The fact Biden continues to dominate Trump, and has sustained his lead at the top...

[Drunken Irishman]

...tells me that maybe most America has already made up their mind about whether they can see Biden as president. This can be both good or bad. Good if your ceiling is high with these voters, as it appears to be the case with Biden - but it can be bad if the overall perception is more negative, which could prove difficult to shake (see Hillary, who, on this day in 2015, led Trump by only three-points nationally).

People know what to expect from Biden, and, for whatever reason, it appears many Americans are okay with it. That might sound perplexing to DUers and the Woke Left, but that support might suggest his floor as a candidate is still good enough to win. The other candidates? Well many of 'em haven't been nearly as scrutinized as Biden has and many still are still in the process of having their perceptions fully formed. That, again, is both good and bad. Obama was very strong at not having negative perceptions define his candidacy, despite being relatively unknown when he announced. Conversely, John Kerry struggled disassociating himself with negative perceptions once they formed (and, on the GOP side, Romney fits this, too).

2920 isn't just about who people think can beat Trump - it's also about who people feel comfortable with as president. Typically, the candidate who cultivates that image, makes Americans feel comfortable with the idea, wins. That's something Hillary, and other losing candidates (on both sides) struggle to do. Trump did, too, but for whatever reason, a good chunk of Americans, especially in the rust belt area, convinced themselves they were more comfortable with Trump as president than Hillary.

I think Biden can win the comfortability game with Trump - and do so decisively, as he is currently.

[comradebillyboy]

1. That's what 2020 is all about, beating Trump. But if Joe shows

weakness, I think Warren can rise to the occasion and win it all.

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. If there's no funny business in '20, I think Biden beats tRump comfortably. I think he can win...

back the Obama states if the election is fair. I try not to get too excited about polling because that can be a recipe for complacency, but I don't always succeed. I just hope we won't have the all too familiar shenanigans from other campaigns when they inevitably lose.

[Sugarcoated]

26. Democratic governors in all three blue wall states

which wasn't the case in 2016.

[onetexan]

28. Yep, the funny biz is what i worry about as well.

People say Warren can win, but as liberal as i am im not sure this patriarchal nation of ours is ready for a woman president, sad to say.

[pnwmom]

3. So the fact that he consistently has about a third of Democrats tells you

that most Democrats want him?

[Drunken Irishman]

6. More than want any of the other candidates.

[pnwmom]

11. OTOH, he might have all the support he's going to have, and some of the

people currently supporting candidates with lower numbers might switch to someone with a better chance -- having decided they weren't interested in Biden right from the beginning.

We'll find out.

[Drunken Irishman]

16. Maybe - but according to the most recent FOX News poll, if it's just between him and Warren...

...he wins the head-to-head 52-37:

Link to tweet

[pnwmom]

24. That's true at the moment. But there's months to go before the first primaries,

during which a lot could still change.

[Quixote1818]

59. Exactly nt

[BootinUp]

4. I must caution folks about polls with high

Undecided numbers. Don’t believe the spread.

[Drunken Irishman]

5. It depends...

If the candidate is below 50%? I agree. If they're above 50%? Well it probably is a good sign.

[JackFrost]

7. Cultivate that image at all costs...

Issues and the policies needed to create lasting change for millions be damned.

https://www.washingtonian.com/1974/06/01/joe-biden-kitty-kelley-1974-profile-death-and-the-all-american-boy/

(Snip)

"Senator Biden doesn’t believe issues make much difference in an election—personality and presentation are the key. He said as much the night he addressed the Democratic Forum, a small group of Washington liberals who meet with politicians on a regular basis. “I don’t think the issues mean a great deal in terms of whether you win or lose. I think the issues are merely a vehicle to portray your intellectual capacity to the voters . . . a vehicle by which the voters will determine your honesty and candor. The central issue of my campaign—and I used all the issues from busing to the war to the economy, crime, and prison reform—was to convince the people that I was intelligent and to convince them that I was honest."

And there you have it. The promotion of business as usual with honesty and candor.

[ancianita]

8. You quote an article from 45 years ago? And don't quote the context of his family loss? Seriously.

All due respect, you might want to lurk for awhile.

Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay.

