‘Gaffe Machine’ Joe Biden’s Latest Missteps Are Baffling

In would be an understatement to say that Joe Biden has never been the most polished public figure. But his performance this weekend became the prevailing narrative of his trip to Iowa, and it’s worrying the early state’s Democrats.

NY Mag: “Despite his strong polling lead in Iowa and on the national level, some local party figures expressed concern this weekend about Biden’s onstage performance and the notion of his electability. (As the candidate characterized himself in December: “I am a gaffe machine.”) ‘He isn’t as compelling verbally,’ the Madison County party chairman told the Washington Post. ‘There is starting to be a real fear that he cannot hold his own in the debate against Donald Trump.’”

Miss those gaffes over the weekend? Here’s a rundown of Biden’s greatest hits from Iowa.

For a quick refresher on Biden’s gaffes from his long run in political life:

What They’re Saying

WSJ: Biden’s Gaffes Fuel Questions About His Potency Against Trump

NY Mag: Joe Biden Gaffes His Way Through Iowa

Axios: Oh, Joe! Biden Blunders Pile Up

NBC News: Whether Biden’s Gaffe is an Old Problem or a New One, He Needs a Fix

The Root: Joe Biden’s Gaffes Are Snapshots as to How He Really Thinks

Adam Jentleson, former staffer for Harry Reid: “Everybody else is out there doing a heavy schedule and he’s not…If we’re talking about, all told, a year-and-a-half here, that’s the real distance that people have to go, so part of a primary is vetting candidates and seeing if they have what it takes to go the distance.”

Ryan Grim, The Intercept: “Senior Biden advisers, if they’re trying to smuggle in a candidate who isn’t fully with it, are truly playing with fire. That’s a sociopathic (and ultimately unsustainable) strategy if that’s what’s happening.” 

Bloomberg: Biden Misdates 2018 Parkland Shooting In His Latest Blunder