It might have been a rather cheap act of political theater, but Joe Biden will benefit from his “Stand up for Vindman!” moment at the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire on Friday.
Vindman being Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a U.S. Army officer who, until Friday, was serving on the White House National Security Council. On Friday, Vindman was removed from his position, almost certainly at the direction of President Trump and almost certainly in retaliation for Vindman’s testimony before the House of Representatives during its impeachment investigation.
Yet, the key here is that Biden achieved two things with his show of support for Vindman. By calling on Democrats in the debate hall to stand up, Biden was able to show himself as an energetic leader who can mobilize Democrats into common cause. In this case, just about the whole room stood up and applauded for Vindman. It will suggest to primary voters that Biden is capable of bringing together an increasingly disparate Democratic Party. And the translation on TV cameras will be one of the former vice president finding his mojo again.
By appropriating Vindman’s plight as his own campaign rallying cry, Biden has also consolidated his national security credentials as the elder statesman of the Democratic Party. While it doesn’t seem to be cutting through at the moment, Biden does not have a path to the nomination unless he can persuade enough centrist Democratic voters that he is the safest bet — both as commander in chief and as the candidate to beat Trump. As the election progresses, and as Bernie Sanders continues to grow in support and confidence, Biden must hope that more centrist Democrats will find increasing favor in his “play it safe, play it strong” routine.
If nothing else, presidential candidate Biden’s theater on Friday showed him to be something he hasn’t shown thus far: a politician capable of seizing the initiative and driving the conversation. Even if only for a moment.
