Given the fact that millions of Americans can’t even leave their homes thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown, one would think that a major live event by a presumed presidential candidate would rake in views. But that’s not what happened.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s Happy Hour Virtual Livestream turned out to be a total flop, getting fewer than 3,000 views throughout the entire event. While one fawning reporter tried to label the event as “lit”, even a quick look at the facts makes it clear that the former VP is doomed to defeat if he can’t generate a lot more enthusiasm than he currently is.
First of all, not all the livestream viewers were Biden supporters — or young people who Democrats count on to elect presidents. Many of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ supporters got on intending to deliberately ruin the event, resulting in the Biden campaign turning off comments halfway through.
To add insult to injury, Sanders held an impromptu live cast early that same day and it generated anywhere from 6,000 to 7,000 viewers. Not surprisingly, Biden managed to stick his foot in his mouth yet again as he claimed that Obamacare is the “most important right that anyone should have.”
It’s not the first time that a PR event designed to showcase the former VP in a positive light has gone awry. When Biden gave interviews on leading news channels earlier in the month, he barely managed to fumble through them. His team decided to set up daily “shadow briefings” on the COVID-19 crisis, which were to be held from the former VP’s home. The briefings were intended to steal at least some of the attention from President Trump. However, only one briefing took place, and the rest were canceled with no explanation.
It remains to be seen if the Biden campaign will continue holding virtual livestreams as originally planned, but no one can blame them if they ditch the idea.
It’s been apparent to most Americans for months that Democratic voters are simply not enthusiastic about voting for Joe Biden. His gaffe-prone personality, coupled with his increased proclivity to make a fool of himself every single time he gets on a public stage, is naturally worrying to many people who want a standard-bearer who can lead the party against Trump in November.
As the failed virtual “happy hour” makes clear, even being stuck at home isn’t enough to get people interested in anything that Biden says or does.
