Finley: Come out, come out Joe Biden - The Detroit News

opinion

Nolan Finley The Detroit News

Published 11:00 PM EDT Aug 15, 2020

American voters should have the chance to thoroughly test drive Joe Biden before they’re asked to sign a purchase agreement this fall.

The presumptive Democratic nominee has laid low during the COVID-19 months, seen infrequently since the end of the Democratic presidential debates last winter.

Given his age — Biden is 77 — his avoidance of actual public appearances is understandable. He’s in a high-risk category.

But the nation has adapted to the the virtual communications models necessitated by the pandemic. 

He may not be able to do campaign rallies, in-person town halls or meet-and-greets with voters, but there’s no excuse for Biden not to be seen regularly, and in unscripted situations.

Interviews with journalists other than those hand-picked by his staff, as well as press conferences, online addresses to voter groups and virtual community visits should be expected of anyone who wants to be president.

And he definitely must debate President Donald Trump, despite advice from some that he skip those face-offs. Presidential debates are part of the electoral institution in America, and there’s no COVID-19 excuse for avoiding them.

Biden’s first major appearance in months will come Thursday night, when he formally accepts the nomination at the Democratic National Convention. 

In normal times — and these are anything but — the nominee would leave the convention for a cross-country campaign swing.

The obvious question is why would Biden submit to such public scrutiny. He’s been doing just fine in the polls from his Delaware compound while his rival, Trump, bumbles his way to defeat.

Trump’s erraticism has reached a frantic pace. The president’s lack of judgment, class and discipline are on full display, hour after hour.

Biden’s handlers have clearly decided the safest place for him is in the shadows while Trump self-destructs. That way, they can contrast him to the president through polished campaign commercials.

His few moments off-script have been awkward, with the Democrat often stumbling over words, speaking out of context and appearing confused.

Are those just harmless slips from a politician famous for his verbal gaffes? Or are they signs Biden has crossed the point where the effects of aging move from gradual to downhill plunge?

Keeping Biden under wraps is admittedly a smart strategy. His fuse appears to have grown shorter, making direct contact with voters risky. Biden is just as likely to insult them as win them over.

And when not reading from a teleprompter — and sometimes even when he is — Biden has a tendency to wander into minefields, as with his recent observations on Black culture. 

Any smart campaign strategist would tell him to limit his exposure for as long as Trump is doing his work for him.

That’s good for the candidate, but not for the electorate.

The voting public deserves the opportunity to judge for themselves Biden’s mental acumen and physical stamina. 

They can only do that by seeing him on the campaign trail as they would in a normal cycle, every day, all day long, in whatever form that can take in this new pandemic reality. 

Twitter: @NolanFinleyDN

Sign up for the Nolan Out Loud morning report at detroitnews.com/newsletters.

Watch Finley on DPTV’s “One Detroit” at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays.

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