OPINION: Three ways President Biden helped Kamala Harris warm up to Donald Trump
President Joe Biden just went from being Kamala Harris’s worst enemy to being her greatest asset. I say that because the awkward, insecure Joe Biden of three and a half weeks ago and since the disastrous presidential debate was absent Wednesday night.
To be sure, there were a few moments, and more than a few moments, when he faltered over words and phrases in his address to the nation in the Oval Office. But the most important was the brief, roughly ten-minute summary that Biden offered Americans of his accomplishments. On Wednesday night, in the absence of a partisan political campaign, they suddenly seemed much more compelling than they had during the now-over Biden-president campaign.
I say this because every point of approval Biden gains from here on out will undoubtedly translate into additional support for Vice President Kamala Harris in her race against Donald Trump.
In his brief speech, Biden convincingly presented his case for leadership — both domestically and internationally — without direct partisan attacks or harsh, strident rhetoric.
Most tellingly, Biden has addressed a theme that neither he nor Democrats could have articulated when he was a candidate: “Passing the torch to a new generation.” The president sought to inoculate Harris, perhaps not entirely convincingly, against his greatest flaw: the southern border and unfettered illegal immigration.
Similarly, Biden has made what I consider a strong case for unity, stability and, above all, democracy.
I don’t believe, and I wouldn’t want to say, that this speech is going to fundamentally change or alter the campaign going forward. But it does suggest that Joe Biden has been revitalized and can play three important roles for Vice President Harris.
First, as Biden’s chief domestic and foreign policy advocate. Second, as the chief advocate for a new, frankly unprecedented face on the national stage—the sitting vice president. And third, and this should not be underestimated, after Wednesday’s speech there will be a revitalized and resurgent ability to raise huge sums of money to fight Donald Trump and the Republicans.
Make no mistake, Joe Biden, with his brief 10-minute speech, has gone from pariah status among donors to celebrity. The president, who just a week ago was shunned by the party’s wealthiest and most influential donors, will no doubt be welcomed back into the living rooms of the Upper East Side in West Los Angeles as he simultaneously defends his administration and that of his hoped-for successor.
Finally, the president’s speech gives Democrats something they frankly lacked until Wednesday night: a sitting president who can stand up for the party. Biden will undoubtedly join former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in demonstrating the new Democratic unity, both at the convention and beyond. Harris now has the opportunity, both on her own and with her vice presidential pick, to lay out her own vision of the America she hopes to lead.
I still consider Donald Trump the frontrunner in the 2024 election, as polls narrowly show. But with an increasingly convincing Joe Biden, a united Democratic Party, and three presidents to champion her interests, Kamala Harris has a much better chance of winning this election than anyone would have thought a few days ago.
