Tag: Joe Biden

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Biden Jokes About Running Mate Choice During Bike Ride

Joe Biden out riding his bike near Rehoboth Beach (screen capture)
During a bike ride near Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, former Vice President Joe Biden was asked by Fox News correspondent Pete Doocy if a decision had been made on a running mate. “Yeah, I have,” said Biden as he whizzed by the reporter. “Who is it?” inquired Doocy and Biden shot back a light-hearted, “You.” Silly story but I have to say – can you IMAGINE Donald Trump riding a bike???

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Two-Thirds Of Americans Oppose Delaying Presidential Election

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
Via Reuters:

Two-thirds of registered American voters oppose delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election due to the coronavirus pandemic, and more than half think President Donald Trump floated the idea of postponing it last week to help himself politically, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling released on Wednesday.

The national public opinion poll was conducted from July 31 to Aug. 4, shortly after Trump said without providing evidence that a surge in mail-in voting would lead to widespread voter fraud and suggested the election be delayed.

The idea was immediately rejected by Democrats and Republicans in Congress, who have sole authority to change the election date.

Most Americans also rejected the suggestion. The poll showed 66% of registered voters oppose postponing the November vote, including 8 out of 10 Democrats and 5 in 10 Republicans.

Another 23% of registered voters – mostly Republicans – supported an election delay and 11% said they were not sure.

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Campaign Ad: Guess Who Votes By Mail?

(image by Morning Brew on Unsplash)
Donald Trump desperately wants to paint voting by mail as the gateway to super fraudulent voting. Except – a recent Washington Post analysis of data collected by three vote-by-mail states found that officials identified just 372 possible cases of double voting or voting on behalf of deceased people out of about 14.6 million votes cast by mail in the 2016 and 2018 general elections, or 0.0025 percent. Currently, 76% of Americans already have the right to vote by mail. In fact, Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other members of the Trump administration vote by mail. So, if it’s good enough for them, why stop average Americans?

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Fox News Poll: Voters Trust Biden To Handle COVID-19 Over Trump Bigly

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
The latest polling from Fox News will not be putting a smile on Donald Trump’s face. The survey of 1,104 registered voters shows the coronavirus is the number one issue on the minds of voters and that factors in when asked who Americans want to see in charge of handling the COVID-19 threat. While 51 percent trust former Vice President Joe Biden to handle the pandemic, only 34 percent believe Trump has the stuff to end the health threat. Biden also leads on questions of traits needed to be an effective president like compassion (Biden 56% – Trump 36%), intelligence (Biden 51% – Trump 41%), and judgement (Biden 52% – Trump 40%). Even on the issue of ‘mental soundness,’ which the Trump campaign has tried to characterize Biden as being mentally deficient, the public sees Biden as more in control of his mental faculties than Trump (47% – 43% respectively). That said, with the 2016 presidential election still fresh in our minds, voters know anything can happen. When asked if Trump will be reelected the results were a tie – 45% each side with 10% answering ‘Unsure.’ It’s worth noting, however, that tie is bad news for Trump. Back in February, the Fox News poll found 56% believed Trump would score a second term while only 43% were non-believers. I’m not a ‘national poll’ fan, but since this data comes from Fox News, I will note when asked if the election were held today, 49% said they would cast their ballot for Joe Biden while only 41% would vote Trump. Even with the 3% margin of error that is not good news for the Donald.

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Pence: During Riots Biden Sent Out Press Release While Trump Sent In National Guard

L-R Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Joe Biden
Vice President Mike Pence took a shot at his predecessor, former Vice President Joe Biden, during an interview with the Washington Examiner contrasting the actions of Biden and Donald Trump during recent riots. The Washington Examiner reports:

President Trump was the last line of defense between law-abiding people and a dangerous, left-wing mob intent on toppling statues and ripping the nation apart, according to Vice President Mike Pence.

“When rioters were setting fire to one of the oldest churches in America and defacing our national monuments, Joe Biden sent out a press release. President Trump sent in the National Guard,” Pence said Thursday in an exclusive interview aboard his campaign bus with the Washington Examiner.

