[ad_1]
OWINGSVILLE, Ky. – Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., in some of the harshest criticisms he has made to President Trump to date, said Friday that the president "was destroying American values" and undermine institutions to "amass power". called on his party not to give up winning the votes of the white working class.
Campaigning in rural Kentucky for a Democrat participating in one of the country's most-watched home runs, Biden appeared to be testing themes for a possible campaign in 2020 to overthrow Trump.
"He is flouting American values in the way he talks about people, how he makes fun of people, how he disparages people," Biden said. "I have to tell you, I think there's a method to his madness because he wants you to come into the well with him."
On Friday, the former vice president traveled to the 1,500-strong city to campaign for Amy McGrath, a retired Marine combat airman, in an area where the democrats' fortunes have been deeply eroded. On Saturday, the president is expected to campaign in another district Republican stronghold for her opponent, Rep. Andy Barr.
Biden is one of the few national Democrats able to connect white rural voters, ancestral members of the party who abandoned him to help build the bulwark of the president's electoral coalition.
In an interview that followed the rally, Biden did not hesitate to criticize the president, claiming that his attack on everything from federal courts to Republicans in Congress, was aimed at "amassing power." ". Mr. Trump's approach has been particularly effective among Mr. Biden's acknowledged that the white working class lives in rural America, but that Democrats must re-engage and try to win back that vote.
"In my opinion, we can not possibly win the presidency without starting to recover the white voters of the working class who voted for us," he said.
Mr. Biden acknowledged the power of Mr. Trump's grievance, but added that it had its limitations.
"His set of values is far too narrow and selfish, and I think it's deliberately designed to appeal to the legitimate frustrations of many working-class people by finding a scapegoat," the other " "said Mr Biden. "Your job was lost, your identity is threatened because of this immigrant." He added, "This is an old and old method."
But, he added, "I look outside and I just do not know how much this grievance can be appealed to keep the majority."
During that cycle, Biden maintained an ambitious timetable, campaigning for more than two dozen Democratic candidates. His travels – from California to the Kentucky countryside, on university campuses and among party voters – indicate that the potential presidential candidate of 2020 has maintained a broad cross-call, even though cracks appear between the moderate wings and left of the party.
"I do not accept that the gap between whites and the white working class exists between progressive problems and economic problems," said Biden. "I did not find that."
The crowd in a crowded gymnasium at Bath County High School, at one point, launched a slogan of "Course, Joe, Course".
When asked how Mr. Biden's appearance compared to other famous visitors, people here remembered the arrival of the stars of the American show "American Pickers "and the visit of Roni Stoneman, star of the TV show" Hee Haw ". The closest to anyone of Biden's stature was when President Harry S. Truman came to nearby Montgomery County in 1948.
"You talk about a district that has not been involved, it's a Republican district of more than nine points," said Ben Chandler, who represented the congressional district before losing face to Mr. Barr.
But the open question is whether Mr. Biden can effectively counter the president.
"The president is setting fire to the base, not like the others on the Republican side," said Billy Piper, a Republican consultant and former aide to Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, adding, "To the extent that it can help energize this party. of the electorate, that helps Andy a lot.
The vast majority of Bath County residents register as Democrats and vote this way in local races, but vote Republican in national races. The county is white at almost 98%, with only 12% of the population having at least a bachelor's degree and 25% living in poverty.
The industries that once supported it, first of all iron ore, then mineral water sources and, much more recently, tobacco, have all but disappeared. People here see the National Democratic Party despising them and having almost no cultural frame of reference to understand their points of view.
"For me, Bath County has always been a small, warm and hospitable city with a big heart," said Sannie Overly, a Democratic State legislator who has always won Bath County. "If someone there is developing cancer and there is no health insurance, he meets and organizes a fish fries or an auction. It's just a culture of mutual vigilance. "
But the identity of voters as democrats is more allegiance than political allegiance. And the affection for Mr. Barr is strong. Tom Byron, who has lived in Owingsville for 75 years, and his wife, Judy, are both Barr supporters who were not moved by Biden's visit. Ms. Byron stated that she could not vote for Ms. McGrath because of her support for the right to abortion.
While Mr. Biden came to campaign for Ms. McGrath, Mr. Byron thought that he had a larger program. "Do you think Joe is doing that too?" Asked Mr. Byron.
Ms. McGrath has her own appeal to constituents in Bath County. People like her military background and the fact that she moved away from the National Democratic Party. "Those who meet her are impressed by her," Byron said.
If Mr. Biden, as Mr. Byron suggests, also came to Kentucky to improve his future, there might be good reasons.
"I just think he's a good and honest man," said Jeanie Jones, a cashier at the Owingsville banking company. "I think he's morally right." At the next box, Tammy York agreed. "He seems really humble," she said. "It's amazing that they come to a small place like this because there is nothing here."
Source link
