With the formal addition of former Vice President Joe Biden to the field of Democratic presidential candidates heading into 2020, the race got its latest high-powered contender. The Biden campaign announced that it was bringing on former Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan this Thursday as surrogate director alongside Biden’s formal announcement, attracting more eyes to the bid for the White House that was months in the making. He’s been dropping hints that he was headed to this point for some time.
The question remains, of course, whether he can attract enough supporters to his side to overcome the crowded Democratic presidential primary field, which hosts 21 candidates following his jump in. Kwan explained why she’s on Biden’s side in an Instagram post, pointing to his proven track record on relevant issues for those concerned about the direction of the United States — and world, really — heading into 2020. She worked on voter outreach for the 2016 presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
As she put it:
‘Ultimately, I believe that the Vice President is the ideal candidate to unify our country with his experience, knowledge and track record of fighting for Americans… He has earned the respect of the international community and, through his leadership, he will strengthen our relationships with our allies and stand up to meet rising global challenges.’
Check it out:
As evidence for her claims, Kwan pointed to things like Biden’s work with President Barack Obama to get the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed when they were still on the job in the White House the first time. She also referenced him as having “championed marriage equality” and remaining “at the forefront of ensuring LGBTQ rights.”
She added:
‘Most importantly, VP Biden has a reputation for getting things done.’
Pretty much all of that can easily contrast strikingly with the current administration in the White House. Donald Trump was literally laughed at while speaking to the United Nations General Assembly for the outlandish nature of a claim he offered that his administration had done the most of almost any in U.S. history. In reality, his track record is full of failures and antagonism. In the months-long legislative battle Trump and his allies waged to overturn the ACA — the Biden-backed law came out on top. Although they’ve sought to undercut the legislation providing health coverage to tens of millions of people through means like Medicaid expansion, it remains intact.
All of this translates into a clear advantage for Biden should he make it out of the Democratic primary and face Trump in November 2020. A recent Morning Consult poll had him with an eight percent lead over the Republican incumbent, although there was a significant portion of voters who remained undecided and could thereby flip the race. Still, the numbers make it clear who’s starting out ahead.
Trump responded to Biden entering the race with a Twitter post, suggesting that the former vice president has low intelligence. Apparently Trump wants us to forget not just things like his proud proclamation about the number of “hamberders” he fed a crowd but the question of how connected to reality he really is exemplified by his never-ending stream of thousands and thousands of lies.
Featured Image via screenshot
