I just happened to tune in to the end of President Biden’s rally in Detroit. He was on fire; he was lively, he was combative. He was running to win. And he just might — if his campaign learns one very big lesson: Biden needs a live audience in front of him.
This is the point Joy Reid just made with Chris Hayes following the rally: Biden is at his best when he has an audience to respond to, to work off, to get energy from. She posits that this was the major tactical mistake the staff made in the debate — they demanded no live audience. No doubt they wanted to cut off any Trump cheering squad, but they forgot that Biden needs an audience, too.
The same thing happened with the Stephanopolous interview; one on one (with an interviewer who’s losing his touch), no audience to give him energy. Contrast that with the press conference, where he interacted with people and came off much the better for it. Ditto for the SOTU.
Reid also added that the cacaphony of calls for Biden to step down stirred up his combat instincts. All I can add to that is, it’s about time!
So here is how to make Biden win: GIVE HIM AN AUDIENCE! This is a people president, put him before the people.
I am still not totally convinced Harris wouldn’t run better against Trump than Biden will, but I am feeling a lot better than a few days ago.
(Side note: We’re heading out to an anniversary dinner in a few minutes, so I will be late in responding to any comments.)