Opinion: Against Trump, Biden will have to be his own best argument

CNN

Opinion By Julian Zelizer, CNN

(CNN) — Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama joined President Joe Biden in New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Thursday, along with television host and comedian Stephen Colbert, to raise campaign funds and bolster Biden’s support. The star-studded event, featuring celebrities including Queen Latifah and Lizzo, was another reminder of the massive financial gap thus far between what the president and his opponent, former President Donald Trump, have been able to raise.

During the glitzy evening, the former presidents stepped in to make a strong case for supporting and being enthusiastic about their colleague. Moving away from the intense focus on Trump that has stolen much of the attention of the 2024 campaign, Obama said that “it’s not just the negative case against the presumptive nominee on the other side, it’s the positive case for somebody who’s done an outstanding job as president.” Moving back to Trump, Clinton argued, “What President Biden inherited was a very vibrant, diverse society and economy, and you know, President Trump, let’s be honest, had a pretty good couple of years, because he stole them from Barack Obama.”

Rising to the occasion, Biden also took some shots at his predecessor and his party: “We’re at a real inflection point in history. This guy denies global warming. This guy wants to get rid of not only Roe v. Wade which he brags about having done, he wants to get rid of the ability of anyone in America to have the right to choose.”

While the speeches were important, so too was the final tally: $25 million raised ahead of the evening. The money continues to flow into Biden’s reelection coffers. But Biden needs to be careful. Even at a celebratory gala such as this, it was possible to see warning signs about paths that his reelection campaign must avoid.

Most importantly, Biden, whose strength has always relied on his ability to connect with average, working Americans because of his own modest roots, doesn’t want to fall into the predictable trap of letting Republicans paint him as an out-of-touch coastal elitist who likes to hang out with Hollywood stars (or worse, intellectuals). This type of argument has been one of the most effective points Republicans have made against Democrats since President Dwight Eisenhower’s running mate, Richard Nixon, railed against “egghead” Democrat Adlai Stevenson in 1952.

Despite the fact that Democratic economic policies have tended to be much more supportive of working and middle class American families, the argument that the party is beholden to elites has gained traction over the decades. Alongside the culture wars, it has been a way for Republicans to peel away voters whose economic self-interest would naturally move them toward the Democrats.

For some voters, Thursday could seem to be an example of this gambit. Always aware of the how things look, Trump, who was also in New York City, drew a contrast by attending the wake of Jonathan Diller, a New York police officer who was killed while conducting a traffic stop.

There have been numerous books, such as David Leonhardt’s “Ours Was the Shining Future,” documenting how Democrats have lost their hold on working class Americans. The optics on display Thursday evening can easily fuel those trends.

Nor should Biden allow his fundraising advantage to become his defining strength. Many Americans don’t like the way private money dominates American politics. Concerns about the corrosive effects of private finance have long been talking point in the body politic. While having more funds that your opponent is helpful to mounting a successful presidential campaign, money isn’t everything, as Hillary Clinton learned in 2016.

Moreover, the money advantage can’t become more defining than the candidate’s character, values, ideas and vision. This is especially true for Biden, who has invested so much of his career in being the individual who has sought and held office because of who he is — not what he can raise. At a certain point, too many headlines about fundraising hauls can easily turn off voters.

Although Trump is just as eager to raise funds, though struggling to do so as effectively, it is notable how his supporters devote much less airtime to that metric compared to extolling his anti-establishment, faux victimhood narrative.

While having Obama, Clinton and other prominent Democrats play a strong role in the campaign is valuable, they can’t become the focus of the campaign. Biden’s greatest asset is to have public attention turn toward the dangers that Trump poses to the nation. When that is not the subject of conversation, the discussion needs to center on…