What a difference a political party makes. In 2019, ABC political analyst Matthew Dowd linked Donald Trump’s “rhetoric” and tone to a shooting at a synagogue. Yet, on Tuesday, he cheered an unhinged Joe Biden moment in which the Democrat berated and threatened a “horse’s ass,” “full of shit” voter.
Appearing during Super Tuesday II election night results, Dowd was asked to comment on the moment. He gushed, “When I saw that moment, I thought, ‘This is going to be a net plus for Joe Biden.’ I've been through so many campaigns with so many candidates that have had moments like that and everybody thinks, 'Oh, my gosh, what just happened?' In this environment, at this time, for Joe Biden, that's going to be a net plus in this.”
Suddenly, unconventional candidates are apparently all the rage. Dowd justified:
One of the things we learned through the Donald Trump election is, voters are sick of the typical political speak, the typical way where you phrase everything perfectly and say it just right and speak in paragraphs and do all of that the way that we've gotten used to these sort of manufactured candidates that have everything put down perfectly well. Voters want somebody that they can trust and is genuine and has a believability. And that moment to me, taking on this on an issue that's important to most Americans, which is guns, where a majority of the country supports where Joe Biden is on this issue was a moment that will be capture. The Democratic Party will love it and independent voters who question whether Joe Biden has the strength to take on Donald Trump are going to see that in him. So I think net plus.
In April of 2019, an anti-Semitic bigot shot up a synagogue. Talking about it on the April 28 edition of This Week, Dowd demanded that Trump “look in the mirror and understand that the rhetoric, the words he uses in all of this inflame a big part of what’s going on in America, give permission to the most craziest people in America.”
But Biden appearing to tell a voter, “Don't tell me that, pal, or I'm going to go out and slap you in the face,” is simply a “net plus” according to Dowd.
On Wednesday’s Good Morning America, reporter Jon Karl lauded Biden: “Joe Biden was the candidate that the Trump team feared the most, and last night you saw why.”
A transcript of the exchange is below:
ABC Super Tuesday II coverage
3/10/2020
9:54 PM ETTOM LLAMAS: I do want to ask you, Matt — A lot of people here at the desk, we’ve been talking about this. People were talking about this on social media. Joe Biden had a moment there today, speaking to a factory worker in Michigan. Campaigns, I don’t know if this is still true, Matt — You know campaigns used to be about moments. What was your read on that moment with Joe Biden? He got into a verbal altercation with the factory worker, used some profane language. One side of the desk said, “Hey, it's good for him, it showed strength.” The other side said, “Maybe he went too far.” What's your take on that moment today?
MATT DOWD: When I saw that moment, I thought, “This is going to be a net plus for Joe Biden.” I've been through so many campaigns with so many candidates that have had moments like that and everybody thinks, 'Oh, my gosh, what just happened?' In this environment, at this time, for Joe Biden, that's going to be a net plus in this.
One of the things we learned through the Donald Trump election is, voters are sick of the typical political speak, the typical way where you phrase everything perfectly and say it just right and speak in paragraphs and do all of that the way that we've gotten used to these sort of manufactured candidates that have everything put down perfectly well. Voters want somebody that they can trust and is genuine and has a believability. And that moment to me, taking on this on an issue that's important to most Americans, which is guns, where a majority of the country supports where Joe Biden is on this issue was a moment that will be capture. The Democratic Party will love it and independent voters who question whether Joe Biden has the strength to take on Donald Trump are going to see that in him. So I think net plus.
9:55 PM ET
DOWD: I think Barack Obama is one of the only people that can bring the party together after this. He's beloved by everybody. He has a coalition of moderates and liberals and conservatives that still love him in the Democratic Party. I think now after tonight, we'll see what happens in the three states, North Dakota, Idaho, and Washington, but going forward I think he has to be contemplating when is his move in this.
Good Morning America
3/11/2020
7:17GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: This [Super Tuesday II] is not the outcome that President Trump wanted. How does this scramble his general election strategy?
JON KARL: Well, George, from the very beginning, Joe Biden was the candidate that the Trump team feared the most, and last night you saw why.
