Joe Biden: 4 advantages and 4 weaknesses of the Democratic candidate for the White House (and how it differs from Hillary Clinton)
Joe Biden faces the gigantic mission of preventing Donald Trump from remaining four more years in the White House.
And it is not an easy task given that traditionally US presidents are re-elected for a second term.
But Biden, far from being a last-minute electoral card, has a long political trajectory that has kept him in public office for almost half a century, something that works for him and against him.
He was eight years vice president of Barack Obama and 36 years senator from Delaware, an experience that allows him to project an image of stability in a time of crisis.
"He is a politician considered normal, at a time when many Americans would like to return to a more normal life, like the one they had before Trump took office and before the pandemic," Barry Burden tells BBC Mundo, Professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It is also favored by Trump's weaknesses that are now taking the toll on him, such as the criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 Americans, the country with the most deaths in the world.
A vote of punishment for the president that did not exist in the 2016 election when he defeated Hillary Clinton.
But Biden is not the perfect candidate, something recognized inside and outside his party.
He has difficulties articulating his speeches, he has not shown a good performance in the debates, they criticize him for lack of charisma and his inability to project an inspiring message.
Nor does it favor him that if he were to govern at 78, he would be the oldest president in the history of the country.
Despite those weaknesses, he is leading in the polls. And if the elections were today, he would win by a wide margin.
But it's November 3, and a lot of water can still pass under the bridge.
In this note we tell you what are the advantages and disadvantages of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. in the race to reach the White House.
Advantage
1-Popular origin
Joe Biden comes from the working class. The oldest of four siblings, the family moved from Pennsylvania to Wilmington, Delaware, when the candidate was 10 years old, after his father got a job as a car salesman.
It was precisely in Delaware that he became a senator at age 29. From then on, he traveled every day by train to and from Washington, D.C., for more than three decades.
That origin and his lifestyle has served the candidate to connect with a broad electoral base. And it is precisely that origin that could bring him votes among those who supported Trump in 2016 and are now disappointed.
"He is uncle Joe. He is seen as a good guy. A guy who is not going to change things too much but who will make them much better than Trump," argues David Brady, professor of political science at Stanford University and senior researcher at the Hoover Institution analysis center, in dialogue with BBC Mundo.
His image as an "ordinary citizen" is in clear contrast to the profile of a millionaire president who travels through high places and moves comfortably in Wall Street circles, something that did not favor Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. in the 2016 elections.
Biden, by contrast, has developed more connections walking the halls of Congress than doing business with the owners of large mutual funds and the business elite.
2-Empathy and political experience
During his life, he has had to face harsh family tragedies, such as the death of his first wife and their 13-month-old daughter in a car accident and, decades later, the death of his son Beau at age 45 from brain cancer.
That has made him, in the eyes of some voters, a human being who knows what it's like to go through difficult times, overcome them, and understand the pain of others.
"He has the ability to show empathy and understanding for those who face adversity," says Anthony Zurcher, a BBC journalist specializing in political coverage of the United States.
Personal contact with ordinary people has been a characteristic that has marked his political career.
Added to this empathic connection is a political experience that includes more than four decades in public office.
"The main advantage of Biden is that he is an established public figure," explains Barry Burden.
And because this election looks more like a referendum on Trump's administration than a traditional election, many Americans don't want surprises or risky bets. In that sense, there is a sector that favors someone who represents stability and experience.
3-A moderate center
Biden represents a moderate stance, which this time has allowed him to attract voters who are closer to more centrist positions from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, as well as independent.
With the idea of moving forward under the premise of "continuity and change", Biden is seen as a person more pragmatic than ideological and with experience in creating coalitions.
"One of the biggest benefits for Biden is his demeanor focused on staying calm and in control," says John Hudak, senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management in the Brookings Institution's Department of Governance Studies.
"When there is a crisis, Americans look for a stable and capable administrator," he explains in dialogue with BBC Mundo.
That is why his conciliatory tone and his message of unifying the country resonates with a part of the voters who are tired of the president's confrontational strategy.
But it is also a double-edged sword, as the more left-wing sector of her party - which has become a growing force among the younger generation - is not interested in centrism and prefers much more liberal representatives like Congresswoman Alexandria. Ocasio-Cortez.
In that Biden has been able to include among his proposals ideas from the sector that supported Bernie Sanders in the primaries (who declares himself a socialist) or Elizabeth Warren.
"Biden has strong support from his party," Julian Zelizer, professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, told BBC Mundo.
And because the rejection of Trump within Democrats is so stark, it's a compelling reason to line up behind Biden.
