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Top Dems: Biden has losing strategy
Axios ^ | June 19, 2024 | Alex Thompson

Posted on 06/19/2024 9:24:18 AM PDT by lasereye

Senior Democrats, including some of President Biden's aides, are increasingly dubious about his theory for victory in November, which relies on voter concerns about Jan. 6, political violence, democracy and Donald Trump's character.

Why it matters: Biden's core inner circle hasn't lost faith in that approach, the product of Biden and his longtime aide, Mike Donilon.

What they're saying: A Democratic strategist in touch with the campaign told Axios: "It is unclear to many of us watching from the outside whether the president and his core team realize how dire the situation is right now, and whether they even have a plan to fix it. That is scary."

Driving the news: Donilon, Biden's top political aide, privately has reassured people that voters will "do the right thing" in November by embracing democracy and rejecting Trump, according to a Biden aide who has heard Donilon say it.

Donilon articulated a nuanced version of this to The New Yorker's Evan Osnos earlier this year, saying that Jan. 6 would affect the 2024 election much like 9/11 was central to the 2004 election.

By Election Day this year, Donilon believes "the focus will become overwhelming on democracy. I think the biggest images in people's minds are going to be of January 6th."

Biden's inner circle is cohesive but insular: Aides joke that there's an unofficial "no new friends rule."

Zoom in: Despite a year head start, a larger campaign team and spending more than twice what Trump's team has spent on ads since early March, Biden's numbers against Trump have largely stayed the same the past few months, with the slight bump after Trump's conviction.

Longtime Democratic strategist Howard Wolfson, who worked for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 primary against Biden, told Axios: "If the election were today, we would lose. Can that change? Yes. Is it on the path to do so? I don't see that yet."

Reality check: The angst among many Democrats is about the larger narrative Biden's team is telling rather than its tactics, as it's poured money into field programs and zeroed in on key voters.

The intrigue: Biden aides worry that they didn't take full advantage of the head start they had in 2023.

Zoom out: Many Democrats think the president and his closest aides learned the wrong lessons from Democratic wins in 2020 and 2022, and it's causing them to misread 2024.

Biden's closest aides also argue that framing Republicans as "ultra MAGA" — along with Biden's speeches about democracy, which were mocked by some Democrats at the time — helped prevent a predicted "red wave" in 2022.

But many Democrats — including some in the administration — say the Biden team's view of itself is distorted:

One Democratic operative who worked on several close races in the midterms told Axios: "2022 was a classic case of running away from a president, and their takeaway was, 'Wow people really like us.' "



TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: biden; trump
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To summarize, the Biden team thinks they are headed for victory and Dem strategists that are not in Biden's team doubt it.

The other key takeaway is that the Biden team plans to make the election about "democracy" as of now. It sounds like abortion has disappeared from their strategy, based on this article. Possibly that's because Trump has neutralized the issue.

1 posted on 06/19/2024 9:24:18 AM PDT by lasereye
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To: lasereye

old democrat/republican ...stay in DC till its election time, perform circuituous travel, speak sonambulatory words, shake a few hands, kiss a few babies, run like heck for the plane, celebrate enroute, lock yourself in, and wait for the dummies to vote you back in.


2 posted on 06/19/2024 9:34:17 AM PDT by Terry L Smith
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To: lasereye

old democrat/republican ...stay in DC till its election time, perform circuituous travel, speak sonambulatory words, shake a few hands, kiss a few babies, run like heck for the plane, celebrate enroute, lock yourself in, and wait for the dummies to vote you back in.


3 posted on 06/19/2024 9:34:35 AM PDT by Terry L Smith
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To: lasereye

I don’t get this democracy is on the ballot thing. We have to vote Democrat to preserve democracy.

We have to vote only for one party to preserve democracy, etc. We don’t get a choice in elections, we are told we must vote a certain way. What the heck kind of reasoning is that?


4 posted on 06/19/2024 9:36:57 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: All

Biden’s “strategy” is so he can say in November:
“Despite all the losing polls and my own people doubting me,
I won with 100 million votes.”


5 posted on 06/19/2024 9:42:07 AM PDT by Liz (This then is how we should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name . )
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To: lasereye

Returning to the scene of the last crime I see?


6 posted on 06/19/2024 9:44:05 AM PDT by blackdog ((Z28.310) Be careful what you say. Your refrigerator may be listening & reporting you.)
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To: lasereye

A successful presidency runs on their accomplishments.

