Biden Out of Step, Out of Touch. Lanhee Chen Talks to Armstrong & Getty

argue about a policy from forty years ago. But um the Washington to bring up Vietnam. The Washington Post pointing that Joe Biden's views on bussing have been where America's have been throughout his career. In in nineteen seventy three, when Biden was in the Senate, they asked, uh, they surveyed people on their opinion of bussing. Five percent favored bussing five four percent of whites, nine percent of black

so about half. And because Biden, uh wasn't enthusiastically for that, he's getting beaten up in the year twenty nineteen, right, the difficulty of having a record, lan he Chen joined us. Lan he is the host of the podcast Crossing Lines. Lan he Chen also David Dyan stay If your research fellow at the Hoover Institution as well as Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecture in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University. Lan here, how are you, sir? Good

to do with you this morning? So? Would you make of the debate last night? Overall impressions? Well, you know, I think first of all, it was a difficult situation for Joe Biden. It's just a tough it's tough to go into these debates with you know, ten eleven people as the front letter. It's just it's difficult. And you know, I remember this was a position that Mitt Romney was in when I was working on that campaign. It's just

a difficult position to defend well. And Biden did not do a good job of it last night, and I think that's going to be an issue for him. The other thing is, you know what these debates are good for, primarily are which candidates that we're not talking about already are we going to be talking about are going to get a good look. So from the first night, uh, you know, Corey Booker was certainly helped. Betto Rourke was heard obviously that commessional wisdom is shoe. Castro was helped

a little bit. And you know, look, Kamala Harris had a good night last night. We'll see how long it carries over for But I think that's the most important takeaway.

Is not gonna be harriss but Biden. Yeah, how long? Well, first of all, to your point, I was thinking about last night back to I remember Mitt would be on stage in the middle because he was leading in the polls, and you to have everybody on the sides, and he would kind of stand there and be above it all and people yell at each other and stuff like that, and he felt like, you know, and then this is gradually where the Republicans ended up. He felt like the

guy that was kind of the grown up among them all. Yeah, uh, you know, you had all the bickering last night. But I'm not sure Biden was able to pull off that Romney I'm the grown up here thing. No, he wasn't. I mean, I think Romney had a very good string of debates in twelve and that's what helped him to the nomination that year. You know, we'll see how Biden

handles it. If I were a Biden fan, or if I were someone who really was on the Biden team, there are reasons for concern about last night that go beyond just hey, it was a bad performance. We all have had, you know, performances we wish we could do over. We all have things we wish we could do over. But but the problem with Biden for last night is

it's about more than just one bad performance. It's this fundamental question of do you have a guy who is a nineteen seventies candidate running in two thousand, twenty early seventies candidates? Yeah? Yeah, I mean it goes It goes to his record, It goes to his aisle, it goes to how he looks, his age, all of these things. In my mind, the question is is he going to

be able to adapt to this cycle? And so far the answer has been a resounding no. And last night, I think added only to the impression that he is completely out of step and out of touch with it. Where the Democratic Party is today. Boy, that's the one. That's what I took away from it too. I just didn't think he was sharp at all. Some of the most obvious things he had to be ready to parry. He could not, and it just to me it was

a little sad. But we'll see where it goes from there. Hey, listen, we could talk about you know, winners and losers or or I'd prefer people who stock improved or declined. And I'm looking at predicted dot org and sure enough, Kamala Harris's stock is up slightly, Joe Biden's down fairly significantly. Bernie Sanders is the biggest downward mover last night. I didn't see that. I thought he absolutely won the sharp

old Guy prize between himself and Joe Biden. Yeah, I mean, I think the reason why is because the question has to do with who's going to occupy that progressive left lane, because you know, the likelihood is you're not going to have more than one or two candidates at the most. And if you look at Elizabeth Warren from the first night and Kamala Harris from last night, you know that's probably more than enough for that lane. And that's probably why the share is coming out of Bernie Sanders, because

the perception is that he's competing for the same voters. Now, whether that's Sue or not, we'll see, but I think that's the perception. The other questions that I would ask people to consider is this, did the candidates do anything the last two nights that will compromise their ability to win a general election? We want to go yeah, absolutely, because with you out, every candidate on stage say there's no such thing as being an illegal immigrant anymore. And

by the way, you get free healthcare. No way you become president with those positions, is there? No. I don't see how you can embrace the notion, for example, of decriminalizing, uh, the crossing of the US border as an undocumented immigrant. I don't see how you can support free health care for all undocumented immigrants. By the way, I'll fail you can support taking away private health insurance from a hundred

and sixty million Americans. I mean, that's a disaster in my mind, the notion, you know, in Kamala Harris, by the way, for all of her great performance last night and whatever, she fundamentally compromised herself because she's been all over the map on this Medicare for all government run health care thing. First, she tells Jake Tapper a couple of months ago, we're gonna get rid of private insurance.

