Scranton, Pennsylvania
CNN
—
In front of dozens of union carpenters here this weekend, President Joe Biden was excited.
“I think some of you would like to think of them as macho men,” Biden said, adding that his former rival, Donald Trump, is courting male voters in a close race for vice president. Alluded to former President Trump.
Not to be outdone, Biden recalled the long-gone turmoil that took place here as a child.
“Hey, when I was in Scranton, we had a little problem getting down the lot sometimes,” he said, and it sounded like nothing more than a threat. “These are the kind of people you want to spank.”
Here in his hometown, the president was making what is likely his last visit to a battleground area before Election Day. After 50 years of active public life, this was his last low-key campaign appearance as an incumbent.
It may have been inevitable that it would all come back to Scranton during Biden’s political winter.
There were classic Biden marks that day. On the tarmac was the mayor’s toddler, who was introduced as Biden’s “ice cream friend.” There was also a scene where he sang “Happy Birthday” to a stranger (“She’s turning 41!”). There were vague references to schoolyard violence.
Vice President Kamala Harris was not nearby. Her campaign rally in Atlanta began around the same time as Biden spoke. So did Sen. Bob Casey, who is in a tight race for a Senate seat here.
Both were a far cry from the final weekend campaign rallies that Biden once hoped to host to support his candidacy. It wasn’t even the intense tour of Pennsylvania he once envisioned supporting and leading Harris.
But even though it was a much smaller event, Biden showed no signs of disappointment in his speech to about 100 members of a local carpenters union. On the wall behind the podium, next to a Harris-Waltz campaign sign, were several posters that simply read, “Thank you, Joe.”
“You know, you and I, unions and I, have asked a lot of each other,” Biden said, recalling his long reliance on organized labor during his half-century of public service. ” he said. “One more thing: Please show your support for Kamala and Tim Walz.”
“I’m not just asking for me,” he continued. “I’ll be gone.”
Biden, who has largely stayed away from campaigning this year, has gradually come to terms with his diminished presence in the country’s political discourse.
This week’s episode in which Trump supporters got into a spat about being “trash” only seemed to confirm many Democrats’ fears about giving Biden a bigger role. In the final stages of a razor-thin campaign, the last thing anyone on Ms. Harris’ team wanted to do was respond to an obviously random insult by someone who was no longer a candidate.
There was a time this fall when Mr. Biden envisioned a much larger role for himself. In September, he declared that he would be “on the road” after Labor Day in support of the vice president.
But as the 2024 campaign nears a photo finish, the political imperative to distance itself from an unpopular incumbent trumps any desire on Harris’ part to honor the person who chose her to succeed her. did.
Indeed, Ms. Harris has shown nothing but loyalty to Biden in public as well as in private. She truly respects and cares for the president and understands his desire to help her win.
But in a “do no harm” election, where every word could be a deal-breaker for a small number of voters in battleground states, there was little room for praise for Mr. Biden’s accomplishments, at least on the campaign trail.
And as Harris headlines an arena rally alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, Democratic surrogates like Barack and Michelle Obama and even the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, take to the battlefield. Meanwhile, Mr. Biden appears at the union hall and plays the following game. Know his strengths and try to avoid stepping into them again.
The good intentions are clear in Scranton, where the Biden Expressway leads into downtown.
“Scranton becomes a part of your heart. It crawls into your heart. That’s true,” Biden said. “I’m very proud to be back.”
Biden spent the morning of Election Day 2020 in Scranton, addressing supporters gathered outside a union hall and stopping by his childhood home.
Biden signed a sign on his living room wall: “With the grace of God from this house to the White House.”
And he was on his way to the White House, buoyed by support in places like Scranton, where Biden has made a case centered on economic opportunity and is gaining ground among white working-class voters. He performed better than his Democratic predecessor.
Mr. Biden still believes he can help in states like Pennsylvania, where he has deep roots and has visited more often than virtually anywhere else since taking office. Biden has visited Pennsylvania 10 times since July 21, when he announced he was withdrawing his bid for a second term.
He has expressed frustration that polls are showing a closer race with candidates like Trump than Trump thinks, and wants to help in any way he can. are.
Mr. Biden has been on the sidelines of the campaign he entered more than three months ago, reflecting on both the long arc and abrupt end of his career and embarking on a period of soul-searching, according to people close to him.
Officials say Biden remains firmly of the view that he can defeat his predecessor in November if he remains at the top of the Democratic field. However, he recognizes that offering that view to others may not be in everyone’s best interests.
“People love Joe Biden, and they love Joe Biden when he chose Kamala Harris to be his running mate, to serve as vice president with her, and to withdraw from the candidacy. I respect and recognize her for supporting her,” said Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a friend of Biden. He spoke on CNN this week. “I think it’s important that people listen to President Biden, but people know his position and know that he fully embraces and supports Vice President Harris.”
In concluding his address to carpenters here, Mr. Biden sought to explain the stakes of Tuesday’s election.
“What would happen? What would happen if you replaced my regime with his?” he said. “No, I’m not kidding. I’m nothing special.”
The self-assertion of that moment provoked cries of “Yes!” A chorus of “Thank you, Joe!” followed from the audience.
