Why Biden Is Leading

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There is one key reason why Joe Biden is ahead in the national polls despite his lapses on the campaign trail, his loss of focus in debates, and the sense that he is an old man from another era. He has made his campaign about one thing—getting Donald Trump out of office.

And that’s the one thing that unites Democrats of the center and the left. Consider this TV spot, drawn from speeches in which Biden effectively makes the case that his campaign has one paramount goal—ousting Trump.

Now this doesn’t mean Biden would make the most effective Democratic candidate against Trump. I happen to think that Biden’s serial weaknesses as a campaigner would enable Trump to eat him alive, not to mention the embarrassment and distraction of Hunter Biden. The former vice president’s son is both a lightning rod and a trigger for Biden’s temper, as well as an unsavory reminder of similarities with Trump’s family.

The puzzle is not why Biden is making the defeat of Trump the centerpiece of his campaign for the nomination. The puzzle is why other candidates are whacking away at each other rather than going after Trump.

The primary contest, after all, is an audition for who would be the most effective at winning in November. If that emphasis, rather than more intramural sniping, becomes the focus of Thursday’s debate, party unity will be better served and we will be more likely to get the most compelling nominee.

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