[JackFrost]

10. His family loss has ZERO to do with his quote in the article...

and with all due respect your comment is rude and uncalled for. Thanks for the sarcastic and phony welcome.

[Hekate]

12. Then let me second the welcome, in all sincerity

Enjoy your stay.

[JackFrost]

14. Good luck with your candidate in the primaries...

if history holds true to form. His supporters are going to need it. He'll be lucky to make it past Iowa. Joe Biden is not presidential material. He is a disaster waiting to happen who will lose 40-45 states if he ever made it out of the primaries.

[Thekaspervote]

17. You are entitled to your opinion...and that's all it is....an opinion

[JackFrost]

21. No doubt and time will tell...

but the truth is Joe Biden is carrying around more reactionary baggage than could fit in one of Trump's sleazy five star hotels. That is a fact despite his many defenders.

[Cha]

22. No. Again.. that's just your opinion. Joe Biden

has Supporters.. a lot more than BS has.

We want to win this thing and we're going with a winner.. no matter how much you try to smear him. It's not working.

[JackFrost]

25. Strange process is politics isn't it...

when one supports a candidate strongly... any and all criticism is called smearing. If it's not one's preferred candidate it's called vetting

[ehrnst]

33. Irony, indeed.

Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay.

[LanternWaste]

38. When it's unsupported by data and objective analysis

"any and all criticism is called smearing"

When the alleged criticism is unsupported by data and objective analysis, and rests wholly on simplistic and negative allegations, then yes-- it fails as criticism is in fact, a smear.

[Cha]

47. Thank you, LanternWaste!

[Thekaspervote]

66. Yes thank you .. well stated

[Thekaspervote]

65. To quote you in your last 3 comments

Reactionary baggage
Not presidential material
A disaster waiting to happen

And you think you are not smearing and we are??

Good luck with that

[Cha]

96. No, you're wrong.. "criticism"

is not smearing.

[fleabiscuit]

74. The four year butterfly migration to DU is in progress.

Cha!

[Cha]

75. We are so lucky! lol

flea!

[ancianita]

15. "Welcome," "enjoy your stay" are common greetings here with new posters. You might get a few more.

Are you sure you know my feelings when I posted?

"Rude"? "Uncalled for"? "Sarcastic"? "Phony"?

I asked questions about the 45 year-old article -- his family disaster is laid out in the first three or four paragraphs, not "zero" -- you link as proof of this candidate's representing the status quo today.

This is about questioning why you'd use this link to support your criticism of Biden.

[JackFrost]

20. Beyond his personal tragedy which is horrible....

the article speaks for itself. Biden's entire political world view is there in his own quotes and he hasn't changed one bit.

More...

He defines politics as power. “And, whether you like it or not, young lady,” he says, leaning over his desk to shake a finger at me, “us cruddy politicians can take away that First Amendment of yours if we want to.”

Maybe this gives some a tingle. It doesn't do much for anyone fighting back against this system that destroys millions. He's right of course about power but that's not the point. There's an arrogance there that says he doesn't believe power belongs to the little people.

And this...

"Biden resents being called the bright young liberal of the New Left. “I hate that picture,” he says, “and I don’t care how that damn Americans for Democratic Action rates me. Those ADA ratings get us into so much trouble that a lot of us sit around thinking up ways to vote conservative just so we don’t come out with a liberal rating. When it comes to civil rights and civil liberties, I’m a liberal but that’s it. I’m really quite conservative on most other issues. My wife said I was the most socially conservative man she had ever known. I’m a screaming liberal when it comes to senior citizens because I really think they are getting screwed. I’m a liberal on health care because I believe it is a birth right of every human being—not just some damn privilege to be meted out to a few people. But when it comes to issues like abortion, amnesty, and acid, I’m about as liberal as your grandmother. I don’t like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far. I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body. I support a limited amnesty, and I don’t think marijuana should be legalized. Now, if you still think I’m a liberal, let me tell you that I support the draft. I’m scared to death of a professional army. I vote my own way and it is not always with the Democrats."

That sits well with you ancianita then more power to you. It doesn't with anyone who actually identifies with the left.

[ancianita]

27. As you can see, I'm "undecided," and don't care for any "proof" of today's candidates

from decades ago; it pigeon holes them in entirely different social and political contexts today. It implies that lefties can't evolve. (I remember enough about those days to know that Biden was as normal as Democrats got back then. You're mistaken about Biden. He has changed. A lot.)

