Biden Allies Float New Anti-Gaffe Strategy: Talking Less

By Eric Lutz, Vanity Fair

20 August 19

“He needs to be a strong force on the campaign trail,” said one source close to the Biden campaign, “but he also has to pace himself.”

oe Biden has led the Democratic field since entering the race last spring, largely on the strength of name recognition and the goodwill he’s built up within the party establishment. But some of his advisers have grown increasingly anxious as his gaffes pile up on the 2020 trail. Now, according to a new report, some Biden allies are proposing a plan to limit the bloopers: restrict his public appearances.

According to the Hill, some close to Biden are floating scaling back his campaign schedule to limit his verbal stumbles. The proposed schedule reduction would appear to serve two purposes: to give his opponents, both in the primary and potentially in the general election, fewer blunders to capitalize on, and to give him more time to rest ahead of what may be a grueling race for the 76-year-old. “He needs to be a strong force on the campaign trail,” one source close to the Biden campaign told the Hill, “but he also has to pace himself.”

Biden has put his foot in his mouth on several occasions so far, including during a trip to Iowa last week. At a series of events in the key caucus state, he mixed up living former British Prime Minister Theresa May with deceased former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, mistakenly claimed to have met with Parkland shooting survivors while he was vice president, and said that “poor kids” were as smart as “white kids”—a slip-up that some read as revealing of antiquated views on race and class.

To his campaign and supporters, that’s just part of the package for the folksy, shoots-from-the-hip former veep. “Joe Biden has spoken his mind his entire life, which voters know and love about him,” Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, told the Hill. “He’s a real person, he’s authentic, and that will never change.” But Donald Trump has already latched onto his rival’s mistakes, despite being a prolific gaffe and lie factory himself. “Joe is not playing with a full deck,” he told reporters last week.

While it might be easy to write off the president’s attacks, Biden’s continued stumbles have raised questions about his electability, one of his key selling points as a candidate. Polls show that he has maintained a comfortable lead despite the parade of follies and a pair of flat debate performances, but they’ve also shown steady gains by opponents Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, both of whom have impressed in debates and settled into a groove on the campaign trail. If he keeps stepping in it, Biden could give his Democratic rivals room to cut even further into his lead, and potentially give Trump material to work with, should he get the Democratic nod. But if he pulls back from the trail, he may disappoint supporters. “Everyone wants to see Joe Biden be Joe Biden,” an ally told the Hill. “If he’s held back in any way, that’s almost the antithesis of who he is.”

For now, it seems unlikely that Biden will cut back his campaigning. As the Biden ally told the Hill, the former vice president has always had a somewhat improvisational approach to politics, and for many of his supporters, that’s part of the charm. “I think you’ll see the same schedule and maybe even more Joe Biden,” the ally said. And, as one Democratic donor pointed out, he may not have much of a choice. “A lot of people are nervous that he’s lost some of his mojo,” the major funder told the Hill. “They’re getting nervous about him going toe to toe with Trump. But the problem is, there doesn’t seem to be an alternative.”