Last week, Joe Biden was one of 20 presidential candidates to speak at a Planned Parenthood forum in Columbia, South Carolina, held right next door to the state’s Democratic convention.
It was just a couple of weeks after he’d reversed his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortion. One of the moderators asked him what he’d say to pro-choice voters who have concerns about his mixed record on the issue.
This was part of his answer: “The fact of the matter is that we’re in a situation where mortality rate for poor women and black women, here in this state, 26.5% of the, 24, 25.6 people, who of 100,000 who need, who end up dying as a consequence of birth, it’s absolutely absurd.” (He was referring to South Carolina’s maternal mortality rate, which is 26.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 births.)
Seeing Biden often feels like watching an actor who can’t quite remember his lines. I had the chance to watch him campaign three times, when almost the entire Democratic field descended on Columbia. He appeared at the famous fish fry held by Rep. Jim Clyburn. The next day he was at the Planned Parenthood event and at the state convention.
His performance was unnerving. I don’t want Biden to be the nominee for ideological reasons, but polls show him far ahead – and he didn’t seem strong.
Donald Trump, of course, also speaks in gibberish, but with confidence; rather than flailing for the right figure, he makes one up. Biden was just shaky. And while there’s great affection for him on the ground, there’s little excitement.
It’s true that ordinary voters don’t seem to care about the gaffes that obsess cable TV commentators. No one I spoke to in Columbia was bothered by Biden waxing nostalgic about his civil relations with segregationist senators; most people hadn’t even heard about it. And his ability to forge personal connections remains impressive.
At the Planned Parenthood event, each of the candidates was asked a question by a preselected audience member. A 32-year-old Army veteran from Parkersburg, West Virginia told Biden about being sexually assaulted by her abusive husband not long after having a baby.
She became pregnant and needed an abortion and later needed two more. Each was paid for by West Virginia’s Medicaid program, which stopped funding abortion last year. She wanted to know what Biden intended to do to protect and expand abortion access.
“First of all, a lot of you women, maybe a lot of men out here, don’t realize what incredible courage it took to stand up and say that,” he said. He then asked if they could talk privately afterward.
For some of the activists, the moment was another Biden screw-up – they saw him mansplaining rape to a room full of feminists. But the veteran, whom I spoke to after she met with Biden, was pleased with their discussion. “I felt relatively empowered in that space with him,” she said.
That’s Biden at his best – undisciplined, but with a big heart. But personal warmth won’t be enough without the ability to inspire masses of people.
At the convention, several groups of chanting supporters marched their candidates into the auditorium. On Saturday morning, Kamala Harris came down an escalator accompanied by a cheering throng and a high school drum line. Later, boisterous backers of Cory Booker streamed in behind him from one end of the convention center, only to meet dozens of raucous Beto O’Rourke fans coming from the other. They came together in the middle, attempting to drown each other out with chants like rival gangs in a good-natured musical.
Shortly after that, a group of Biden supporters gathered to march into the main hall. Biden wasn’t with them, but they planned to enter as he appeared onstage. There were 20 or 30 people, a smaller group than those accompanying Harris, Booker or O’Rourke, and despite a few earnest woo-hoos, they weren’t nearly as loud as the others.
An ability to draw crowds isn’t everything. Biden’s supporters are older than those of other Democrats, which gives his campaign less energy but a more reliable voting base. Still, as recent elections have shown, enthusiasm matters.
Anyone convinced Biden is the safe choice should see him for themselves.
Michelle Goldberg is a columnist for The New York Times.