4-It's not Hillary
"The other advantage of Biden, compared to the 2016 elections, is that he is not Hillary Clinton," argues Robert Shapiro, professor in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University, in contact with BBC Mundo.
In those elections "many voted against her," he says, and now it is the opposite case: it is likely that many will vote against Trump.
On the other hand, it is well known that Clinton, unlike Biden, did not have closeness to the people among her strengths.
"Biden is much better campaigning face to face and connecting with her audience," explains Anthony Zurcher.
While the former senator has built a reputation as a friendly figure, he adds, Clinton was perceived by many voters as unattractive.
"Some of that can be attributed to sexism, but it is a problem that Biden does not have to worry about," she says.
In addition, in the 2016 campaign Clinton projected a more polarizing image, while one of the fundamental components of the former senator's campaign is the concept of national unity.
Comparing the two figures, David Brady argues that Biden has more traction among working-class voters than Hilary, especially among white men.
Also the polls, explains the academic, show that more African Americans will vote for Biden than those who did for Clinton in 2016.
Disadvantages
1-Age
At 77, Biden is the oldest candidate in American history. And if he reached the White House, at 78, he would become the oldest president in the country.
Those who have followed the development of her political career say that she has lost some of the energy and speed that she used to have when she was younger.
In that sense, Biden has found it difficult to get the vote of the youngest, who see him as a traditional and moderate politician who is inclined to maintain the status quo, instead of promoting a more reformist agenda.
Considering age as one of his weak points, some of his opponents portray him as a person who is no longer in a position to assume the responsibility of being in command of a country.
2-He is not a good speaker (and political debates are not his strength)
This is one of the great disadvantages of Biden. Analysts consulted by BBC Mundo agree that historically it has not performed well in political debates, as well as in its speeches and interventions in massive events.
He has a tendency to make verbal mistakes and make impromptu comments that often leave him in an awkward position, while his speeches are sometimes scattered and with some ramblings that make him a bit disjointed.
Nick Bryant, a BBC New York correspondent, says that in his 30 years of covering US politics, he was surprised by Biden's first public interventions in this campaign and his lack of persuasion.
"The speeches turned into rambling monologues," says Bryan. "His train of thought was regularly derailed."
But little by little he began to rack up wins during the Democratic primaries, even in states where he had not campaigned.
"Biden could have done well in those places precisely because of his absence," says Bryan.
3-Little charisma and no inspiring message
In what the analysts consulted by BBC Mundo agree is that Biden does not shine for being a charismatic candidate, nor does he stand out for his great power of persuasion in front of the public.
Clearly, says Robert Shapiro, "Biden doesn't get the voters excited the way Obama did."
In contrast, "Trump supporters are more excited about him and they can be counted on to go to the polls," he adds.
In that sense, John Hudak argues that this campaign, with the limitations caused by the pandemic, "has made it difficult for its message to go from being credible to inspiring."
He could do it in the upcoming debates, but it is not clear if he will.
Nor is it clear whether the less moderate Democratic faction that voted for Bernie Sanders will go to the polls.
"Ultimately, those voters will see Biden as the lesser of the two evils or they will remain upset and stay home," Hudak notes.
4-Ghosts of the past: a complaint of sexual abuse
Tara Reade, who worked as part of Biden's team from 1992 to 1993 when he was a senator from Delaware, accuses him of sexually abusing her in the halls of Congress.
The candidate denies the veracity of the complaint.
However, Reade is not the only one who has singled out him for going beyond the "acceptable" line.
There are several women who accuse him of touching, hugging or kissing that they consider inappropriate and that, beyond having or not having a direct sexual connotation, go beyond the limit of socially accepted bodily closeness.
This situation is a disadvantage against the candidate, particularly now that the #MeToo movement has gained momentum in the United States and reports of harassment, abuse or sexual assault generate greater disapproval in public opinion than they did decades ago.
However, the party has defended him every time he has been singled out by a woman.
Another issue that has been in the current public debate is that Biden played a central role in the passage of the Violent Crime Control Act of 1994, which laid the groundwork for the expansion of the mass incarceration system in the country.
Also known as the "Biden Crime Act," it imposed harsher sentences at the federal level and provided funding for states to build more prisons, expand police forces, and implement operations against drug-related crimes.
That legislation "has come under renewed scrutiny for having a disproportionately negative impact on minorities," says Anthony Zurcher, especially among activists who defend the rights of African Americans.
With his arsenal of strengths and weaknesses, Biden will have to face an unpredictable competitor down the stretch who routinely does not play by the rules of the game and could eventually draw cards up his sleeve.
Biden's political future will depend, to a large extent, on his performance in the upcoming debates and on how he plays the game in the 10 weeks until the elections.
