Everyone Gangs Up On Biden in the Second Debate But He Holds His Own & Takes Aim at Trump
As in the first debate, everyone took shots at front-runner Joe Biden last night in Detroit, on everything from his past criminal justice policies to Obama-era deportations. Unlike the last time, however, he held his own and seemed more relaxed and assured. Biden was prepared for the onslaught that comes with leading in the polls. He now realizes that every vote and policy position he has taken since he was first elected to the New Castle, DE County Council in 1970 will be scrutinized and debated.
The former Vice-President also laid out a series of progressive, but comparably moderate, policy positions that differ markedly from his more left-leaning rivals such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. His approach as President would be to build on the successes of the Obama administration on issues such as health care and the environment. He would add a "public/Medicare option" to Obamacare and roll back Trump's pro-coal environmental polices, for instance. He has argued that the Green New Deal, decriminalizing border crossings and phasing out private health insurance will drive moderates and independents away from the party in 2020.
New York Times: "But he highlighted both his close association with a popular Barack Obama and his brand of moderation that has led many voters to view him as the party’s best coalition-builder in a general election against President Trump. He resisted calls to decriminalize the border or embrace a system of solely government-provided health care."
“My response is: Obamacare is working,” he said."
Biden has regained his substantial lead in the polls after a bit of a swoon following the first debate. He is the choice among moderates in the party and has far more legislative and foreign policy experience than any of his rivals. Moreover, in head-to-head competition with Donald Trump he has a double digit polling edge, even in the most recent Fox News Poll.
The former Vice-President does have several vulnerabilities including his age and all those votes he has taken over the last 50 years. He will continued to get hammered on both, and as his competition is whittled down over the next few months expect those attacks to get sharper.
Biden, however, seems mostly content to focus his most scathing attacks on Donald Trump.
The Atlantic: “Mr. President, this is America,” Biden said, “and we are stronger and greater because of this diversity, ...not in spite of it, ... So Mr. President, let’s get something straight. We love it. We are not leaving it. We are here to stay and we’re certainly not going to leave it to you.”
By: Don Lam & Curated Content
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