Democrats typically speak a lot about class, characterizing Republicans as the party of big business and the rich (the most commonly cited thing people say they dislike about Republicans). In 2016, Clinton made that argument less often than Obama did when running against Romney, which meant attitudes toward the poor and resentment of the rich had no effects on voting in 2016 despite their strong effects in 2012. It will be interesting to see if Biden ramps up the class rhetoric, which was a staple of his early primary speeches.
This is a quiet callback to the 2008 DNC, when Duckworth introduced Beau Biden. Now, tragically, her speech is coming before his memorial video.
To Perry’s earlier point, so far the response on Twitter has been pretty flat, suggesting folks on social media agree about the lack of interesting new content.
It’s past 10 p.m. Eastern now, by the way, which means this is now being aired on network television.
Wow. Duckworth calls Trump a “coward-in-chief.”
So far, I’d say night 4 is much less compelling than night 3.
Yeah, Lee. Earlier this year, I found that Biden was doing notably better than Clinton among voters 45 or older, but especially the oldest age group (65+). If that at all holds up, it could have huge implications in a state like Florida.
From Perry’s story that Sarah mentioned:
“It is possible that 5 to 10 percent of the people who will vote for Biden in November backed either Romney in 2012 or Trump in 2016 and at some point identified as conservative or Republican.”
I’m just going to drop this story in again from Perry. Democrats already have the “Never Trumpers” in the bag, and I don’t think they’re terribly effective at reaching the Steve Bannon and Breitbart wing of the party.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth! Another veepstakes sweetheart, including in our vice presidential draft.
It looks like Democrats are really trying to persuade seniors who voted for Trump in 2016 but are considering Biden. A lot of this content seems targeted towards these older voters.
Yes, Micah. Voters still want compromise in principle and in practice, including bipartisanship. Democrats are also more likely to cite that quality in selecting a nominee.
This was the dullest first hour of the convention. Louis-Dreyfus has been great and funny, but it feels like they had to let a bunch of politicians talk (Booker, Bottoms), and none of them said anything that interesting. Not as many compelling stories from regular people.
So Geoff’s point about people wanting bipartisanship is interesting. I think a lot of people on the left and a lot of people in the media find the whole “reaching across the aisle” thing naive and cliche at this point. They view it as Obama’s big mistake. But the American people still want it?
Our latest election poll had Biden pulling 8 percent of self-identified Republican registered voters. I think that’s the target for all this.
Yeah, I agree with Nathaniel. It’s an attempt to replicate Democrats’ 2018 success in traditional GOP areas of the country with lots of college-educated voters.
Interesting, Amelia, so it could be for Democrats as much as it’s for Republicans?
This is the third time they have played this “Republicans for Joe” video.
Suburban, country-club Republicans, Kaleigh! Democrats are making a play to strike deep into the ancestrally red suburbs in places like Waukesha County, Wisconsin; Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Oakland County, Michigan; Maricopa County, Arizona; Cobb and Gwinnett counties, Georgia …
I mean, Kaleigh, during the primary, Democratic voters I talked with were really concerned about picking a nominee who could appeal to centrists. So I’d say that’s a primary audience here.
I think this gets at a couple things. First, we know that Biden is trying to win over as many voters as possible with a “popular front” sort of approach against Trump. Second, voters like bipartisanship, or at least lip service to it.
Galen, Nathaniel, what do you guys think the play is there? Who is that messaging for?
To Kaleigh’s point, for the numbers people: How big is the group of traditional Republican voters who are up for grabs this? (No matter how they might self-identify now in terms of party.)
It feels like there has been “ex-Republican voting for Biden” content every night of the convention; they’re really hitting viewers over the head with it. Then again, parties try to feature someone like that every year. Remember Democratic Sen. Zell Miller giving the keynote address at the 2004 RNC?
Either way it’s not representative of Republicans, 90 percent of whom approved of Trump in the latest Gallup poll.
Yet another segment of “reformed” Republicans who have jumped ship. I’m really curious what the play is here. Is it to encourage other right wing voters who aren’t happy to join the team? Are those people watching the DNC? Is it to demonstrate to the base how appealing the candidate is?
Nathaniel, we’ll have to ask @American_Voter on Twitter.
Democrats may have found the one 95-year-old, ex-military NRA member who is voting for Biden.
Yeah, Geoffrey and Lee, Baldwin ran way ahead of the now-Democratic Governor Tony Evers in 2018. I don’t think Biden will be able to replicate her coalition in Wisconsin, but they are going to do everything they can to try to get close.
Baldwin is a really talented speaker.
Baldwin is a fascinating political figure. She represented the very liberal seat around Madison and then won a close statewide race in 2012 against former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson. She was viewed as potentially in danger coming into the 2018 cycle, but it never panned out and she won reelection fairly comfortably.
Baldwin would have been a top contender for Biden’s running mate — if not for the fact that her becoming vice president would trigger a special election for her Senate seat in Wisconsin, which Republicans would have a good chance to win.
Here’s Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who garnered a little veepstakes buzz early on. She would have made history in her own right if selected as the first openly gay vice presidential candidate, but would have pulled the ticket further to the left. She has been a big proponent of single-payer health care since her days as a state senator.
Well, on that point Galen made about not wanting to rock the boat, one thing I’ve been thinking about regarding tonight’s lineup of speakers is that there’s a pretty specific pattern — a big cross section of the Democratic Party across age, race and gender — but not a lot of ideological diversity. Maybe that’s the answer to my longstanding question about what direction the Biden administration trying to signal that it’ll move in.
Micah, we just talked about the 2024 nomination! It’s not too early to talk about a something with a 72 percent chance of happening.
To be clear, though, it’s way to early to be really thinking seriously about a Biden Cabinet.
Uh, Warren is not going near the Treasury or the Fed while the economy is in turmoil, would be my guess. A potential Biden administration is going to be extremely interested in a swift economic recovery and probably won’t want to rock the boat.
Maybe Biden and Castro are on the outs, but … Biden, if he wins, will want diversity in his Cabinet. Castro isn’t in a vital role at the moment that you would have to fill or anything. And … time heals all wounds.
Yeah, Sarah, I think you’re right. I was just trying to come up with a quick answer. Castro promoted some unpopular policies during the primary. His Cabinet position would have been in a Warren administration.
Yeah, Castro really went after Biden at a debate last summer in a very personal way. I wonder if that stuck with Biden. It is a little weird we haven’t seen any of Castro this week.
Lee, if I had to really bet I’d go with Castro, like Galen. He’s been in the Cabinet before, and you don’t have to worry about vacant Senate seats or anything.
Galen, really? 😂 They haven’t even invited him to speak during the DNC. I doubt it. Much has been made of Harris’s attack of Biden in the debates, but Castro’s may have done more lasting career damage.
Maybe they’d put Julián Castro back in the Cabinet.
What does O’Rourke get, Geoffrey? Secretary of Indie Rock Playlists?
Warren for a Fed seat?
Really? Warren seems like the obvious choice to me, given her experience.
Because of the governor situation in Massachusetts, I’m actually a little skeptical on Warren. Buttigieg seems like a good bet to raise his profile more. O’Rourke?
I think Warren probably gets something and Buttigieg gets Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Buttigieg? I actually wonder what he’s doing these days. Does anyone know?
I’d be shocked if Jay Inslee isn’t in his administration — if not in the Cabinet, maybe as EPA administrator. Buttigieg is another one that seems likely — he played a big role in rallying support behind Biden in the primary, and he doesn’t have a job right now.