Democrats have recently become outspoken regarding the questionable actions of previous Vice President Joe Biden. Several women have accused Biden of inappropriate touching and questionable activities that caused many of them to feel uncomfortable. It has created an interesting dilemma in the 2020 Election race for Democrats.
Stacey Abrams recently commented that someone should not be disqualified based on a past mistake. This is a striking change from the way the Democrats felt about mistakes in 2016. Democrats consistently stated that then Presidential candidate Trump made mistakes that disqualified him from the ability to be President. In fact, President Obama even commented on these very facts multiple times. In this NY Times video, President Obama spoke about how Trump was unprepared and unfit for the Presidency based on daily and weekly statements and mistakes he made. Ayesha Rascoe summarized an Obama event in Greensboro, North Carolina where Obama suggested Trump wasn’t qualified to work at a convenience store.Â
One could wonder why the change of heart for Democrats has occurred just a short 2 years after the Trump events, but the search for answers would not take you long. Recent poll results for the 2020 Democratic primary show despite the accusations Joe Biden is the clear leader for the Democratic nomination. Real Clear Politics recent National polling data shows Biden as the only Democratic candidate that has a double digit lead over President Trump in national polling. Biden leads the pack on reporting dated Monday April 1 at +13, while the closest competition is Senator Bernie Sanders at +8.Â
While many Democrats initially seemed interested in distancing themselves from Biden, the statements by Abrams show that there is some in the party who desire to keep him as an option. It will be interesting to see how this story plays out in the coming weeks as Biden still shows to be the strongest candidate. Could it be that Democrats are realizing that chasing the Democratic-Socialist agenda will only hurt them with the moderate Democrats and Independent voters who could give them a victory in November 2020?