“Most following Biden’s career know he prides himself on being able to work well with those who do not share his politics. The former lawmaker believes Americans need to elect a president who can bring conflicting sides to the table for the good of the American people. But if Biden wants to keep his good favor with black voters, why could he not use an example of bipartisanship that did not involve men whose lasting legacies with many black Americans is their racism?… The politician who helped elect America’s first black president is potentially putting his success with the left’s most influential demographic in jeopardy by glossing over the long-lasting harms that racist policymakers promoted in the name of ‘civility.’”
Eugene Scott, Washington Post

Many are reporting that “of the 23 Democrats who have announced they’re running, [Warren’s] is the name that comes up most… Her policy proposals are wonky so they’re not easy to condense into a column, but if you want the details, they’re not hard to find. Part of what makes her attractive is that she knows stuff. Serious stuff. Her fight is grounded not just in passion but in knowledge…

“It’s a fight against economic injustice, but not one based on pitting average Americans against each other. It’s a fight against an economic system that privileges corporations, big banks and the uber-wealthy. It’s founded on an understanding that while discrimination of many kinds runs deep and poisonous in our society, those sicknesses won’t be fixed without a restructuring of the economy.”
Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune

“Rather than condescend to voters, like most politicians, Warren has treated voters as adults, smart enough to handle her wonky style of campaigning… Week in and week out, she has been crisscrossing the country to tell receptive voters her ideas for an ultra-millionaire tax, student debt cancellation and breaking up big tech. She has also weighed in on reproductive rights, vaccines, the opioid crisis and algorithmic discrimination in automated loans. Her bevy of white papers demonstrates that there isn’t a policy area Warren won’t touch and she isn’t worried about repelling anyone with hard-hitting proposals… her polling surge shows that voters appreciate the nerdy policy talk.”
Jill Priluck, The Guardian

By contrast, “There was little new in Mr. Trump’s performance [at his rally]. He did not offer a governing vision or even an updated policy focus for a second term. His 76-minute speech was the usual brew of aggrandizement, aggrievement and demonization of political foes. He vilified Democrats as ‘ruthless,’ ‘unhinged’ monsters dedicated to ‘the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of the American dream.’ He whined about his persecution by the ‘fake news’ and the deep-state rogues who perpetrated the Russia ‘witch hunt.’ He devoted so much time to attacking ‘Crooked Hillary’ that it seemed as though a confused aide might have accidentally loaded one of his 2016 speeches into the teleprompters…

“It is a tricky line that Mr. Trump will attempt to toe over the next 18 months. As the sitting president, he needs voters to feel good about the job he has done — good enough to turn out and give him another four years. The animating force of his political success, however, has always been cultural grievance. He is the master of stoking voters’ most primal anxieties and resentments. Tuesday’s speech suggests that going forward, the president’s struggle to reconcile these conflicting imperatives will not be pretty — or good for the country. If his message in 2016 was that the political establishment and cultural elitists were exploiting, ignoring and sneering at regular Americans, his message this time is that the opposition despises and is aggressively plotting to destroy MAGA country.”
Michelle Cottle, New York Times

Some argue that “Trump may be historically unpopular, but he is popular enough to be (comfortably) re-elected… Trump has so far delivered to his non-traditional base. The average Republican, commonly referred to as the ‘moderate Republican’, is still not a fan of Trump, who is seen as too confrontational and vulgar, but got the one thing they care about: a tax cut… the Christian right will once again come out strong. While the support for Trump by religious voters puzzles liberals, it is pretty straightforward: the supreme court. Here, again, Trump has delivered…

“Finally, there is the real Trump supporter, the mostly blue-collar and lower-middle-class white voters who want to ‘build the wall’ (nativism) and ‘drain the swamp’ (populism). So far, they have not really gotten what they wanted… But where can they go?… Elections are not won by passive majorities but by mobilized minorities… [Trump’s] supporters have agency and urgency, the two things the Democrats are still lacking. They have 500 days left to create this, together, rather than apart.”
Cas Mudde, The Guardian