President Trump is not running against former Vice President Joe Biden, no matter what the ballot reads. Even Democrat voters admit the election has less to do with their candidate. This election pits President Trump versus Donald Trump. Running against yourself is a first in modern political history
The recent Democratic Party National Convention focused on Mr. Trump at the expense of their candidate. It was a hate-fest loaded with speaker-after-speaker who skewered the man with the orange tan. Each word dripped vitriol. Mr. Trump was the devil in disguise with the bad comb-over.
For a majority of Democrats, their candidate might as well not exist. (And he mostly has been MIA.) They have only one candidate: ABT (Anybody But Trump). The party, since 2016, has targeted removing him from office by whatever means necessary. Now they have a legitimate opportunity.
And let's face it, Joe Biden was not the party faithful's first choice. His resume includes two failed races for the White House. He was trailing in the early primaries before the power brokers anointed him their guy to avoid a potential election disaster with socialist Bernie Sanders heading the ticket.
Even former President Obama dawdled until the race was settled before endorsing his former veep, whose campaign lacked the electricity of Sanders. Biden allies are still flustered over Mr. Obama's betrayal when he embraced Hillary Clinton as his successor. Perhaps, Mr. Obama knew Mr. Biden is unelectable.
Mr. Biden has the charisma of a turnip. And that's unkind to turnips. He shuffles on stage wearing a mask. His speeches ramble. His mental flubs are legendary. The few media interviews he has granted end in nonsensical malapropisms. He seldom ventures outside his basement to face questions.
Let's pause here for the Democrat response. None of this matters. People loath Donald Trump. He is the opposite of likable, kindly Joe. A reckless, strident, narcissist. He is a science denier who allowed a virus to bring America to its knees. He is a racist and unpresidential. And have you seen his Tweets? Gag!
Whipping up pathological revulsion for the enemy may work for Democrats. But party leaders are clearly worried about voter enthusiasm. That is why Sen. Kamala Harris was tapped for the second spot on the ticket. Democrats keep reminding us she is a "woman of color." I guess no one has ever seen her photo.
Now the newly minuted vice presidential candidate is front and center in the campaign. Sen. Harris is likely to be the face of the Democratic Party presidential race, relegating Mr. Biden to appear groundhog-like from his bunker. The strategy certainly appears to be on target with voters.
After Biden became the apparent nominee, polls showed the 77-year-old with a double digit lead. Some had the former Delaware senator 15 points ahead of the president. Now the polls are tightening with 65 days until the election and a wave of panic has risen, a disturbing reminder of what happened in 2016.
A clear majority (58%) of Democrats say their vote is mostly "about opposing Trump." Only three in ten Democrats (36%) admit their decision to vote for Biden is more about their candidate. In comparison, 74% of Trump voters say they are backing their candidate rather than opposing Mr. Biden.
The nonpartisan Pew Research Center's latest survey underscores the shifting tide nationwide. Mr. Biden currently enjoys an eight point lead, but it was 10 points a few months ago. The Real Clear Politics average of all polls has Biden ahead by eight percentage points, down from a 10 point margin.
Just when giddy Democrats were popping champagne corks, the latest Rasmussen Reports national presidential poll was released at the end of last week. It showed Mr. Biden holding a razor-thin lead over President Trump: 46% to 45%. What was a runaway election, suddenly looks like a squeaker.
Several polls rate some of the most important swing states as toss-ups after Mr. Biden was ahead in earlier research. The two candidates are virtually tied in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Since the election is decided by the Electoral College, state polls are a better barometer than national surveys.
Mr. Biden's slippage can partly be attributed to a growing suspicion among voters about his diminished mental capacity. Political research firm Zogby International polled 1,007 likely voters and found that 55% believe Mr. Obama's former wingman "is in the early stages of dementia."
A breakdown of the results shows 55% of independent voters and 32% of Democrats agree with the premise of intellectual impairment. Even worse for Democrats, a majority of women (50%) are on board too. Women are a key demographic for the Democrat presidential candidate.
Democrats who suggest the subject of Mr. Biden's dementia is off limits have convenient amnesia. The party and its candidates openly questioned President Ronald Reagan's mental capacity during his campaign for a second term. No one thought it was inappropriate given his age.
