Trump's 'Sleepy Joe' Problem - WSJ op-ed

[question everything]

Yes, the WSJ by one of the less rabid commentator who was very much against Trump in 2016. And, yes, taking shots at us but interesting points. I hope that some will find it of interest instead of knee reaction of "right wing."

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(snip)

Mr. Trump’s rallies are beginning to resemble Phish concerts. Phish is the cult rock band whose fans will go anywhere, anytime to hear them play. Mr. Trump in concert makes a lot of claims for himself—I especially enjoyed Tuesday evening’s self-comparison to George Washington—but no one can dispute that the intensity of his presidential fan base is unmatched in our lifetime.

So why is he 10 points or more behind “Sleepy Joe Biden” in most head-to-head polls? The observable intensity of Mr. Biden’s support is nowhere near the scale of Mr. Trump’s... On Monday, the president bashed the just-released Fox News poll, which put Mr. Biden in front nationwide by 10 points. “Fox News Polls are always bad for me,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “Something weird going on at Fox.” I thought something quite interesting was going on inside that Fox poll, down in the details that don’t get much attention. Among Democratic primary voters, Mr. Biden holds his familiar double-digit lead over Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris. A little further down, Fox asked these Democratic voters whether they wanted “steady, reliable leadership” or a “bold, new agenda.” Steady and reliable crushed bold and new by 72% to 25%.

(snip)

In fact, when Fox asked these Democrats what they most wanted from their candidate, 74% chose “unite Americans” against just 23% who want to “fight against extreme right-wing beliefs.” Looks like there’s a silent majority inside the Democratic Party, unmoved by the propaganda of social media. These are the parts of the Fox poll, surfacing a nostalgia for steadiness and unity, that should upset the Trump campaign, not Mr. Biden’s 10-point lead 16 months before the election. Mr. Biden may be doing so well in the head-to-heads against Mr. Trump because many voters simply want respite from the nonstop Trumpian atmosphere of disruption and volatility. For them, “Sleepy Joe Biden” may not be an insult. Political belief still matters, but maybe not as much as neurological relief from political and personality overload.

(snip)

The Democratic left abhors Mr. Biden’s steady-Eddie candidacy. Progressives want big change of the sort Sens. Warren and Sanders are promising. “Together,” says Mr. Sanders, “we can transform society.” But if these polls are right, after four years of Donald Trump the prospect of being force-fed daily doses of Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders is unthinkable for a lot of people. Which suggests a footnote: If Mr. Biden self-destructs, the likely beneficiary could be bright, inoffensive Pete Buttigieg, the mayor from “Our Town,” whose improbable but steady rise is perhaps not so mysterious after all.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-sleepy-joe-problem-11560985060 (paid subscription)

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. Trump fears Biden MORE than he does the others running for the Nomination....

Because it is Joe Biden, flaws and all, who has the best chance to defeat Trump in 2020. For he will go punch for punch with Trump, and play him for the fool that he is. Joe never backs down from a fight. He knows where Trump's weak spots are more than the others may know, save for Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren.

Trump can try to brow beat the women as he did with Hillary Clinton, but he cannot do that with Joe Biden, the seasoned veteran.


Just my 2 cents worth.

[emmaverybo]

2. I agree. Joe can slay him with his smile, humiliate him with a laugh. The optics would provide

real contrast between men close in age. I’d love to see Trump try to debate foreign policy issues with Joe. Or just about anything.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

4. Joe did that with both Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan...

That smile, the laugh when Joe knew Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan were lying through their teeth. Calling "Mularkey" on their responses.

The cameras will be on Joe, how he responds when he says "Are you serious?" without laughing when Trump says something so off the wall that he does have to laugh. That will get Trump mad because I doubt Joe will not resist saying "NO, you can't do that " right at Trump's face before millions of people watching a debate. Again, knowing how to lay a trap and Trump falls right into it.

[DonViejo]

3. Who wrote the op-ed?

[question everything]

5. Sorry, Daniel Henninger

Should have included this info

[peggysue2]

6. We shouldn't be too surprised by this

In April, the NYT ran the results of a study indicating that what one sees on social media does not represent the Democratic Party. The voices on the Far Left may be louder, more insistent. But the fact remains that the largest contingent of Dems fall in the slightly liberal, moderate, & conservative slots. They're the voters who determine the outcome of our races. And for 2020 after the clown show that is Trump? Voters want a return to stability.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/08/upshot/democratic-electorate-twitter-real-life.html