Joe Biden’s Days of Debate Prep Paid Off
Trump’s scoffs did not seem to faze the former Vice President.
President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden faced off Thursday night on the debate stage in Nashville for the last time before Election Day. After an unbearably chaotic first debate and a canceled second one, the two candidates made a final case to Americans for starkly different futures. While Trump spewed his familiar divisive politics about red versus blue states, Biden’s message was clear: he will be a president for every American, no matter their background or political affiliation.
Biden — who leads in national polls by an average of eight percentage points — gave a solid performance that focused on specific policy proposals to tackle health care, the coronavirus pandemic, and climate change. According to an August Pew Research Center study, these are just some of the top issues that voters consistently rank as “very important” to them. Biden managed to touch on most of these issues (with some minor slip-ups), but he also made the case for a more optimistic future. With clarity, confidence, and empathy, he showed what a Biden presidency might look like.
“What is on the ballot here is the character of this country,” he said. “Decency, honor, respect. Treating people with dignity. Making sure that everyone has an even chance. And I am going to make sure you get that. You have not been getting it the last four years.”
Although Trump — who is not famous for his nuance — repeatedly tried to lump Biden in with the more left-leaning side of the Democratic Party and paint him as a radical figure, Biden positioned himself firmly in the center ahead of November’s election.
During one of the most salient exchanges about health care, an issue that 68% of voters consider very important, Trump attempted to tie Biden to “socialized medicine.” He was referring to “Medicare For All,” a platform supported by Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressive Democrats. But, Biden was quick to correct him and noted that he ran against the idea during the primaries. Instead, he touted “Bidencare,” a plan that would protect the Affordable Care Act, create a simple-to-navigate, government-run insurance option that would still leave space for competition between insurance companies. He pressed Trump on his failure to propose a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act which the president has pushed to eliminate. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case for the ACA, or “Obamacare,” one week after election day.
Biden also criticized Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as the United States’ death toll surpassed 220,000, saying that “anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America.” Although Trump said that he does take responsibility for the crisis, he offered no course correction and instead repeatedly referred to the virus as a “plague” that can be blamed on China. A global pandemic requires global cooperation and many health professionals, citing the successful efforts of other countries, say that the country’s staggering death toll could have been prevented with a swifter, more sweeping plan, akin to the one proposed by Biden during the debate.
“We’re in a circumstance where the president, thus far, still has no plan, no comprehensive plan,” Biden said. “What I would do is make sure we have everyone encouraged to wear a mask all the time. I would make sure we move in the direction of rapid testing, investing in rapid testing. I would make sure that we set up national standards as to how to open up schools and open up businesses so they can be safe, and give them the wherewithal, the financial resources, to be able to do that.”
Their exchange on climate change was another moment of clarity for Biden — whose plan is nowhere near as progressive as Trump suggests. He advocated for a slow and steady transition to renewable energy and repeated his pledge to end federal subsidies for the oil and gas industry. Throughout the exchange, Trump’s face contorted with delight as he suggested that Biden’s statements might bring about political blowback. But, Biden’s plan for a 30-year transition to a carbon-free economy is a $2 trillion proposal far more narrow and less aggressive than the progressive Green New Deal.
Not even Trump’s attempts to paint him as an ineffective career politician could shake the former vice president, who has shown improvements on both the clarity of his policies and the sharpness of his delivery since his win in the Democratic primary. His message, whether you agree with it or not, was strong. And maybe that is exactly what he needs.