Then she walks it back a few days later. Then last night she's out there against saying yes, let's take away private health insurance. She and Elizabeth Warren are in a completely compromised position in my mind, for the general election. Donald Trump is going to beat them over the head every single day with this notion that they're going to get rid of the health insurance that you have and you like and replace it with a big government, socialist

style solution. The ridiculous of them to go there, I said, surely they are not gonna stand up in front of a bunch of steel workers or miners or whatever and one of your industrial states and say, and now we're giving free healthcare to illegals and expect to win. Are they? Well? You know, again, this is the challenge with the primary is that you've got to move to where your base is, and the progressive base of the Democratic Party, that's where they are, you know, And they and those are the

people they're pandering to. Those are the votes they're trying to get, and and that's the lane they're trying to occupy. And I think it's very shortsighted the notion that you go there to win the primary, but you'd completely compromise yourself for the general. And in that sense, I think Joe Biden, yes, he answered the question about the undocumented illegal immigrants to give the healthcare. He did say he would give them free healthcare, but he didn't go as

far I think is the other one. So he still has the general election in mind. But boy, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are in big trouble. That's interesting, and I just I'm old and cynical, So I see people moving to the general and just complain completely changing their stripes and you know, and the moderates weren't paying attention to the activities of the hardcore during the early primaries anyway,

so they don't know or they don't care. But you think they've actually, you know, stuck their steak in far enough it's going to be difficult to pull out. Well. I I think the dynamic that makes this election different from other previous elections is Donald Trump. And I do think I have to give Trump a lot of credit because I think he is going to be uniquely able to just take a single message or a set of messages and just drive that thing until people are completely sick.

Of it. But they're gonna know, trust me, they're gonna know whoever the Democratic nominee is is for giving illegal immigrants free healthcare. They're gonna know that whoever the nominee is is likely going to be for government run health care. And I think Trump Trump is able to carry that message uniquely, and I think it's going to damage whoever the Democrat is. I think I think it's a big, big problem for them, guys, I really do. I didn't feel like, I don't know how they come back from it.

I didn't feel like watching the two nights, the only person that seemed like they had the energy, the fire, the just the stature to be on stage with Trump and matcham was was Kamala last night, not Elizabeth. Yeah, maybe Elizabeth Warren. Your thought on either one of them matched up with the Tanderine tornadoes stylistically apart from the policies. Look, I think Kamala Harris acquitted herself very favorably last night.

I I do think that she has uh, she has the energy, and she has the style to be able to compete in a different way from others. I just think Elizabeth Warren is going to perceive a shrill. I have a very difficult time seeing her being there in the end and people really liking her. I think said she said, it's like my wife said, It's like my mom's yelling at me every time I watched Elizabeth Lauren. You know it's funny, though, is she actually believes in

what art, to my mind lunatic policies? Kamala is just pretending to temporarily and we'll be walking in the back. But at least you gotta give Liz credit for consistency. Um, so listen, predictions are stupid, So throwing caveats or whatever you want, lan he but um, you know, if you were on predicted dot org, which I'm looking at right now, the market for candidates who would you throw your money

at two or three is fine? Um, you know, I I probably would throw it at Harris, I would throw it at Warren, and I you know, I might throw a little bit at at Julian costro to to to the point we're talking about earlier. I don't know what he's at right now, but he's probably pretty cheap still. I'm guessing yeah, he is dead. Well. The problem with

Biden is he's still overvalued. I think so if you're talking about it from a marketplace perspective, I still think he's got way too much juice for somebody who I don't think it's going to be there, So I'm sure. Did you mean politically you might pass away before the next debate? Oh no, No, politically politically let's let's let's let's hope he makes it through. But but but politically,

good bless him. Lan he chen is with the Hoover Institution Stanford University, also host to the podcast, which is due for a little update Lonie crossing lines with Lani chen Uh and we knew had an episode last week and we're gonna We're gonna do another one next week. Perfect, terrific. Glad to hear that. I can't wait to listen. It's always great. Long he thanks for the time. We'll talk soon.

Our conversation with him, And so many conversations I've seen with pundits, and Pete's name doesn't even come up mayor Pete, no even mentions it little Pete. And that's something because he was kind of quiet and grown up sounding. But then that doesn't work right now, well, into my mind, a little submissive and and just too little not bombastic enough, certainly are and