| The foundation was laid with rapid-fire endorsements from Biden's former boss Barack Obama, his recent rivals Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and — in a live-streamed town hall — from Hillary Clinton. True, Obama's ultra-articulate webcast made some of us long for real presidential charisma. And, yes, split-screen images of Biden and Sanders looked at times like a casting call for Grumpy Old Men III. And, granted, the Warren piece was late and not persuasive enough for some progressives. And, alas, the Clinton event featured so much nostalgia about lunches during the Obama years that only three viewers got to ask questions. But the endorsements reminded us that while we might be in the greatest health emergency of our lives, we're also facing the most important election in decades.
Biden's Phase 1 should be to announce a running mate. There is nothing to be gained by waiting in the traditional way for the party's convention — which, for all we know, might be truncated or switched to a video-only format. Biden has already pledged to select a woman, and he should name her now. Best of the best: Sen. Amy Klobuchar or Warren.
There are others on the short list, such as former Georgia legislator Stacey Abrams, Sen. Kamala Harris and Florida Rep. Val Demings, but this isn't their time. To be blunt: Electing the first woman vice president — who, in light of Biden's age might then become the first woman president — is plenty. But giving fringe voters an excuse to reject a candidate because she is both female and African American is, sadly, too risky. Besides, Abrams and Demings don't have the executive experience that Biden requires in a right-hand; Harris comes closer but has too much baggage from her time as California's attorney general.
Whoever Biden wants he needs to name her right away. Even before COVID-19 struck, Biden was running a low energy campaign with fewer appearances per day than his rivals. Since the shutdown, his video feeds from home have at times been rambling and unfocused. However, it's worth noting that he has done better with wife Jill at his side, and he seemed energized when Sanders joined him on split-screen. The VP candidate will provide a boost on the screen and later on the stump.
Next, social media must be dramatically improved. Biden has about 7 million Twitter and Facebook followers, compared with Trump's 106 million. On YouTube, Trump has 378,000 subscribers while Biden has about 48,000. Axios reports Trump is receiving seven times more "social media interactions" than Biden.
The goal isn't to out-tweet Trump, it's to expand platforms that proved so valuable to the Obama and Sanders campaigns. Success on social media is crucial for fundraising. Also, as Sanders demonstrated, it provides a path to the young voters integral to Democratic strategy.
Along with social media, the campaign's messaging must be sharpened. This is delicate, because candidates usually move toward the center for the general election, yet Biden needs to slide left to energize Sanders supporters. More immediately, however, Biden needs to comfort and meaningfully communicate during the pandemic. His op-ed in the New York Times, "My Plan to Safely Reopen America," was disappointing because it wasn't much of a plan at all, relying on empty truths such as, "Safe and effective treatment can help manage the risk of the coronavirus."
Rather than issuing "plans" about dealing with the crisis, Biden should focus on what he does best: Reassuring Americans, based on his personal experience, that we'll get through this. I'd love to see, or hear via podcast, the former vice president engaging in heart-to-hearts with nurses, bus drivers, those who have lost loved ones, and others who are stressed. His digital feeds have included a few such people — union workers, for example — but here's the deal: They usually consist of questions for him rather than from him. This is an opportunity for "Doctor Joe" to highlight the compassion gap that separates him from Trump.
Biden should publicly identify and mobilize a team of accomplished Americans who will both advise him and help him win. He recently said during a virtual fundraiser that he's working on a post-election transition team, and he and Bernie Sanders have agreed to form six policy task forces. Such moves are fine, but they lack the urgency of the moment. Biden should gather superstars — people like Bill Gates, Michelle Obama, Stacey Abrams, Rahm Emanuel and Andrew Yang — for a campaign power team.
Finally, Biden needs a theme, a slogan, far better than his current, "Our best days still lie ahead." It's more than semantics; it's the difference between a campaign and a movement — the distinction that Trump made in 2016 with "Make America Great Again" (lifted, by the way, from Ronald Reagan's 1980 slogan).
Above all, reopen. Democrats can't afford to wait for Trump to self-destruct.
(c) Peter Funt. This column originally appeared in USA Today.
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