The battle royale is about to begin.
Donald Trump has the benefits of incumbency, a great deal of money, an energized and loyal base of supporters, and a blood lust for destroying his opponents through demeaning characterizations – both personal as well as professional.
Joe Biden has been able to take a low-key approach and benefit from miss-steps that Donald Trump has made. These self-inflicted wounds that Donald Trump has taken are significant but not fatal, and in a sense have made him an even more dangerous opponent.
Joe Biden has been characterized as not having been a leader while in the Senate or as Vice-President, having lost several steps in terms of his mental acuity, and without a clear vision of where he intends to take the country should he be elected president. These are significant perceived weaknesses that he must address as the campaign begins in earnest.
He must learn to turn these weaknesses into strengths if he is to win the presidency.
Joe Biden is not a leader? He has spent his career preparing for this moment, to be the leader that can return balance and sanity to our country. Joe Biden has been a senator for decades, a member of the most important legislative body in our government. He has seen and been involved with every important piece of legislation passed during his time in office. He has the experience to know how the business of government is conducted. In addition, Joe Biden has been the vice president for two terms, at the side of the president. He has seen and been involved with many important matters of state, both foreign and domestic. No one has more experience than Joe Biden. He bares the scars of many battles won and lost, and he has endured. This is deserving of respect and admiration.
Joe Biden suffers from cognitive decline? Well, he has never been a great orator, he struggles with a speech impediment, and he can veer off into weird tangents instead of sticking to his main talking points. This is not evidence of cognitive decline, but these limitations and tendencies should be addressed. It is important for Joe Biden to be able to deliver a focused message – preparation will be key. If it takes time for Joe Biden to gather his thoughts, then his demonstrated need to be thoughtful before speaking should be welcomed and commended.
Joe Biden has no vision? He has not yet shown that he has a clear vision, with a plan and program for everything. But what Joe Biden has is a profound feeling for what is right and fair and just. He has empathy. He is humble enough to seek counsel from those around him, and is the type of person who could gather strong and experienced people around him to build a solid cabinet. His integrity will come from within; his strength will come from without.
As the campaign unfolds, Joe Biden must learn to be a rock, to let the attacks of Donald Trump be like a wave breaking against the cliffs, an impressive spray but with no lasting effect. This will take concentration and preparation. Donald Trump has an insidious way of breaking down his opponent’s focus and will. Joe Biden must learn to use silence and a smile to deflect Donald Trump’s attacks, then speak from his heart and deliver a succinct message that does not focus on defending himself but instead speaks past and above whatever Donald Trump says to connect with the soul of the American people.