It's as if we could never have let Obama "evolve" on same sex marriage or marijuana. But we did, and he did. Progressives aren't purists, and neither are liberals.

I'm watching what the state primary results are, because the rest of the country -- Democrats in the rest of the country, for that matter -- isn't necessarily like us around here. I'm left of Bernie. I was a social democrat before he even got to Congress, supported him in the last primaries, voted Hillary yada
yada.

Thinking about the general election ahead, I'll take the imperfectly good candidate that carries a solid black and women's vote over a candidate who hits all my progressive buttons. I also don't buy that lesser of two evils claptrap.

My intense support for Inslee still exists for all the reasons I laid out months ago in Candidate Groups and Democratic Primaries OP's then. I still expect his getting a cabinet post if we win the presidency and Senate.

Thanks for your thoughtful post.

[JackFrost]

49. Thanks for your reply also...

"Purists" is a meme put forth to marginalize those not willing to compromise on the continued race to bottom for the working class. Those who have that meme thrown at them should wear it proudly.

Beyond that...you don't have to explain your positions in any way. Left wing politics is not about individuals and subjective beliefs and labels. Left wing politics is about fighting for the greatest good for the greatest number who have no voice or access to the centers of power in this system.

Joe Biden is not now and never has been anything remotely resembling a lefty. Joe Biden's entire history is weighted compromise in deference to the ruling class, the owners, and business as usual.

[radical noodle]

50. I assume you would vote for him

if he gets the nomination, though? Nothing is more important than getting rid of trump.

[WheelWalker]

51. Jack Frost is chilled by that question. No affirmative response is a negative response in this case

[JackFrost]

53. I don't expect to have to worry about buying a clothspin for the occasion...

Joe's history of burying himself before the first primary is legendary. And remember. Trump is a symptom of the disease. Not merely an aberration on the trek back to "normal." "Normal" has proven to be not good enough for tens of millions of the struggling in this country.

[Thekaspervote]

67. So, what are you doing to support your candidate of choice?

Why not post something positive instead of a negative barrage about someone you disagree with?

You do realize all the negativity does nothing to change the minds of voters... right??

[JackFrost]

70. The issues are more important than any candidate...

no lasting change ever takes place without powerful movements as the engine. Sanders understands that and is willing to stand behind that. Most are not. Voting is only a small part of the equation that will bring change. Beyond that...the idea is not to change voters minds. The idea is to bring the disenfranchised and the disengaged into a political movement to force change. A large block of the population doesn't vote and it's not because they're stupid. They understand that the current political power structure, and the continuation of business as usual in every form, does not represent their daily struggles of survival in any way.

[emmaverybo]

104. Oh, puhlese. Did you bother to research Biden's stances and proposals for this coming election?

I guess not. Easy to see what you are trying to do here by quoting him from ages and ages ago.

He helped nudge Obama towards legalizing gay marriage, He has said abortion is between a woman and her doctor. Higher ups in the Catholic Church said he should be denied the sacraments for his stance on choice.

Joe Biden is a liberal’s liberal.

Representing the far past as the present, taking what he said out of the context in which he said it,
labeling, these are tactics fairly universally eschewed here whichever candidate we prefer.

[George II]

64. Much of the that article from NINETEEN SEVENTY FOUR (!!!) was about his family loss.....

Did you actually read your own article?

[Cha]

76. Thank you, George!

[Cha]

95. Why are you being so rude to Hekate?

[emmaverybo]

9. The world is closer than ever to a first nuclear war. What does Bernie know about foreign policy?

Does he even care? He doesn’t seem to be in touch with a world beyond his particular ideology.

But speaking of issues, what has Bernie accomplished on any?

Biden is more than just a likable guy who looks and sounds presidential. He has walked the walk.
He has job-specific qualifications and heavy-weight foreign policy credentials. He has handled gun control, Iraq post-war, women’s issues, economic policy, and been a strong voice for civil rights for decades.

Finally, the perception of character is important, more so since we have a corrupt traitor in the White House. Bernie’s complicity in his surrogate’s divisive and underhanded politicking speaks badly of him. People who may not share his ideology or see no practical benefit in it might well question his candor and honesty.

