While Joe Biden enjoys a comfortable lead in early polls, the former vice president’s 24 Democratic primary rivals believe he’s vulnerable. Nine will appear onstage with him at Thursday’s debate, the second straight night of intraparty face-offs. Here’s what he’ll need to do and avoid to succeed.
1. Stay on script
Biden has stubbornly shrugged off the advice of his official campaign staffers about sticking to the script. But the famously loquacious former senator from Delaware has gone his own way, even musing about past working relationships with segregationist senators. At a debate where each candidate will be severely limited in how much time they have to speak, Biden has to make sure not to let his entire performance be defined by a single gaffe from which he won’t be able to backtrack.
2. Don’t commit to any policies or positions you’ll have to reverse
Whereas his campaign has been slow in rolling out specific policy proposals, one of the defining moments of his campaign of late was a reversal of his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment, a federal provision barring taxpayer funds from most abortion procedures. That all changed at an Atlanta, Georgia, dinner this month when he flip-flopped on the issue despite defending his position just 24 hours beforehand. While many candidates tonight, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, will be touting their support for government-sponsored healthcare, Biden has to make sure he doesn’t casually offer support for more liberal policies that could end up hurting him in a general election against President Trump.
3. Play nice
Biden has repeatedly said he won’t attack his fellow primary candidates, but that might prove difficult as a vulnerable front-runner in such a crowded field. On Thursday, Biden was asked by a reporter what he’ll do if his opponents attack him on stage.
“Hug ’em,” he answered. Let’s hope he doesn’t get too close.
4. Speak clearly
During his first few public campaign events in Iowa, Biden came across as a little more than rusty. It’s no secret he once struggled with a stutter through high school, but his early performances on the campaign trail were defined by stammers and slurs. At some points, such as the rally in Cedar Rapids, Biden’s words were nearly indecipherable. One reporter for a major outlet told the Washington Examiner, following an event, that Biden suffered from “old-man mouth.” So far, Biden seems to have worked a lot of the vocal kinks out.
5. Stress experience without stressing age
Biden’s greatest asset in the primary is the fact that he served alongside a popular former Democratic president, Barack Obama, even if he can’t yet snag an official endorsement. While there’s no doubt the Democratic Party has moved a long way since the Obama years, many of Biden’s supporters view him as the man who knows how to get things done.
Yet his decades in the Senate, one of the primary reasons Obama chose him for veep in the first place, also open him up to attacks that he’s out of touch. As he’s sharing a stage with Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, he’ll have to demonstrate that he’s the adult in the room, but not quite ready for retirement.