“The contrast with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi is, this is a president who understands our commitment is to uphold the rule of law — law and order,” said Pence, who spoke as he completed a swing through Pennsylvania, a battleground critical to Trump’s reelection prospects.

It’s worth noting that Trump is the president of the United States and has the power to send in the National Guard. Biden is a private citizen with no such authority (at this time).

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White House: Americans Will Grow Numb To COVID-19 Deaths

Donald Trump threatens indie run over Muslim ban

Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)
While the Biden campaign’s view of the COVID-19 pandemic is that of a problem that needs not only leadership but empathy and compassion, Team Trump is hoping Americans will simply grow numb to the mounting death count. From the Washington Post:

Trump’s advisers, by contrast, are seeking ways to reframe his response to the coronavirus — even as the president himself largely seeks to avoid the topic because he views it as a political loser. They are sending health officials to swing states, putting doctors on TV in regional markets where the virus is surging, crafting messages on an economic recovery and writing talking points for allies to deliver to potential voters.

The goal is to convince Americans that they can live with the virus — that schools should reopen, professional sports should return, a vaccine is likely to arrive by the end of the year and the economy will continue to improve.

White House officials also hope Americans will grow numb to the escalating death toll and learn to accept tens of thousands of new cases a day, according to three people familiar with the White House’s thinking, who requested anonymity to reveal internal deliberations. Americans will “live with the virus being a threat,” in the words of one of those people, a senior administration official.

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Polls: Biden Leads In Six Vital Battleground States

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
New polling in six battleground states won by Donald Trump in 2016 (Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina) offers some disconcerting news for the Trump campaign. The surveys, conducted by the New York Times/Siena College, show former Vice President Joe Biden leading in all six states including double-digit leads in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The new polling shows: • Biden in the lead in Michigan by 11 points (47-36). Trump won there in 2016 by less than one point. • Wisconsin, where Trump also won by less than 1% nearly four years ago, indicates Biden holds an 11 point lead as well (49-38) • Another ‘less than 1 percent win’ state, Pennsylvania, appears to favor Biden by ten points (50-40) • Florida, where Trump eked out a 1 point win in 2016, shows Biden leading by 6 points (47-41) • Arizona, traditionally a Republican enclave where Trump won by 4 points during the last election, indicates Biden ahead of Trump by 7 points (48-41) • And North Carolina, another 4 point victory for Trump in 2016, shows Biden beating Trump by 9 points (49-40) Note: while the break-down of Democrats/Republicans/Independents polled was close in each swing state, there were more Republicans surveyed in Florida and Wisconsin. So, any claims of ‘weighting’ the polls in favor of Biden wouldn’t hold water. If Biden were to win all six of those states and hold onto those carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016, he would win the presidency with by least 333 electoral votes, far more than the 270 needed, if he won all six of the states surveyed and held those won by Hillary Clinton four years ago. Scoring a win in any three of the six states listed above, however, would be enough to put him over the 270 point threshold to win the White House. Biden currently leads in virtually all national polls by an average of 9.4 points. A separate New York Times/Siena College national poll released this week showed Biden with a 14 point lead nationally (50-36). But as I’ve written many times, national polls don’t really tell the tale of an election that’s predicated on the Electoral College. Keep watching the swing state polling. A margin of plus/minus two or three points is close to a draw, but 6+ shows a clear advantage.

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Poll: Biden Leads Trump By 16 In Battleground State Michigan

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
The Detroit Free Press reports the latest polling in the vital swing state of Michigan has some bad news for Donald Trump.

Two weeks ago, EPIC-MRA of Lansing, a polling firm that does work for the Free Press, released a survey showing former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, leading Trump 53%-41% in Michigan, a 12-point edge.

But a second poll, started on May 31, a day after the first poll began, and concluded a day later than the first poll, on June 4, showed Biden leading Trump 55%-39% in Michigan, a 16-point margin.

The survey had a margin of error of plus/minus 4 points. The new poll also showed: •  70% of those surveyed believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The percentage who believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction fell from 30% to 22%. • 61% of those surveyed hold a negative view of Trump. The percentage of those with a positive view fell from 42% to 38%. • 51% said they would vote to replace Trump in November, while those who said they plan to vote to reelect him fell from 38% to 33%.

