In 2016, Donald Trump annihilated the so-called Blue Wall, which was to have assured Hillary Clinton’s victory. In 2020, he’ll likely carry each state he won then, and is more likely to snag some states he lost than lose any state he won. Biden may pick off Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona. But that’s unlikely, and even if he somehow gets those three and holds every state Hillary won, he’d barely edge Trump in the electoral college. So, aside from running the table, what’s old Joe’s game plan? The two presidential candidates to lose 49 states were George McGovern and Walter Mondale. They were clobbered, respectively, by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan- whose effective appeal to blue-collar workers scuttled any chance of a Democratic victory. Trump won’t win 49 states, but his tremendous support among blue-collar voters, including millions of unionized employees, is his ‘trump’ card.
Biden hopes his blue-collar background can somewhat mitigate Trump’s substantial reach into the realm of average, workaday voters. But Trump is proving that even as his pool of voters shrinks – due to ever-accelerating demographic changes which hurt Republicans – he nets an increasing share of a diminishing milieu. What undermines Biden, aside from himself, is Trump’s agenda, and how he sells it. In 2016, blue-collar workers who’d never supported ANY presidential candidates slapped Trump bumper stickers on their vehicles and placed his yard signs on their property. Some ladies even wore a T-shirts with the message: “Donny, you can grab mine!”, referencing Trump’s controversial conversation with Billy Bush.
These voters respect leaders who understand their concerns and stand up for them. They don’t care if Trump is labeled a racist, and aren’t worried about his crude tweets and politically incorrect statements. Reagan and Nixon counted ‘Joe & Jane Six-Pack’ among their strongest supporters, but for them, such voters were frosting on the cake. Their base chiefly consisted of Republicans and Independents, many with college degrees and most with above-average incomes. But with Trump, these voters ARE the cake. So, what’s his secret? For decades, Presidents of both parties effectively did nothing about illegal aliens. Republicans wanted cheap labor for their corporate supporters, and Democrats viewed them as future voters. When Americans who were upset about jobs lost to illicit, cheap labor complained, their valid concerns were effectively ignored. Not so, with Trump. More than anything, his efforts to enforce existing immigration laws explain his iconic status among America’s working class. It’s not ‘racist’ to be upset with your own government for not having your back, and Trump is remedying that. Moreover, he’s doubled down, by championing the second amendment and appointing strict constructionist, pro-Law-and-Order Judges. Such moves have nailed down the votes of this decisive block of likely voters.
The coronavirus outbreak, by November, will likely help Trump. That’s because Americans typically rally around Presidents in a crisis, and this pandemic will be no different. The Covid-19 pandemic has isolated Biden, who has trouble dealing with the audio-visual equipment rigged up in his basement. His recent ‘virtual Town Hall’ wasn’t merely awkward; it was a technical disaster. The former VP moved about, onscreen, while responding to questions; at one point, he shuffled totally out of the camera frame. “Am I on camera?” Biden asked an aide, while facing a live audience. Far from appearing even semi-presidential, Biden was more like a testy, semi-lucid octogenarian who should’ve stayed at the senior citizen center to play Bingo and quaff Ensure. Then there’s the fact that Biden is a globalist – which Trump, unequivocally, is not. With Covid-19, that’s yet another, MAJOR advantage for Trump.
Mollifying supporters of Bernie Sanders and Liz Warren will hurt Biden, especially with some urban voters and registered Independents. That’s because even attempting to make inroads with such voters means taking positions which won’t resonate with blue collar workers in the rust-belt and swing states, or with most senior citizens, farmers, and small business owners where this election gets decided. After all, Trump proved that Trial lawyers, Soccer moms, Yuppies, Social Workers, and even high-income professionals in the suburbs aren’t as important as the average, everyday Joe and Jane Six-Pack.
To tens of millions of workaday US citizens, Donald Trump is like a rock star, or folk hero, whose iconic status will likely guarantee him victory. Labeling him as a racist denigrates tens of millions of Americans who need no convincing that most Democratic presidential aspirants are clueless. Anyone watching a Trump rally knows that the President’s adoring supporters are always there for him; that’s because he’s there for THEM. When Aeschines spoke, ancient Greeks swooned, and said, “How well he speaks!” But when Demosthenes addressed a crowd, they said, “Let’s march!” Trump may not be a polished speaker like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, and no college professor would award him an ‘A’ in debate. But how he says what he says resoundingly resonates, and, unlike his opponent, Donald Trump is highly adept at reaching likely voters via the mass media – even from his house.
Todd Blodgett served on the White House staff of President Ronald Reagan, and on the presidential campaign staff of President George H.W. Bush. He also worked for the Republican National Committee and the FBI. Mr. Blodgett, who lives in Clear Lake, and in Tyler, Texas, can be reached via his website: www.ToddBlodgett.US.
