‘While Republican presidential candidates compete for the title of “most dystopian” and four-time-indicted former president Donald Trump tells us everything from Washington to the military to our judicial system stinks, President Biden has rolled out a new ad. It’s very different from Trump’s portrayal of an America as a nonstop horror show.
Biden’s ad, “Fought Back,” reminds us how bad things were under his predecessor, touts Biden’s economic accomplishments and accuses Republicans (while displaying Trump’s picture) of running America down. A list of bipartisan accomplishments, such as the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Chips bill, refutes the notion that the United States is paralyzed or incapable of solving its problems.
“There are some who say America is failing,” the narrator says. “Not Joe Biden. He believes our best days are ahead because he believes in the American people.” This message embodies Biden’s endemic optimism: “We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. And there’s nothing — nothing beyond our capacity — if we do it together.” Moreover, it rebukes Trump’s negativity, in effect saying: Refusing to credit the improvements in the economy is tantamount to slamming Americans and discrediting their hard work. (The ad shows Biden delivering one of his favorite lines: “It’s never, ever been a good bet to bet against America.”)
[…]
However, Biden’s ad does something more than present an economic argument. He’s asking a larger question: Do we really want to go back to the trauma of the Trump years? He is betting that voters, even if they are uncertain about the future, don’t want to wallow in anger, fear and pessimism. He offers not only a choice between two policies but also two different visions, which are miles apart in tone. As Biden likes to say, “Don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.” And he hopes voters will opt for his more hopeful message over Trump’s gloom and doom.’
To be fair, all Trump, his supporters, and Republicans have is gloom and doom.
The GOP is a party of anger and vengeance.
The Republican party can offer the people only fear, nothing of benefit or substance.
Biden’s ad, “Fought Back,” reminds us how bad things were under his predecessor, touts Biden’s economic accomplishments and accuses Republicans (while displaying Trump’s picture) of running America down. A list of bipartisan accomplishments, such as the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Chips bill, refutes the notion that the United States is paralyzed or incapable of solving its problems.
“There are some who say America is failing,” the narrator says. “Not Joe Biden. He believes our best days are ahead because he believes in the American people.” This message embodies Biden’s endemic optimism: “We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. And there’s nothing — nothing beyond our capacity — if we do it together.” Moreover, it rebukes Trump’s negativity, in effect saying: Refusing to credit the improvements in the economy is tantamount to slamming Americans and discrediting their hard work. (The ad shows Biden delivering one of his favorite lines: “It’s never, ever been a good bet to bet against America.”)
[…]
However, Biden’s ad does something more than present an economic argument. He’s asking a larger question: Do we really want to go back to the trauma of the Trump years? He is betting that voters, even if they are uncertain about the future, don’t want to wallow in anger, fear and pessimism. He offers not only a choice between two policies but also two different visions, which are miles apart in tone. As Biden likes to say, “Don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.” And he hopes voters will opt for his more hopeful message over Trump’s gloom and doom.’
To be fair, all Trump, his supporters, and Republicans have is gloom and doom.
The GOP is a party of anger and vengeance.
The Republican party can offer the people only fear, nothing of benefit or substance.
