John T. Bennett | (TNS) CQ-Roll Call
WASHINGTON — The upcoming presidential election looks like a classic story of a slow tortoise racing against a fast hare.
Donald Trump, the presumed Republican nominee, is seen as the high-energy rabbit. His vigorous and erratic campaign style reminds people of his successful 2016 campaign. His 2020 reelection campaign was less energetic due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic nominee, has adopted the role of the methodical tortoise. Campaign aides and allies expressed confidence that despite Trump's ability to attract constant attention, Biden can beat him again with a slow-and-steady approach.
Sen. Bob Casey, a close Biden ally, believes that the president will be able to convey his message by the end of the campaign, demonstrating the contrast between them.
Like other Democratic members, Casey believes that time is on Biden's side, with seven-and-a-half months left in the campaign.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida predicted that most voters would be tired of what she called Trump's 'venomous explosions of a lunatic'.
Wasserman Schultz advised Biden to focus on the priorities of the American people, such as prescription drug costs, job creation, and a bipartisan infrastructure package.
Biden discussed these topics during his recent campaign stops in Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.
Biden and other Democrats have expressed concerns about Trump's plans if he were to lose the election, especially after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. They highlighted comments that Trump made during a March 16 rally near Dayton, Ohio, suggesting a potential 'bloodbath'.
Trump later clarified that he was referring to the impact on auto workers from competitors in Mexico if he did not win the presidency.
During the March 16 rally, Trump said, 'We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those guys if I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.'
But Trump’s efforts to hold others responsible for the commotion about his use of the word “bloodbath” reveal the difficulty Biden is up against.
In the days since, Trump has expressed strong opinions on his social media platform and in interviews with friendly media outlets. He has shifted blame, labeled it as another “hoax,” attempted to alter the meaning of his words, and used the statement to raise more campaign funds — which he is also using to pay his substantial legal bills.
“During a rally … I predicted a bloodbath for American auto manufacturing if Crooked Joe Biden were to win in November,” stated a Trump campaign fundraising email sent on March 20. “You already know what happened next. The FAKE NEWS used edited clips to viciously misquote me.”
Certainly, some media outlets, at least at the beginning, published reports that did not mention that Trump was discussing the American auto industry under a second Biden term. But his deflections ignore what could be the crucial words from that Ohio rally: “That’ll be the least of it.”
Trump and his representatives argue that his words should be interpreted as a general warning about the state of the country if Biden wins a second term. Not so fast, Democratic members said late last week.
They want Biden to do exactly what he did during the southwest tour: Confront such statements by his expected general election opponent almost every time he’s in front of a microphone.
“I think the president needs to ensure, as he has been, that he focuses on voters understanding and being aware of the impact that his presidency has had on improving their lives, and that we don’t want to go back to a time of chaos of having someone who is a wannabe autocrat,” Wasserman Schultz said, referring to Trump. “Someone who would allow [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to run over Ukraine, someone who also would withdraw us from NATO, someone who would make … the United States and Americans less safe.”
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said Biden and his campaign should find ways to take advantage of its “ground game advantage,” and focus primarily on issues like the economy and safeguarding programs like Social Security. When it comes to calling out Trump by name, Wyden said the campaign should “pick your spots.”
“I mean, again, you know, if you operate under the assumption that this is going to be eight more months, you want a mix of those kinds of messages to focus on, you know, economics … and taking this vast machinery of the federal government and moving it so that it actually helps people,” Wyden said. “That’s what people want to hear about — not just this noisy kind of rhetoric.”
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