With both party's nominating conventions over, the 2020 presidential campaign begins in earnest. There has been much speculation about how these unprecedented, pandemic-challenged conventions would impact the race. For most of the election season to date, Joe Biden has maintained a steady lead nationally, as well as in the crucial swing states. And now we have some early indication as to what effect the conventions will have on that.
There have been several polls released since the conventions concluded. Every one of them show that Biden still holds the lead by significant margins. However, it's important to note that most of them show Biden's lead actually growing. As reported by RealClearPolitics, four polls have Biden increasing his lead, two show the lead narrowing, and one remains unchanged:
Polls |
Date |
Biden |
Trump |
Spread |
Prior Spread |
RCP Average |
8/21 - 9/1 |
49.4 |
42.3 |
Biden +7.1 |
|
YouGov |
8/30 - 9/1 |
51 |
40 |
Biden +11 |
Biden +9 |
IBD/TIPP |
8/29 - 9/1 |
49 |
41 |
Biden +8 |
Biden +7 |
Emerson |
8/30 - 8/31 |
49 |
47 |
Biden +2 |
Biden +4 |
USA Today |
8/28 - 8/31 |
50 |
43 |
Biden +7 |
Biden +12 |
Rasmussen |
8/26 - 9/1 |
49 |
45 |
Biden +4 |
Biden +2 |
Selzer |
8/26 - 8/30 |
49 |
41 |
Biden +8 |
Biden +4 |
The Hill |
8/25 - 8/28 |
47 |
38 |
Biden +9 |
Biden +9 |
|
This is bad news for Donald Trump who certainly hoped his "American Carnage 2.0" RNC speech would have helped him crawl out of his slump. It surely didn't help that he lost in the ratings war with the Democratic convention drawing more viewers overall, and Biden drawing more viewers specifically. it also doesn't help that Trump is incapable of articulating a second term agenda. And on top of that, Biden just pulled in some record breaking fund raising.
As a result, Trump has had to embrace a dystopian theme of fear and loathing, while seeking to encourage violence among his cult followers, which he cynically believes will benefit his campaign. And he will use anything to deflect from his failure to manage the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recession, both of which are the result of his negligence and incompetence.
The most prominent lines of attack that Trump has hurled at Biden have been insinuations about his mental faculties. That has never been true (except for Trump himself), but it hasn't stopped Trump from incessantly repeating his infantile nicknames and insults. And now that Biden has easily outperformed the low bar that Trump set for him, Trump's entire campaign strategy is out the window. All he has left is to chase after the racist, white nationalists that have been his most loyal base of support.
None of this, however, will dampen Trump's resolve to lie and cheat his way victory. He will continue to malign Biden as being stuck in his basement (which is false), or being unwilling to hold press conferences (which he did today). Ironically, it's Trump who is stuck in a media bunker wherein he only allows Fox News bootlickers to interview him. But whats really sad is that he fouls those up, even as Trump-fluffers like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham and the "Curvy Couch" potatoes of Fox and Friends struggle to throw him lifelines.
Nevertheless, Democrats must remain determined to see this through until November 3, without any let up or over confidence. We must run like we're behind 10 points behind. And we must not let Trump get away with any of his deceitful messaging and hate mongering. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and every day counts.
Trump and the GOP have not yet exhausted their capacity for dishonesty and criminality. They are unlawfully exploiting federal agencies from intelligence to the census to the Postal Service and more, in order to achieve their nefarious ends. And they still have Russia on their team. So stay vigilant. Stay strong. And stay committed to winning for America.