Last week I suggested that Joe Biden get out of the basement and communicate aggressively about how he would govern and who would staff his presidency. 

The next day Michelle Cottle at the NY Times said the exact opposite - that Biden is lurking in the shadows on purpose, allowing Trump to overexpose himself via his daily virus briefings. 

This debate about Biden tactics is now elevated because of a great NY Times story about Trump’s shrinking poll numbers and concern by his staff that the briefings are hurting him. Predictably, Trump blamed his campaign manager and others for the poll drop. And now Trump, listening to political advice is pivoting away from the virus and toward the economy.

Don’t believe the polls that have Biden up in key swing states. It is way too early. Biden can light himself on fire at any moment as he did in his 1988 campaign and several times thereafter. And we should learn the lesson of 2016: a lot of people express disgust at Trump and then vote for him anyway out of perceived self-interest.

Cottle makes several great points in her piece about Biden doing this right. He has started a podcast where he talks to folks that could serve in the administration. 

His staff distributes questions to the press before and after Trump’s briefings. And Biden has done the late night shows with Kimmel, Fallon Etc. 

So there is a good argument to be made - and Cottle makes it - that Biden should hang tight and play a low-risk game.

Read Cottle's piece here

So Biden stays in the basement using the online tools and media thirst for a counter-narrative to Trump.  He can’t break through to the mainstream. But he is thinking it might work out. 

He faces a classic choice. Stay in the basement, let Trump continue hurting himself and avoid mistakes that are bound to happen in uncontrolled environments (Cottle’s view). Or go bold by showing us who will serve in the administration, demonstrate policy expertise daily on the web and perhaps announce the VP selection early to generate excitement among voters. (My View).

Here’s the risk/problem for Biden. There are two of him. The good Biden is the overly emotive, next door neighbor, no malarkey guy from our past. He may be clumsy with words. But he is decent and he cares and he understands government. And he is what we have left. 

The bad Biden is the creepy guy from another century with wandering hands who doesn’t get boundaries. He mistreated Anita Hill (and hasn’t apologized), wrote the crime bill and and who just appointed former Sen. Chris Dodd to his VP selection committee. Just Google Dodd and Ted Kennedy to read how they drunkenly cruised DC for years looking for sexual conquest. It’s disgusting. How could Biden send such a signal to women all over the country by choosing Dodd as an advisor? Because he is a relic from another time who doesn’t understand how the world has changed. It just confirms - AGAIN - Biden’s blindness on ME TOO issues, regardless of whether Tara Reid is telling the truth.

As usual in politics, it will be a little and a lot of both Biden, which is of course what Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren warned us about. 

In the end, most of this hangs on Trump and whether our political system has finally caught up to him. We know who he is. He doesn’t fool us any more. All Biden has to do is be the best Biden, not the bad one.