Biden’s Most Potent Message Isn’t Reaching The Voters He’s Aiming For

LOADING ERROR LOADING President Joe Biden is a product of the American political system, a man who has spent all but the first handful of years of his adult life in federal office and, quite literally, credits the camaraderie of the 1970s U.S. Senate with saving his life. They don’t want to defend a system that’s producing not just unequal outcomes, but outcomes that affect them negatively.” Woodbury, who has conducted extensive focus groups with Black voters, was blunt about why Biden needed to adjust his message: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Black people want a different result from our democracy, and right now, we’re promising them the same results.” While Biden’s desire to protect democracy has won him plaudits among the older, whiter and more politically engaged parts of his coalition, it has not inspired the same loyalty among its younger and more diverse parts, partially explaining why Biden is performing much better in the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin than he is in the younger Sun Belt states of Nevada, Arizona and Georgia. A recent poll from The New York Times/Siena College captures Biden’s struggle: 55% majority of registered voters believe the American economic and political system needs “major changes,” compared to just 2% who see no need for change and 27% who want “minor changes.” A remaining 14% want the system “to be torn down entirely.” Key elements of Biden’s coalition were more likely to want major change: Voters aged 18-29 want major change at a 62% rate, Black and Latino voters want it at a 61% rate. The poll is not completely cut-and-dry: 51% of voters would prefer “a candidate who promises to bring Washington back to normal,” compared to 40% who would like “a candidate who promises to fundamentally change America.” Biden’s allies seem happy with the binary choice they are presenting to voters: Trump will end American democracy, and Biden will keep it going.