will come this weekend where he’ll miss the first big Iowa cattle call of the 2020 presidential election, which 19 other Democrats will attend. Last weekend, he skipped out on California Democrats’ convention, where 14 rivals spoke.

Instead, Mr. Biden is dictating his own schedule, with an eye toward the general election rather than the primary schedule.

Rather than California, he was in Ohio last weekend, headlining a Human Rights Campaign gala.

Allow me to take a stab at Seth’s question. In terms of whether or not Uncle Joe is “hiding,” that depends on who you think he’s hiding from and who is doing the actual hiding.

Biden most likely isn’t attending any of these big events because both he and his advisors know that there’s no real upside to showing up. When you’re this far ahead in the polls, jumping into the scrum with all of the third tier candidates who are down in single digits is fruitless. It’s punching down. They have nothing to lose by going after him and has very little to gain. All he would be doing is setting himself up for another chance to stick his foot in his mouth. (Reference his recent Hyde Amendment mix-up.)

By staying in lower traffic (but still very important) states, Biden gets to keep the stage pretty much to himself. And by sticking to a carefully scripted message and not winging it too much, he can probably avoid too many own goal moments. In terms of tone, the goal here appears to be allowing the voters to see a guy who has already moved past the primary scuffle and is running against Donald Trump in the general election.

Of course, you can definitely overplay that hand if you’re not careful. In ignoring the rest of the field, he’s also ignoring the Democratic voters in some key early states. If he’s not willing to show up and play, they may start looking at other options. Also, Biden shouldn’t risk coming off too cocky, as if he’s already got this thing in the bag. Voters don’t tend to go in for smugness.

Biden will have to show up somewhere to mix it up, even if it’s not until the debates. He’s sitting on a double-digit lead over everyone else at the moment and that’s great news for him. But it’s still not nearly a majority, and when a bunch of the others start dropping out, support will begin to coalesce around some non-Biden candidate. He hasn’t won anything yet.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Iowa; US: New Hampshire
KEYWORDS: 2020demprimaries; biden; biden2020; bidenagenda; bidenhealth; bidenstrategy; democrats; generalelection; joebiden
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To: Kaslin

Ah...Biden and his team have decided to go with the Hillary 2016 strategy. Genius...pure genius. :)


21 posted on 06/06/2019 3:34:45 PM PDT by mort56
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To: Kaslin

You really CAN hold your breath until Biden is out. There is no way he will be the nominee. He’s worse than Jeb.


22 posted on 06/06/2019 3:34:58 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Fiddlstix

Well, he was right.


23 posted on 06/06/2019 3:37:50 PM PDT by laplata (The Left/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: mort56

He needs a Scooby Van!


24 posted on 06/06/2019 3:37:59 PM PDT by freedomlover
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To: Kaslin

Want to see/interview Biden?

He is over 70

Call on him at 3:30 AM when he gets up to pee.


25 posted on 06/06/2019 3:38:22 PM PDT by N. Theknow (Kennedys-Can't drive, can't ski, can't fly, can't skipper a boat-But they know what's best for you.)
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To: Yaelle

Biden knows these are all fringe candidates and mainstream liberals would rather stay home then vote for one of them. Biden doesn’t need the loony vote. He will win the nomination by keeping his mouth shut and hitting the states that Hillary wouldn’t go to. Taking into account that blue states will vote blue and red states will vote red, if Biden is the nominee than the state that has to be won is Ohio.


26 posted on 06/06/2019 3:41:51 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Trump is President and CEO of America, Inc.)
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To: Alberta's Child

I was thinking “He’s planning to win the nomination without the base”.


27 posted on 06/06/2019 3:42:42 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: laplata
Well, he was right.

I thought about that right after I hit the 'post' button.....
Oh, Well! Too late.....

28 posted on 06/06/2019 3:43:07 PM PDT by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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Trump vs Biden will be the debates we truly deserve.


29 posted on 06/06/2019 3:46:31 PM PDT by proust (Justice delayed is injustice.)
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To: N. Theknow

"Call on him at 3:30 AM when he gets up to pee."


Then, post that interview online, in a pee-d-f file.

30 posted on 06/06/2019 3:47:00 PM PDT by Songcraft
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To: Kaslin

I would love to watch him in a debate with Trump.


31 posted on 06/06/2019 3:54:14 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Just Consider Me A Random Fact Generator ~ Eat Sleep Fly Repeat ~)
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To: Kaslin

What about his health? Because somebody recently mentioned he has had brain surgery and this might be the reason for some of his very odd behavior.


32 posted on 06/06/2019 4:02:02 PM PDT by Missouri gal
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To: Kaslin

His campaign will never get to election day. I’m waiting for a huge scandal be it molesting a female or bribery.


33 posted on 06/06/2019 4:05:14 PM PDT by bgill (when you badmouth women, you are badmouthing your mama and the good women on FR)
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To: Kaslin

Put out some children to fondle and sniff as bait. Creepy Joe will show up.


34 posted on 06/06/2019 4:05:19 PM PDT by Moonman62 (Facts are racist.)
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To: Alberta's Child

The bullet train from Bakersfield to Modesto....
35 posted on 06/06/2019 4:18:06 PM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
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To: bgill

Or son Hunter and Ukrainian bribes


36 posted on 06/06/2019 4:19:08 PM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
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To: Kaslin

Giving a few speeches to tiny crowds of 200 or less (usually less) is not exactly a winning strategy for the general election. Also, announcing that LBGT rights and Global Warming are his two priorities is also not exactly a winning strategy for the general either. Proclaiming that the Chinese are “good folks” who don’t really know what they are doing and are not our competition is also not a good strategy. But, I say let him continue doing exactly what he’s doing.


37 posted on 06/06/2019 4:22:40 PM PDT by euram (is)
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To: Kaslin

wonder if he’ll skip the debates too? it’s not a bad strategy on his part to remain underground so people won’t see how feeble he is, both mentally and physically ...

if he DOES take to the primary debates, I wonder if the other contenders will go easy on him?

of course, it would be great if Bidn DOES get the nomination and then implodes debating Trump live on national television ...


38 posted on 06/06/2019 4:23:08 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Kaslin

Go Biden!
(disclaimer, I have money riding on him being the nominee). In the general I think he gets beat like a pinata.


39 posted on 06/06/2019 4:29:10 PM PDT by DaxtonBrown
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To: Kaslin

It worked for Hillary


40 posted on 06/06/2019 4:41:18 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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