[JackFrost]

13. Foreign policy credentials ?

Joe Biden took five draft deferments for asthma. That coming from a star athlete in high school. The hypocrisy doesn't add up for those paying attention. He also voted for the travesty of the Iraq war. Nothing more needs to be said about his "credentials" when it comes to war and foreign policy.

[emmaverybo]

19. Hillary was more than fit, and so much more than Bernie, to be a commander in chief and to

conduct foreign policy. In fact, she did conduct it. And she did vote as Biden did. Biden became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. He is no war monger. And he had asthma.

There was no vote for war, but a vote to authorize Bush to go to war under certain exigent conditions. Those were lied about to him. He lied. Colin Powell helped sell it, Netanyahu helped, Biden and Senator Luger tried to slow Bush down. Was not possible. Bush and company aborted the inspections and exploited the authorization.

Now, asthma, the vote to authorize, none of this answers my rhetorical questions about Bernie’s foreign policy credentials as compared to Biden’s or his lack of accomplishment on issues, on policy.

I don’t think you can cite policy accomplishments or any foreign policy knowledge or experience. For instance, India and Pakistan have an ongoing, serious conflict over Kashmir. They have come close to a nuclear conflict in the recent past and are said to be once again in that danger zone, dangerous for the entire world. Biden is well versed in the history and geo-politics of this area.

Bernie? I guess he can read up. And how is it Bernie missed serving?

[JackFrost]

23. Sorry...I don't do whataboutism...

the OP was about Joe Biden. My responses are geared towards Joe Biden. Whataboutism is a nice and little clever distraction from the facts of Joe Biden's history. Some can get past that and support him. Some can't. I think you will find some baggage surrounding most politicians but Joe has a hefty amount to answer for.

[emmaverybo]

30. You just did it. Your entire response to my response to you was whataboutism. Fine with me

to stop now. Ultimately, Biden and Bernie will both answer to the voters. Let’s leave it there.

[George II]

92. Post #13 IS what you call "whataboutism"!

[JackFrost]

94. Heh...

I told you I'm not immune from a little hypocrisy. This is politics after all

[Thekaspervote]

68. FYI: one can be an athlete and still not be eligible for the draft

No branch of the military will accept an individual into service be it a draft or a sign up if they are “tethered” to any device be it an inhaler, a medication, eye glasses or hearing aid.

So, who isn’t paying attention!!!

https://usafofficer.com/join-military-with-asthma/

[JackFrost]

73. Rich man's war poor man's fight...

One should always be careful of glaring hypocrisy when promoting a dedication to American Exceptionalism and U.S. Imperialism as one's foreign policy credentials. Chickenhawks come in many flavors.

[Cha]

77. Wow.. Thank you for that valid explanation,

kasper.. that makes perfect sense!

[Thekaspervote]

83. Thx Cha, seems mr. Frost doesn't agree. ...but deflection, punt, dodge, change the subject

Might work sometimes but not this time

[Cha]

84. Oh, and he's "not trying

to smear Biden".. it's only "vetting".

Thank you.

[Thekaspervote]

85. Oh ...righhht!!

[George II]

89. What about your candidate, when did he serve in the militar? What foreign policy creds does he have?

[JackFrost]

90. "Foreign policy credentials"...

is a phrase that doesn't do much for the anti-war and anti-imperialist left in a system beholden to private capital. What is in question here is Joe's rank hypocrisy is backing many a military adventure while failing to put his ass on the line for such a less than noble goal in many instances. Whataboutism is a petty form of commentary - although I'll admit a bit of hypocrisy as I indulge the same from time to time - but yes Bernie's record on intervention is far from stellar for many of us on the left. That said...he's miles beyond Biden in calling out the Military Industrial Complex and being an opponent of warmongering for profit and control of this rock. Warren is as bad as Biden by the way despite any lip-service to the contrary.

[George II]

91. "calling out the Military Industrial Complex" isn't going to win the nomination or general election.

[JackFrost]

93. The majority in this country is tired of endless wars George...

[NanceGreggs]

29. ...

""It would be hypocritical of me to run as a Democrat because of the things I have said about the party." - Bernie Sanders.