All this other noise does seem like poor tactics. I remember Clinton’s campaign wasting the final minutes of their campaign going after Trump the man and it didn’t amount for much.

Running back Trump on the GOP side makes it such an easy assessment for random ‘normies’... everyone knows firmly Trump’s actions as president/Biden’s actions as president. There’s nothing unknown (such as voting out Clinton in favor of Bob Dole as an example).

Biden was sold as a ‘return to normalcy/long time Democratic deal maker’, but instead has been as leftist a president ever. His policies have hurt working class and you can’t get around that.


7 posted on 06/19/2024 9:44:42 AM PDT by goodolemr
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To: lasereye

Admittedly there is danger in lying to the people every single day when the recipients of the lies know they’re not true. Still that’s the strategy the Biden brain trust is going with


8 posted on 06/19/2024 9:52:34 AM PDT by j.havenfarm (23 years on Free Republic, 12/10/23! More than 8,000 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: lasereye

Biden is so full of BS and thinks BS is the truth that his mind is nothing but mushy BS.


9 posted on 06/19/2024 9:52:57 AM PDT by laplata (They want each crisis to take the greatest toll possible.)
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To: Liz

“Preserving democracy” thru rampant voter fraud. Only a democRAT could reconcile that thinking.


10 posted on 06/19/2024 9:55:42 AM PDT by Track9 (If you want to know about human nature, read a power tool user manual. )
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To: Track9

Aint that the God’s honest truth?


11 posted on 06/19/2024 10:00:16 AM PDT by Liz (This then is how we should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name . )
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To: lasereye

Bidens guys seem blind to reality, but I can imagine why anybody would vote for Biden so I guess I’m just as blind.


12 posted on 06/19/2024 10:03:12 AM PDT by MrKatykelly (Obama was the proof of concept puppet.)
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To: lasereye

*** We are heads down, doing the work we need to do to win again this November.***

Never forget what that really means. They will cheat again, in order to select the next president. They have the procedures and people in place to do this. It’s only a matter of execution.


13 posted on 06/19/2024 10:04:05 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: lasereye
This whole emphasis on democracy is puzzling to me. Trump is trying to win a (sort of) democratic election. He's not trying to do away with democracy. And if he wins, how in the world would he be able to end democracy? It makes no sense, and such an obvious scare tactic that it only fools those who are squeamish about Trump already.

It's noteworthy that Biden is not trying to run on his accomplishments, like runaway inflation, massive government debt, endless wars, and an open border that has given us some horrific crimes and caused havoc in many of our cities. The whole strategy is to make Trump appear unacceptable, highlighted by a rigged criminal trial and a barrage of phony charges.

While that strategy will work with a fair share of the voters, there's a definite ceiling on people who want to live in fear. People prefer hope and personal success, and as long as Trump emphasizes that, voters respond.

14 posted on 06/19/2024 10:05:36 AM PDT by Repealthe17thAmendment
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To: lasereye

Huh, Biden has surrounded himself with delusional people as stupid as he is . All the smart ones are stockpiling fake ballots.


15 posted on 06/19/2024 10:08:56 AM PDT by 43north (Dear God, after I die don't let me vote democrat.)
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To: Liz

The fib really ought to bill the DNC for all their cloak and dagger services. Those operations don’t come cheap. Especially now that its become brandon’s central campaign theme.


16 posted on 06/19/2024 10:15:05 AM PDT by Track9 (If you want to know about human nature, read a power tool user manual. )
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To: 43north

Trump can just say.. “were you better under my administration than you are under Biden’s?”

It is like “are you better now than years ago, on steroids.”

Vote for Trump, you KNOW what it WAS like, you know what it IS now. Do you want more of now? or More of Trump?

The voters have 2 KNOWN situations, and they can pick.


17 posted on 06/19/2024 10:18:14 AM PDT by uranium penguin
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To: lasereye

Basically:

Reelect the senile old dotard whose puppet masters are ruining the country, because Orangeman bad.


18 posted on 06/19/2024 10:19:15 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
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To: Liz

On second thought, the fancy new building they are getting now makes more sense.


19 posted on 06/19/2024 10:21:35 AM PDT by Track9 (If you want to know about human nature, read a power tool user manual. )
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To: Track9

Brings to mind that popular tongue in cheek tshirt slogan in the 70’s......”Fight for Peace”.


20 posted on 06/19/2024 10:27:03 AM PDT by traderrob6
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