Biden Switches to 'Front Porch' Campaign, Loses Porch

The Virus Insanity Shut-In Time ought to be a perfect opportunity for a presidential candidate like Joe Biden, whose mental acuity was never that sharp, and which lately cuts like a bent yardstick through rawhide. We've all watched what sure looks like a decline in Biden's faculties and energy in recent months, but I did see exactly one time when he still looked and sounded like the old ...er, slightly younger... Joe Biden. It was at his most recent debate, mano a mano against Bernie Sanders. Biden showed energy we hadn't seen in weeks, and if he was still spewing the same old word vomit, he was spewing it with more force. Also, he was completing sentences for the most part.

It seemed like the slower campaign pace was doing Biden some good, and fit in nicely with an idea several political writers had been pushing: Keeping Biden off the campaign trail is the best thing for him.

The Wuhan coronavirus pandemic gives Biden a perfectly legitimate excuse to stay at home, too. No one is going to blame the old guy with questionable health for avoiding crowds and airplanes. And as Peter Sage wrote a couple weeks ago:

I have watched Biden up close in Town Hall settings about six times. He isn't at his best. He is not persuasive when reading from a teleprompter, and off the teleprompter he makes errors. He moves slowly. He tells stories but doesn't answer questions sharply. The format shows his vulnerabilities; he isn't quick, nor flexible, nor energetic.

Instead, he writes, "Biden could run a 'Front Porch' campaign, with Biden meeting with friendly groups in his coalition... TV cameras will be there to share it with the country. It sends a message of order and control. It is low drama, the Biden brand, bringing back normalcy."

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