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News Round-Up: June 12, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Queerty: The sugar baby of a retired priest says he grieved for two days before collecting his roughly £260,000 ($330,000) inheritance. Now he’s insisting he is not a gold digger. • Australia: My hubby Michael recently helped coordinate pop icon Olivia Newton-John taking part in this terrific video (below) of unity from Australia and all the Aussies banding together to get to the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.

• NBC News: Despite massive problems at the voting booth, Democratic turnout in Georgia’s primaries skyrocketed — with three times as many votes cast in the Senate primary as in 2016. With 91 percent of the vote in as of Friday, nearly 960,000 voters had cast ballots in the Democratic Senate primary race won by Jon Ossoff, compared to 310,000 who voted in the Senate primary in 2016. • Out Music: Grammy/Emmy/Tony Award winner Billy Porter drops “For What It’s Worth (King Garbage Remix)” today. Porter released his acclaimed cover version of the classic Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” on April 24 as a means to encourage and support voter registration and voter initiatives across the country. In light of recent events, the song is now organically taking on its original intent as the ultimate protest anthem.

• AP News: Joe Biden’s search for a running mate has apparently been whittled down to as few as six serious contenders after initial interviews. Those still in contention include Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser. Also in contention are Florida Rep. Val Demings and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. • Twitter: The legendary Liza Minnelli will outlive us all. If you don’t know it, make sure to check out this humorous Twitter account humor account, curated with love by Scott Gorenstein, of all the people, trends and pop culture references the diva Liza has outlived.

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Biden Campaign Launches ‘Out For Biden’ LGBTQ Voter Outreach

President Biden has issued a proclamation recognizing June 2024 as LGBTQ Pride Month.

Former Vice President Joe Biden
In an effort to engage with millions of LGBTQ voters ahead of the upcoming presidential election in November, former Vice President Joe Biden will launch a national voter outreach effort to coincide with Pride Month. CBS News reports the campaign program, titled ‘Out For Biden,’ a national get-out-the-vote effort focusing on the estimated 11 million LGBTQ voters across the nation, with special emphasis on vital battleground states. A study conducted by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute found approximately 50 percent of registered LGBTQ voters identify as Democrats, 15 percent are registered Republicans and 22 percent say they are Independents. A notable factoid that requires attention: the study found about one-fifth of LGBTQs of voting age are not registered to vote. For perspective regarding possible impact, it’s worth noting that in 2016 Donald Trump won the state of Florida by 112,911 votes and there are approximately 772,000 LGBTQ voters in the Sunshine state. In Pennsylvania, Trump had a victory margin of 44,292 votes and there are an estimated 416,000 queer voters in the state. And in Michigan, where there are 311,000 LGBTQ voters, Trump squeaked by with a bare 10,704 votes. The ‘Out For Biden’ outreach will begin as a virtual effort primarily due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Online conversations will be held on issues of health, race and sports, related to the LGBTQ community. Additionally, “tool kits” will be available which include voter registration information and messaging to engage with others regarding LGBTQ equality issues. Campaign officials say the outreach will be led in part by a group of 32 LGBTQ politicians and allies including openly lesbian Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) plus 6 other openly queer congressional members. Transgender elected officials, like Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins, will also have a prominent voice. As Instinct reported last week, while the White House was silent regarding Pride Month this year, Biden penned a lengthy essay detailing his past efforts as well as his plans to empower the LGBTQ community as president. Biden, who crossed the delegate threshold to become the Democratic presidential nominee last week, closed his Pride proclamation writing, “I believe in the story of this country and the LGBTQ+ community.” For more information about ‘Out For Biden,’ visit the official Joe Biden campaign website. In related news, Biden has jumped to a 14 point lead in the latest CNN/SSRS national poll with Biden garnering 55 percent to Trump’s 41 percent. But for those inclined to follow politics, national polls may offer a sense of the country’s political temperature, but they aren’t useful in determining the actual state of the presidential race. As many have noted, the 2020 contest will most likely be determined in a handful of swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona. You can check in on those battleground states’ recent polls at Real Clear Politics. Currently, in RCP’s average of polls, Biden leads Trump nationally by 7.8 percent. But more importantly, he holds small leads in each of those above-named swing states.