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IN AN ASTONISHINGLY FIERCE PERFORMANCE, Joe Biden has changed the election narrative overnight. Some analysts are claiming that Biden was too strident and partisan last night, and that may be true — but it misses the point: Biden was feisty and angry and vigorous, not a frail old man on the edge of dementia.
JUST 24 HOURS AGO, Democrats were terrified that Biden would stumble, but he didn’t. He was so aggressive that he mocked Republicans and took on hecklers; he seemed to be itching for a fight. Frail old man? We don’t think so.
WE DON’T WANT TO OVER-REACT TO ONE SPEECH, just as Jerome Powell doesn’t over-react to one economic statistic. But we think Biden did himself a world of good, even though he did little to appeal to Nikki Haley supporters.
POLLS USUALLY SHOW THE PERCEIVED WINNER after these speeches gains only two or three percentage points. But that would probably place Biden and Trump in a dead heat as the spring begins. Trump had a modest lead as this week began.
BIDEN’s AIDES WILL BE TEMPTED TO GO UNDERGROUND THIS SPRING; his advisers don’t want him freelancing with unscripted comments. That’s why they kept him away from the pre-Super Bowl media interviews.
FOR MOST DEMOCRATS RUNNING THIS FALL, there’s a sense of relief this morning that a GOP House and Senate sweep is now less likely. Biden blasted away on the Democrats’ top issue — abortion rights, an issue that has produced a fierce backlash that could hurt the GOP’s prospects this fall.
NOW THAT BIDEN CLEARED HIS FIRST MAJOR TEST, he will need to focus on other issues, such as Ukraine, immigration and urban crime. Trump may not spend much time talking about specific prescriptions; he has court dates and cash shortages to worry about.
THE MESSAGE WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR LAST NIGHT: Biden and most Democrats are prepared to play hardball, and suddenly the race is tied. One speech, usually boring, has changed the narrative — and throughout Washington this morning, Democrats are breathing easier. The age issue has diminished as the dominant theme.
Related: Super Tuesday Takeaways
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