#HoyasInIA: Election Emotions Following Biden's GOTC Rally
KELVIN DOE: Yesterday, when I wrote my first article for On The Record, I implied it would be a part of a larger series of articles about different “rules” of the Iowa Caucus and how my experiences in the state have challenged my preconceptions. Due to the ever-evolving nature of our trip, I have a much more personal topic to cover. The following article is my take on the Biden GOTC rally and the significance of what it means for his campaign.
Personally, I’m a Warren supporter. I like her energy, her ideas, and her message. Most importantly, she gives me hope. But this article isn’t about her. Joe Biden gives me that same sense of hope. Some perceive him as a relic of a bygone era, but I see more than that.
One of the most important things I look for in a candidate is the ability to create change. When I evaluate the 2020 hopefuls, I’m searching for someone who is willing to buck popular opinion and ignore their own political savvy to tell people what they believe in. This is a quality I see in Warren, and that I saw in Biden before.
In 2012, marriage equality was a dicey subject for the Obama Administration. The administration's progress on same-sex marriage legislation was slow, yet politically safe — Biden changed that. By being the highest-level US official to come out in full support of Same-Sex Marriage, Biden caused a divide in the executive. In the end, Biden forced Obama’s hand and put the entire administration on board with marriage equality. That’s the Biden I admire so much, the one who shapes popular opinion rather than bending to it. In my opinion, this one act of moral strength propels him to the top of the field. That’s why, despite his firm placement in the moderate wing of the party, he was my strong second choice. Until I went to his rally…
Reflecting on Biden’s Rally
Upon reflection, Biden’s rally put me in an incredibly volatile mix of different moods. In the beginning, I was immersed in the hype, but over time I began to feel a growing tangle of emotions. Sitting here now, about three hours after the rally, I feel the same existential sense of dread I get when watching an episode of Black Mirror. Not only did I lose hope in a Biden candidacy, but I also lost a deep feeling of stability that I didn’t know I had.
When I first walked into the Biden rally, I was pleasantly surprised by the age diversity in the room. I expected to leave feeling more enthusiastic about my second-choice candidate. I was very wrong.
His introductory speaker was his sister, who spoke to his moral character, humanizing him–– that's important for someone as distinguished as the Former Vice President. Following his sister’s speech, the leader of the Firefighter’s Union spoke. After he was done, we gave a warm welcome to… Joe Biden ads, playing on two small screens, pushed to the edges of this basketball court? What’s the point of an advertisement when you’re at a political rally? Six people spoke before Biden got on stage. You might ask, “What did they say?” Well, I wouldn’t know, I stopped paying attention after the first three.
When Joe and Jill Biden walked up on that stage, they received a round of applause, and I felt the way Joe Biden could command respect by his presence alone. I very nearly forgot how annoyed I was at the wait, and prepared myself for his speech… then his wife talked. I wasn’t surprised.
Biden eventually took the mic and proceeded to thank people for the next seven minutes–– I was surprised he didn’t give a shout-out to Joey on Camera 2. He then gave a long, angry speech about how “Trump is bad.” This man who had seven speakers heap him with praise about his kindness and moral values spent his entire speech talking about how terrible President Trump is. In a rally nearly two hours long, Joe Biden talked for a mere 22 minutes. My disappointment had little to do with Biden’s performance, but rather with the more profound issues that this rally highlighted.
The Takeaway
Joe Biden’s surrogates spoke for longer than he did, and that’s a problem. Someone can praise Biden until they are blue in the face, but voters judge character for themselves. Without demonstrating the traits he wants to be known for, Joe Biden’s attempt to frame himself as a calm and empathetic candidate is outweighed by his overly impassioned and confused shouting. Having amazing speakers like John Kerry does not compensate. At the end of the day, I’m not voting for John Kerry. Biden’s issue is that he will let other politicians speak for him, and he will let ads speak for him, but he won’t ever speak for himself. Instead of using his rally as an opportunity to energize the audience by explaining his plans for the future, he repeated what we already know.
Biden’s own campaign has no faith in him. As a campaign, there is no reason to delay a candidate’s speech with random sideshows unless you think he will make a fool of himself. And if you can’t trust a candidate to present the best case for himself, why should I? If Biden becomes the nominee, he will have to debate Trump; that is a fate no amount of surrogates can protect him from. If there are trust issues between the candidate and the campaign about something as fundamental as the campaign message, I see little to support.
I sound incredibly critical of Biden at the moment, but that’s because of how viable a candidate I think he could have been. Biden actually sounds empathetic when he talks about his life. Whether he intends to be or not, he can be occasionally funny, even charming. Yes, he does have his gaffes, but those can be inoculated. All Biden’s team needs to do is to trust him, let him loose, and handle the blowback; but they don’t. Instead, they restrain him behind seven other people and make it look like they wish anyone other than Biden was the candidate. Regardless of how well they try to hide Biden’s weaknesses, they will come to light. If not in the primary, then in the general.
This whole time I’ve subconsciously thought that either Biden or Warren would get the nomination, and I was glad to fight for either. But after seeing that rally, I realized that Biden being the obvious nominee was something I took for granted. I no longer have that comfort. After that Biden rally, I read my article about Mike Bloomberg’s presidential strategy — and it scares me. His strategy makes too much sense now, and a Bloomberg nomination will further democratic party polarization. In a cycle telling us that the billionaires have too much power, what would a Bloomberg v. Trump race mean? Thoughts like these fuel my dread, and as of me writing this, I have no real reassurance.
Kelvin Doe is one of six students on the ground in Iowa with GU Politics. From January 31 through February 4, 2020, these students will be sharing their experience at the Iowa Caucus with OTR.