A leading Senate Democrat is concerned his party’s presumptive presidential nominee, former vice president Joe Biden is becoming an afterthought amid attention lavished in the coronavirus crisis on President Trump and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“It’s tricky territory. We’re in the midst of a national emergency. And, of course, Vice President Biden is not in office at this moment. He has not nailed down the nomination although it appears he will,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois told the Washington Examiner. “And he’s being careful that he doesn’t inject politics into this national debate about public health.”
In an effort to be part of the national conversation that relates to the COVID-19 virus crisis, Biden set up a TV studio complete with a podium in his Delaware residence basement to communicate with cable television network audiences. But his message has often been overshadowed by Trump’s daily press briefings with his White House Coronavirus Task Force or Cuomo’s press briefings in Albany.
David Axelrod, a Democratic campaign consultant who helped run Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008, though told the Washington Post that Biden’s attempts to seem presidential at this time were not working.
“I have some sympathy for [Biden] because it’s a hard thing. He has no formal responsibility. You can’t go out. You can’t have events. It’s hard,” Axelrod said, later adding, “But I think there are things he could do. You can do things that are more interesting than giving poorly produced quasi-presidential speeches.”
Durbin said some of Biden’s overshadowing is inevitable.
“Let’s be honest, [Cuomo] is the governor of one of our larger states. Unfortunately, the state is suffering more than most when it comes to this public health crisis. He’s articulate and not afraid to appear on camera for hours each day,” Durbin said. “I think he captures the media’s attention. They call him America’s governor. I happen to think there are others in the running for that title, but he has certainly is showing real leadership.”
