Former vice president Joe Biden’s campaign has made the short-sighted decision to keep him as hidden as possible until Election Day, but judging from a new “conversation” between the candidate and Cardi B released ahead of the opening of the Democratic National Convention, we can at least say that Biden is in fact still alive.
Reporters might be kept as far away as possible from Biden, but he was allowed by his handlers to sit for a virtual video call with the rapper, hosted by Elle magazine. Most notable about the entire 16-minute affair, however, isn’t anything Biden says, but how highly edited the final product turned out.
Cardi B tells Biden that she wants him elected to replace President Trump and that she wants free healthcare and college for everyone. Biden slurs along in agreement with everything she says, and there’s nothing overtly offensive about the video — but what’s painfully obvious is how much had to be done to clean it up before it could be posted online.
Sections of Biden’s comments were obviously clipped out in about a dozen places, presumably to sharpen his answers and give the talk the impression of being concise. He’s seen talking multiple times before there’s an abrupt cut to Cardi B or a skip in the video to a separate part of whatever Biden was in the middle of saying.
Voters hear almost daily from Trump via live press conferences or impromptu meetings with reporters. For Biden, we get a packaged video with Cardi B.
It’s all a reminder that the campaign does not want the public seeing Biden as he is in his natural state, which is to say, lacking energy and prone to saying things that are a little condescending to minorities.
