From a return to normal to sweeping change: Biden shifts message as general election begins

Explicit comparisons to the New Deal. Top surrogates talking about “real structural change.” And a pledge to not “just go back to the way things were.”

What’s gotten into Joe Biden’s campaign?

During the Democratic primary, Biden promised to return the country to a state of normalcy after Donald Trump’s chaotic presidency. Now at the onset of the general election, his campaign has readjusted its message, instead emphasizing how the former vice president will bring sweeping change to Washington if elected.

Although top Biden officials acknowledge the new rhetorical focus will help win over the progressive diehards who supported Bernie Sanders in the short term, they insist it’s a message they will continue preaching through the fall — especially during the fallout of a coronavirus pandemic they say is highlighting the deep inequities many Americans face.

“The fundamental premise of Joe Biden’s public service has been that a basic bargain was broken with working people in this country and it is our responsibility to rebuild a stronger, fundamentally more inclusive middle class that this country has never seen before,” said Stef Feldman, the Biden campaign’s policy director. “That certainly has been the launching pad for his candidacy.”

Feldman and other Biden officials say the rhetorical emphasis is rooted in Biden’s progressive worldview. They point out, for example, that the de-facto Democratic presidential nominee’s policy platform is far more liberal than Hillary Clinton’s, on issues ranging from health care to criminal justice reform.

But to Democratic strategists outside of the campaign, the talk of bringing change to Washington is also beneficial politically.

They say a campaign that many voters came to see as promising a return to the political status quo would be in great danger of losing to Trump. Even if many voters dislike the president, many of them might still come around to voting for him if they see him as an agent of change in a political system they despise.

“Every winning campaign is about the future,” said Tad Devine, who was the chief strategist on Sanders’ 2016 campaign and a senior adviser to John Kerry and Al Gore’s bids. “The great threat for Biden is that Trump would position him as the past. If your own message is directed toward the past, then it’s easy to place you there.

“By talking about change, Biden becomes a candidate with a future orientation,” he added. “That’s going to be more important to voters right now that it’s been in a while.”

In a live-streamed video with Sanders last week, Biden himself said the country now had an opportunity to make major changes to the country’s economic order in the same way Democrats did after the Great Depression. Barack Obama, in recent video message endorsing Biden, also touted his former vice president’s interest in “real structural change.”

Biden officials and progressive advocates say the emphasis on big changes has taken on extra urgency in the last month for two reasons: The coronavirus outbreak and resulting economic catastrophe, and the end of the Democratic primary.

The ongoing economic collapse has given voters reason to rethink their economic priorities, favoring short-term stimulus over long-term concerns over issues like the deficit, liberal strategists say. That gives Biden an opening to talk up a bolder and more robust agenda than he had during the fall and winter.

“Voters see the need for action,” said Sean McElwee, co-founder of the liberal group Data for Progress. “No one seems to really worry about the deficit, and so I definitely think there’s a lot more space to talk about stimulus and what a candidate like Joe Biden wants to do.”

Feldman said Biden would “be taking over in a moment that looks different in terms of economic and public health than one would have expected six months ago.”

Since winning the primary, Biden has made overtures to Sanders supporters, promising to eliminate some student debt while lowering the eligibility age for Medicare to 60. Biden officials say they hope the bolder rhetoric from the campaign breaks through to some of those voters, persuading them to take a harder look at the former vice president’s proposals and realize that he’s more liberal than they once believed.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 16 percent of voters who supported Sanders in the primary do not yet back Biden against Trump. Reducing that share, Democrats say, should be a key part of Biden’s strategy.

“I think people who supported other candidates in the primary are maybe giving the vice president a fresh look, which is great,” Feldman said. “I’m very excited they’re giving him an opportunity.”

Biden allies and even some progressive activists caution that a greater emphasis on liberal economic policies could carry general election risk, particularly if the campaign adopted more unpopular stances like support for single-payer health care.

They also concede that while Biden might call for big changes to the economy and safety net, promising a return to normal is still necessary on other issues, like restoring character and decency to the White House.

“You don’t want to seem like you’re exploiting the crisis for long-term gain,” McElwee said. “So threading that needle is a big question that Democrats are going to have to take on as they confront this crisis.”

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This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.