Biden mangles his words — and undercuts his message

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Charlie Neibergall/AP/REX/Shutterstock (10225745i) Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a rally, in Iowa City, Iowa Election 2020 Joe Biden, Iowa City, USA – 01 May 2019

After 3 months of campaigning, Joe Biden’s speaking problem is resurfacing, his misspeaking, to be specific.

Most recently, ““We have this notion that somehow if you’re poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright, just as talented, as white kids.”

He quickly attempted to regroup: ” “Wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids — no I really mean it, but think how we think about it.”

He wasn’t finished, though, saying inexplicably at the Iowa State Fair,”We Choose truth over facts,”

By Friday morning, Trump and the GOP had fodder against Biden that they’ve been looking for and began ratcheting up the rumors that Biden is mentally deficient and too old (at 76)

It reflects an ongoing difficulty for Biden: His gaffes inevitably draw outsize attention, overshadowing his message and, at times, the depth and versatility of his remarks. Biden’s headline-grabbing comment about “poor kids” was at a marathon, two-hour event addressing the Asian-Latino coalition, where he took questions and then delivered lengthy answers, at times delving deep into policy.

By NATASHA KORECKI, MARC CAPUTO  |  Aug 9, 2019, Politico

But even some Democrats who’ve expressed concerns about Biden’s age and acuity for months increasingly are questioning whether he’s up to snuff, even though he has been the clear front-runner.

In contrast, some are not concerned and still consider Biden the best for the job. One issue mentioned is the fact that recently the number of activities had attends recently increased and that he has far fewer gaffes than the president does or did when campaigning.

Christian Ucles, an Asian-Latino Coalition member who attended the event Thursday night, said he didn’t even notice the slip that’s been dominating the news cycle and was surprised when he turned on the news later and watched the clip.

“I was disappointed that the media has decided to waste a news cycle on a 10-second soundbite flub to define the two-hour-long speech that Iowa voters got to hear,” Ucles said. Biden spoke with authority on a range of topics, Ucles added, from gun control to immigration to U.S.-China relations.

“Everybody else is out there doing a heavy schedule and he’s not,” he added, faulting Biden’s once-light campaign schedule. “I don’t think it’s fair to anyone to try to skate by — campaigns are tough, and it’s important that everybody shows what they can do in a campaign contest. If we’re talking about, all told, a year-and-a-half here, that’s the real distance that people have to go, so part of a primary is vetting candidates and seeing if they have what it takes to go the distance.”

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At the Friday event, Biden kept his remarks brief and used a teleprompter.

But before he took the lectern, there was a notable reference to Biden’s remarks and subsequent media coverage when Iowa’s Boone County Chair Tim Winter called it a difficult day for the former vice president, saying that while Biden’s so-called gaffes got much attention, Winter knew Biden has pure intentions.

“What [his remarks reflect] is a man with a good heart showing his caring leadership,” Winter said, “even when it is politically incorrect.”

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