And there you have it.

[DanTex]

34. Just so you know, this is the kind of thing that turns people away from Bernie.

It's not entirely fair, because it's not Bernie going around randomly smearing other people (although Bernie does choose to associate with certain people like Nina Turner who like attacking Dems).

But still, it contributes to a negative image of his whole revolution/movement thing.

[emmaverybo]

103. Biden has been painted as nearly reactionary on policy. He is not. So he doesn't

make fantastical promises he can’t deliver on and that could cost the election,

He has strong plans for education, health, climate change, gun control, taxation.. these plans do commit to change and improvement in people’s lives.

His foreign policy proposals may not be revolutionary, but are solid and will rebuild our alliances while deterring our enemies. He will be trusted and is respected on the world stage.

I am not hearing about investment in our infrastructure or the urgency I think is needed to address Republican threat to the existing social safety net from our progressive candidates. These issues must come first, before the implementation of bold ideas their creators admit may take a long time to realize.

[Thekaspervote]

18. Thx for posting. Always enjoy your commentary

[JI7]

31. isn't Warren Tied or Leading him in Iowa and New Hampshire ?

[emulatorloo]

62. Biden appears to have a solid lead in recent Iowa polls. See RCP's Iowa polls.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/ia/iowa_democratic_presidential_caucus-6731.html

RCP average is Biden +10.5

[Cha]

63. Mahalo, emulatorloo!

[democratisphere]

32. Most Americans want to return to some form of sanity and Democracy.

Joe Biden is the solution.

[NurseJackie]

35. It's clear who our party's nominee will be. My hope now is that the "also-ran" contenders...

It's clear who our party's nominee will be. My hope now is that the "also-ran" contenders (and/or their surrogates) avoid the temptation of doing and saying things that will kneecap our party's nominee.

It's a bitter pill for any losing candidate to swallow... but now is not the time for anyone to indulge vanity, ego and desire for "revenge." All I'm saying is that any kind of scorched-earth (or "scorched party'') tactic would serve no good purpose at all. It would be a colossal mistake that would only serve to benefit the GOP and Russia.

[Demsrule86]

37. Vote blue no matter who...thanks Nurse. I fail to understand why folks would use scorched earth

against anyone but Trump who must go.

[Demsrule86]

36. I think 2020 has to be all about beating Trump...As for the 'woke left' maybe they should work on

bringing 'woke' to the rest of the country before they throw the election to Trump. We need the Senate too and to hold the house....and the voters who will do this or not don't seem particularly 'woke' to me.

[Gothmog]

39. We have to beat trump and Joe Biden is the best candidate to compete with trump

[Scurrilous]

40. K&R

[BlueMississippi]

41. k&r nt

[honest.abe]

42. Yes, and I would add that both Biden and Trump are very well known..

and probably have little room for up or down movement as the campaign goes on. People seem to have already made up their minds if the election is Biden versus Trump. Some might counter that argument with what about 2106.. well the difference with 2016 is that Trump although well known at the time had never held political office and many didn't take him seriously at first so there was room for his numbers to move. Now its 3 years later and most have strong opinions about Trump as President and doubt those opinions will change in the next several months.

[Politicub]

43. If the election were held today, I guess you could say that. But

we’re more than a year out. That’s more than a year for the GOP and Russia to shovel shit on top of the Democratic frontrunners and the party in general.

Public opinion is a fickle thing. It doesn’t take long for it to shift.

I’m not a soothsayer so I can’t say whether or not Biden will make “Americans feel comfortable” in a year. So my advice is to enjoy the polls today.

[Drunken Irishman]

44. Public opinion is pretty consistent, TBH

Once things set - they set.

Polling is fluid, and there will be peaks and valleys, but just look at how tight the race got between Hillary & Trump and where it basically stayed from Sept., 2015 to Nov., 2016. It budged a bit but polls from this point in the 2016 campaign pointed to a very narrow race. And what do you know? That's exactly what we got.

Similarly, at this point in 2011 (9/19/2011), Obama led Romney nationally 47-45. The margin was almost exactly the same as it was over a year later - tho, the total percentage changed a bit.

That's frighteningly accurate. Hillary's lead this far out over Trump was VERY similar to her overall national vote margin too.

