Don't Spin Yarns, Joe

Joe Biden is a folksy sort of guy.  It’s his great strength.

But the minute he goes off on tangents, telling tales of his family and sharing the life lessons he’s learned, he puts himself in jeopardy.  He tends to exaggerate, to change his stories, and to misspeak.  Sometimes he loses the very point he’s trying to make.

It’s not worth it.  It puts his credibility at stake and diminishes his stature as a leader. His empathy, his “Irishness,” and his experience speak for themselves. At this point in his presidency the risk isn’t worth the reward.

He’s got to remember that he gotcha police in the media are always gunning for him.  His political opponents look for every opportunity to attack him and his policies. They will go after him, his family, his record, his rhetoric, and alway his age. Showing the slightest weakness could be fatal.

Joe doesn’t need long stories to be warm and convincing. Without seeming contrived or nasty, he merely has to resort to facts - simple assertions, really - to remind the audience point out that his opponent is an unhinged menace, a dangerous felon, a dishonorable man who has dishonored the Presidency. Joe just has to show he’s strong, and starkly different from his opponent.

If Joe maintains his dignity and stays focused on the future, he’ll win the debates and the presidency.