WILLIE BROWN: This is Joe Biden’s chance. He needs to do more to grab it

San Francisco Chronicle

It’s way too early for Democrats to feel confident about Joe Biden’s lead in the polls over President Trump.

Biden has benefited greatly from largely keeping out of sight and letting the attention stay on Trump. The idea appears to be that the more people see of Trump in times of crisis, the less they like it.

The danger is that while people know why they won’t vote for Trump, Biden has yet to give them a reason to vote for him.

He needs to get a simple message and run with it. Bill Clinton ran on bringing back the economy. Barack Obama ran on health care.

You still have to persuade people to vote for you. Just ask Hillary Clinton.

If I were Biden’s strategist, my message would be that the 2020 race is about more than just the presidency. It is about taking back the Senate and ultimately controlling the next appointments to the Supreme Court.

I’d kick off the campaign in Montana, then swing through states like Arizona, Georgia and Kentucky. I’d hit every state where there’s even a remote possibility of Democrats flipping a Republican-held Senate seat.

Biden in the bunker is working today. But every day that passes is another day closer to an economic turnaround and an end to the health crisis.

And you can bet that if either of those happens before November, Trump will be back on his game.

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