[jcgoldie]

45. One poll released this week said 9% of Democratic primary voters nationally have made their decision

In which case the lead is not quite as meaningful at this point as it may appear.

[honest.abe]

46. That's the primary... the OP is about the general.

I believe the point is IF its Biden vs Trump then the numbers are pretty much solid.

[Gothmog]

48. This makes me smile

Link to tweet

[Bradshaw3]

52. If Joe is so great why are his supporters trying to shut down the process before it's even begun?

To me that signals they are worried that he can't make it all the way.

One, most people have NOT made up their minds. Less than 10 percent have last I saw and of course not one ballot has been cast. Also, the leading candidate at this point in the Democratic nominating process - when there is not an incumbent POTUS or Vice-POTUS running - in recent years has lost the nomination more times than not.

Also, thinking polls about the GE are reflective of what will happen in Nov of 2020 are fools gold. From 538:
"The last presidential election featured one of the more accurate sets of early polls for this point in the cycle: Hillary Clinton led Donald Trump 46.2 percent to 41.2 percent in an average of all polls conducted in November and December 2015, missing the eventual national popular vote margin by about 3 points.3 (The actual result was Clinton 48.0 percent, Trump 46.0 percent.)

But that’s more the exception than the rule, as the table above shows. And remember, these are polls conducted at least five months later in the cycle than where we are now. Jump back to roughly this point in the 2016 cycle, for example, and Clinton was ahead of all eight of her hypothetical GOP opponents in a May 2015 Quinnipiac poll, with a whopping 50-32 advantage over Trump."

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/should-we-take-these-early-general-election-polls-seriously-no/


Secondly, the election is about a lot more than rump. That kind of thinking helped us lose in 2016. A lot of the issues leading to rump being elected are still there and they have to do with economic fairness. They will play a greater role than comfortability, something I haven't seen touted as a key factor in the race.

[jcgoldie]

54. NINE more debates

Doesn't favor Joe.

[Bradshaw3]

56. One reason they want to shut it down I'm afraid

I hope Joe does better than before in the debates, I really do, because I don't want a flawed candidate if he wins the nomination. But his aides need him to just stay on one topic with three of four lines because some of his answers didn't make sense even in this last debate. Some answers were good, but some made you wonder.

[Cha]

55. Heh.. that's Not true. Why are you accusing us

of trying to "shut down the process"?!

Biden supporters are doing no such thing.. that's a ridiculous accusation.

[Bradshaw3]

60. Because of posts like this and many, many others with the same theme

Quoting here: "tells me that maybe most America has already made up their mind about whether they can see Biden as president."

So it's a done deal? Not by a long shot. I've also seen posts about how Biden sewed it up when he made that speech, how poll after poll means he is the obvious choice, and how it's obvious he is going to be the nominee. That is ridiculous. It is not obvious, for reasons I posted. Why not just let it play out, and stop with the inevitability argument?

[Cha]

61. No.. DI is just giving his

analysis. I've "known" him for a long time now.. and he does Not want "..the process stopped..".. and neither do I or any of the many Biden supporters I know. That's ridiculous.

[Thekaspervote]

69. This!! I really enjoy DI's commentary, they show depth of the subject matter

[Cha]

72. Yes.. and no hint of wanting

".. the process stopped.."!

[Drunken Irishman]

82. Never said it was a done deal. Never said we should just give Joe the nomination.

Stop putting words in my mouth. I only pointed out an opinion I have and it's that Biden, despite consistently being told otherwise for months now, has been able to sustain strong numbers, specifically head-to-head with Trump. I provided a hypothesis on why I thought this was happening and I believe it's due to the fact that Joe is a known commodity and most Americans have either concluded they can see Joe as president or they can't. There's likely not going to be dramatic movement either way.

But I don't see how you can misconstrue that as to wanting to shut things down. I even mentioned there are examples of other, lesser known candidates, who were able to deflect their early perceptions and prevail despite 'em (Bill Clinton and Barack Obama come to mind).

At the end of the day, though, Biden is the only candidate who has been in the cross-hairs of his opponents and the media since announcing, as is to be expected, since he is the front-runner. And yet, through it all, especially against Trump, his support has remained relatively high and stable.