For the record, Mr. Reagan was 77-years old when he left office in January, 1989. Mr. Biden will be the exact same age on January 20, when he will be sworn in if he wins the presidential office. At the time of his election, Mr. Trump was age 70.
Of course, Democrats have trashed Mr. Trump's mental acuity since his election and every day since. The man is certifiably bat poop crazy, their lackeys in the media hee-haw at every opportunity. If mental health is legitimate issue for Mr. Trump, then it certainly should be applicable to Mr. Biden.
Voters even predict Mr. Biden will not serve out his first term, if elected. The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey finds 59% of likely voters believe the former veep's running mate will become president before the first term concludes. That includes a near majority (49%) of his own party's voters.
So Democrats have to wonder. How does a politician who voters believe may be mentally unfit and too old to serve out a four-year term appeal to the electorate? The current strategy appears to be avoiding the media except for the occasional friendly MSNBC or CNN interview, while Sen. Harris shines.
There so many other strange qualities about this race. The Coronavirus has shutdown the normal campaigning that flourishes at this juncture in the race. Virtual campaigning is a non sequitur. The excitement of a crowd is missing. There is little emotion. Interest is dwindling among the electorate.
If you doubt that assessment, consider the viewership for recent political conventions. Both parties failed to garner the same audience ratings as they did in 2016. Interestingly, the most watched evening of the Democratic Convention was the night former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke.
The Coronavirus also has stolen Mr. Trump's secret campaign weapon: large indoor rallies. His packed rallies in 2016 built voter enthusiasm and turned political elections on its head. No one had campaigned that way, eschewing media advertising for the most part to increase turnout.
Both parties are anguishing over voter turnout, the key to winning any election. Since Trump voters are more motivated according to polling, that cannot be good news for Democrats. They are counting on Trump Derangement Syndrome to galvanize their legions to return their mail ballots.
Issues have taken a backseat to hatred. The Democrats top theme is how Mr. Trump bungled the handling of the Coronavirus. With many schools still closed and businesses struggling to reopen, the Democrats are mining the rich vein of anger about the seemingly endless quarantine regime.
However, Democrats have served up a prime issue for Republicans. Incessant rioting in Democrat-controlled cities and the steady march to defund police departments has struck a chord with many voters. Republicans are drumbeating the issue of "law and order," a winner in past elections.
In the aftermath of rioting, Mr. Trump's approval rating soared to 52% last week in a Zogby analytics poll. "The president has recorded his best job approval rating on record," said pollster Jonathan Zogby. Mr. Trump's job rating among African-Americans climbed to 36%, an alarming trend for Mr. Biden.
Despite the news, Democrats are maintaining a facade of confidence. Mr. Biden has already hinted at some of his likely cabinet choices, including the likes of Elizabeth Warren and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. His minions probably are considering ideas for redecorating the Oval Office. He is a shoo-in.
In fact, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently shocked some political pundits when she openly suggested Mr. Biden should skip the presidential debates. "I don't think there should be any debates," she said, claiming President Trump will make any confrontation "an exercise in skullduggery."
With a comfortable lead in national polls, other Democrats share Ms. Pelosi's opinion but have expressed their views privately. They picture the debates as a lose-lose proposition for Mr. Biden. They don't trust him on the debate stage because of his penchant for verbal mischief and think he will be bested by Trump.
That may explain why Democrats are preparing for the worst. Two organizations with Democrat fingerprints have been formed with the mission of ensuring Mr. Trump leaves office when he is vanquished and preserving election integrity. The groups are Stand Up America and Indivisible Action.
Despite their stated purpose, some suspect their real intent is to unleash a storm of protests if Mr. Trump wins the election. One of their leaders admitted on One America News that his group would stir up chaos about the results, raising issues about outside interference in the election. Sound familiar?
And the Biden campaign has assembled a group of 600 lawyers and thousands of others to prepare for possible "chicanery" in the November election. According to his campaign, about 10,000 volunteers have signed on to stake-out polling places. That seems odd in light of Democrat focus on mail-in voting.
An anticipated record number of mail-in ballots raises the specter of delays in announcing the state results on election night. In a tightly contested race, this could drag on for weeks or even months. It heightens the prospect of a contentious political legal battle like the nation has never experienced.
That would be the capstone on this surreal presidential race.
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