Home International Barack Obama to hold his first in-person event for Joe Biden

Barack Obama to hold his first in-person event for Joe Biden

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WASHINGTON: Former President Barack Obama is returning to Philadelphia on Wednesday (Oct 21) for his first in-person 2020 campaign event for Joe Biden.

In 2016, the man known as one of the Democratic Party’s strongest orators delivered Hillary Clinton’s closing argument in the same place – at a rally for thousands the night before Election Day on Independence Mall.

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Now, with the coronavirus pandemic upending campaigning, Obama will be speaking to a much smaller crowd at a drive-in rally, where supporters will listen to him over the radio inside their cars.

The format reflects the challenge Democrats face in boosting enthusiasm and getting out the vote in a year when they’ve eschewed big rallies in favour of small, socially distanced events, drawing a contrast with President Donald Trump and Republicans on the coronavirus.

READ: In Pennsylvania, Trump touts the economy and warns of 'Biden depression'

While Obama is usually one of the party’s biggest draws and most compelling speakers, that impact may be blunted by the format.

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But Democrats say that as one of the men who knows Biden best, both as his former partner in the White House and personally, Obama remains one of the party’s greatest assets in the final stretch of the campaign.

“Especially in Philadelphia, he is the ultimate draw and still a great standard-bearer for Democrats,” said former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

Obama's visit to Philadelphia underscores the significance of Pennsylvania, the swing state Biden himself has visited the most this campaign. If Trump loses the state, his path to winning reelection narrows significantly.

And Nutter said Obama's appearance in Philadelphia would help boost the campaign's standing with voters who sat out the last presidential election, as well as voters in the Philadelphia suburbs who supported Obama in 2008 and 2012 but switched to Trump in 2016.

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“I think he helps remind people what’s at stake, what being president is about, what things could be like,” Nutter said.

Obama has already been helpful to the Biden campaign, adapting to the shift to virtual events by focusing much of his work on getting younger Americans to vote.

He’s appeared on Twitch, the video game streaming platform, pushed a voter registration message on Snapchat and recorded a video for the Shade Room, a black-owned Instagram page and media company with 21 million followers.

READ: President, lawmakers, mushrooms: What are Americans voting for on Nov 3?

“President Obama has been appearing throughout the pandemic on non-traditional platforms to reach swing voters and mobilise younger voters that don’t consume political media throughout the day," said former Obama press secretary Ben LaBoRead More – Source

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