Sure, while things have narrowed a bit, as most everyone expected, his numbers have not plummeted or tanked like was predicted days, weeks and months ago. That, at least to me, is a clear sign that Biden has the ability to deflect those criticisms and it's because, again, people know him and, for the most part, seem to like him.

Going back to April 20th, here's Biden's average polling percentage at this point each month:

April 20th: 29.4
May 20th: 37.6
June 20th: 31.9
July 20th: 28.4
August 20th: 28.8
September 20th: 28.8

Outside May, when Biden saw a surge after his initial announcement, he has stayed between 28-31%. Since April, Biden has literally lost .6% in his overall total.

That is remarkably steady and why I believe the continued prediction that Biden is bound to collapse may be a tad premature.

[treestar]

86. that's just a statement of opinion from a person

how can that shut down the process?

[Thekaspervote]

71. Yeah.. everyday there's more stories about how Joe Biden works to shutdown the debates

Here’s a poll that might interest you or not

Post 3rd debate polls shows Biden and Warren won the debate

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/17/post-debate-poll-warren-biden-winners.html

[Cha]

57. Heh, DI.. there's someone saying you want

to "shut down the process" is that true?

[Drunken Irishman]

79. Who?

[Cha]

81. Here..

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=287381

[aikoaiko]

98. There is still lots of opportunity for Biden to speak and lose more support.

[Quixote1818]

58. Most people don't pay attention until a few days before they actually vote

That is why you see HUGE shifts in the final week in each state. The fact that Biden is struggling in Iowa and NH to me shows he is going to have a hard time because some folks are paying attention in those early states.

[Drunken Irishman]

80. If Biden is struggling in those states, Warren and Sanders are floundering.

[Gothmog]

78. Biden's Electability Advantage Will Be Hard to Shake Among Risk-Averse Democrats

Link to tweet

The most obvious is Biden’s consistent strength in head-to-head polls against Trump. You can remind people all day long that these are unreliable indicators of how a general-election campaign will actually play out, but they won’t be able to ignore them. And Biden’s advantage here is significant. There is not a single poll in the RealClearPolitics database of 2020 trial heats between Biden and Trump in which Biden does not lead. His current lead in RCP’s polling averages is an enormous 11.5 percent (Sanders’s is 7.0 percent, and Warren’s is 5.2 percent, but both have trailed Trump in some surveys).

A second factor making Biden Mr. Electable is the widespread belief among pundits and voters alike that, all things being equal, proximity to the political “center” is a general-election asset. The more we approach a three-candidate nominating contest in which Biden’s only real challenge comes from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the more Biden’s relative “moderation” will become evident. That may hurt him with some primary voters, but it could at the same time enhance his perceived electability.

A third factor some analysts focus on is the practical ability to win voters the party lost in 2016 — either to Trump or to third parties or to the living-room couch. There’s at best limited evidence that Biden is more popular than other Democrats in the much-chewed-over white working-class demographic (especially Obama-Trump voters). But he certainly talks about his focus on these voters a lot, which enhances the perception they are his people. And he certainly has conspicuous strength among African-American voters, whose fall-off in turnout was a big problem for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Biden does not look like a good bet to energize younger voters, but Trump might well do that for him...…

“Risk-averse” is probably the most important term to remember in assessing Democratic voters heading toward 2020. They still don’t entirely understand how Hillary Clinton managed to lose to Donald Trump in 2016, but they aren’t inclined to take anything for granted this time around. And that will make it difficult for candidates other than Biden to convince Democrats their other qualities are worth taking a bit of a risk on. Sure, Biden could in theory blow himself up with some high-profile gaffe that undermines the very premise of his candidacy. But that’s not within anyone else’s control.

[Cha]

87. Thanks for your post, Goth!

[BlueWI]

88. It'll matter when Biden has votes.

Right now he's tied with Castro.

But speculate away.

[Gothmog]

97. Desperate Donald Trump knows that Joe can beat him

Link to tweet

[PhoenixDem]

99. Well stated n/t

[Gothmog]

100. Great Statement by Joe Biden

Link to tweet

[samnsara]

101. hes still got my vote and donating more...

[empedocles]

102. Biden seems to be holding up well, especially considering the nonstop hits from the

Dem candidates and their supporters.