30 thoughts on “Todd Blodgett Opinion: BIDEN’S NARROW PATH TO VICTORY”
You sound just like Trump with his love of lying and overinflating everything he does with your “In 2016, Donald Trump annihilated the so-called Blue Wall” misinformation. Why don’t you write the truth about how Trump lost the popular vote by 2.87 million votes, and only won because of the electoral college? We, the people, DIDN’T WANT HIM. But that would be the truth and a fact, and you Republicans don’t care about those.
In “Phase 4” of the coronavirus rescue package, Democratic leaders are reportedly including provisions that would compel all states to offer voting by mail. Presidential hopeful Joe Biden also supports such a mandate, because, he claims, “all the experts” say we should do it.
Voting by mail is long-established. Trump himself and his wife did it. The entire WI Supreme Court panel did it last week. This is the dumbest topic, or the most sinister, to debate.
From this scrambled writing appears a crisis intervention is needed to force Todd back on his schizoid personality disordered medications.
I don’t know about that, Blodgett is tricky. I have been told this by people who know him. He likes to make it look like he is crazy, like I said, tricky.
Anyone who goes to the Park Inn really isn’t to bright. You elites need to get you head out of your ass. Blodgett is ten times brighter than you.
You really should go back to elementary school to work on your reading comprehension.
There isn’t anything “scrambled” about this opinion piece, other than what you think you see. If you took the time to read it, you would know that.
@ Bodacious: Why ridicule someone for anything so insignificant? You knew that the blogger you demeaned meant to say, “analysis” – not “analization”.
Do you feel superior, by poking fun at others for such minor mistakes?
“Do you feel superior, by poking fun at others…..”
Now that’s priceless coming from you Blodgett.
Your comment is just another example of your blatant hypocrisy.
Why would you say this to me? I do think it is funny but the poster was anonymous.
@ Anonymous – you are correct, and I apologize.
I should’ve been less hasty, and more careful, as I posted my reply (to ‘Anonymous’), and I’m truly sorry.
– TB
@ Bo: Damn, I meant to address the previous post to you, NOT to ‘Anonymous’ – again, my apologies!
Ten four.
I have oned the same. No problem.
done
Add to this Biden’s confusion whenever he speaks and you have someone clearly unfit to be his party’s nominee, much less president of the United States.
Joe Biden couldn’t even make it through “The Tonight Show” without making glaring mistakes: — He forgot what the Defense Production Act was called no less than 30 seconds after citing it.– He needed notes to get through a comedy show.– He called the coronavirus the “conavirus.”– He got the number of grandkids he has wrong … again.
Here’s a partial list of Biden’s latest mistakes, untruths and gaffes. — He lied in an op-ed he wrote, which maintained Trump couldn’t deal properly with coronavirus or any pandemic.– He pushed the bogus claim President Trump called coronavirus a “hoax.”– He falsely claimed that President Trump turned down an offer from the WHO to provide testing kits.– He claimed the Trump Admin cut funding for the CDC when, in reality, CDC funding has gone up under President Trump. (Reminder, Obama/Biden sought CDC cuts in five of eight of their budget proposals.) Trump did initially seek cuts, but quickly reversed course.– He falsely accused President Trump of disbanding the entire NSC team in charge of pandemic responses.
In Biden’s defense, he may not have lied in the op-ed “he” wrote. Most likely the person he was plagiarizing was mistaken in their assertions President Trump didn’t deal properly with the Covid-19 virus or any pandemic and true to form, Biden tired to take credit for the op-ed.
Rumor has it, Biden hid his own Easter eggs today.
Confusion and disorientation are not qualities one wishes in a president and Biden displays all of them.
After weeks of criticizing President Trump for not “doing enough” in the fight against the Covid-19 virus and suggesting the president take actions he had already taken, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden picked up the phone and called the White House. Given his confusion about so many things, perhaps he thought he was ordering a takeout meal and dialed the wrong number.
How on earth is Joe Biden the nominee!? I guess when the options were a crazy old man or senile old man, there’s not much of a difference.
Awesome and bye bye bye Bern! Joe is just a marionette puppet held up by the Dems. Bewilders me why anyone would vote for him.
November should be an absolute blowout for Republicans. Not only taking back control of the House, but with overwhelming numbers. I can only wonder what excuses the Democrats will offer.
This is a good analization, we want Trump.
analization…..HA HA HA
“including millions of unionized employees, is his ‘trump’ card.” Can you prove that? His union-busting and his desire to strip unions of bargaining rights will not endear him to true union people.
How about you prove that Trump doesn’t enjoy the support of “millions of unionized employees”?
Are you saying a union member who happens to think for his or herself and decides to align themselves as a Republican, Independent or Conservative isn’t really a “true union member”?
The Steel workers and Auto workers love him. He has brought and is still bringing lots of work and many jobs back to the U.S.A.
Blodgett is right Biden will loose, he deserves to.