US election 2020: Democrats showcase Joe Biden's draw with disaffected Republicans

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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and US Senator Kamala Harris during the virtual Democratic National Convention on Aug 19, 2020.

PHOTO: REUTERS

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WASHINGTON - Eric, from Illinois, perched on a stool in a corner of his house with a drink in hand, recording himself on his phone in a homemade video broadcast to the millions watching the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday (Aug 17).
"Fairly ashamed to say it, I'm one of many who voted for the current President Donald Trump," he said, before declaring that he had registered as a Democrat for the first time in his life.
"I'm doing that because I think this election is bigger than any political party," said Eric, who gave only his first name. He slammed Mr Trump's rhetoric as divisive and dangerous, criticising the President for having essentially "zero platform right now, four months out from the election".
The video was one of several during the DNC which featured former elected Republicans and previous Trump voters stumping for the Democratic candidate Joe Biden, in an appeal to swing voters and wavering Republicans to vote blue on Nov 3.
Together, they sought to send the message that choosing between Mr Biden and Mr Trump went beyond party loyalty, while showing that their candidate is moderate enough to attract big Republican names.
"The Biden campaign was trying to signal that all are welcome into the Democratic fold, and that opposition to Donald Trump does not mean their decision should be to stay home," said Brookings Institution senior fellow in governance studies John Hudak, in a commentary on the think tank's website.
While it is common for party conventions to feature members of the other party who have had a change of heart, this year's election is largely a referendum on Mr Trump's presidency and a chance for Democrats to convince Republicans who disapprove of him to cross the aisle.
Their choice is between voting for Mr Biden and staying home, putting the onus on Mr Biden to convince them that he is the safer bet, Dr Hudak wrote.
Former Ohio governor John Kasich, who spoke on the first night of the DNC, described himself as a lifelong Republican, but said "that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country".
"Many of us have been deeply concerned about the current path we've been following for the past four years. It's a path that's led to division, dysfunction, irresponsibility, and growing vitriol between our citizens," said Mr Kasich, who ran unsuccessfully against Mr Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016.
"Continuing to follow that path will have terrible consequences for America's soul, because we're being taken down the wrong road by a president who has pitted one against the other," he added.
Former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman, another lifelong Republican, also praised Mr Biden as a person who could work with both parties to get things done, unlike Mr Trump.
"This isn't about a Republican or Democrat. It's about a person. A person decent enough, stable enough, strong enough to get our economy back on track," Ms Whitman, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said at the virtual convention.
Other Republicans who endorsed Mr Biden during the DNC touted him as someone who had the business acumen and values that Mr Trump lacked, explicitly approving of his personality and implicitly suggesting they could get behind enough of his agenda to vote for him.
Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Meg Whitman, who ran as a Republican for governor of California in 2010, said Mr Trump had no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy, before praising Mr Biden as someone who would help working people and small business owners.
Despite Mr Trump's touting of his prowess as a businessman, his record had been patchy, with a string of failures over the years in his forays into casinos, airlines and other industries.
Former Republican congressman for New York Susan Molinari said she was proud to have worked with Mr Biden on legislation regarding women in business and violence against women.
Former secretary of state Colin Powell said Mr Biden would be a commander-in-chief who takes care of American troops and would restore American leadership in the world.
"With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries - never the other way around. He will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots," said Mr Powell, who served under Republican president George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005.
They join the chorus of prominent Republicans who have denounced their party's president in recent months, a group that includes Mr Bush, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, former defence secretary Jim Mattis and former national security adviser John Bolton.
Some "Never Trumper" Republicans have also banded together to form the Lincoln Project, a conservative group known for its hard-hitting anti-Trump ads.
Yet for the Republicans who spoke at the DNC, the force of their endorsement could be diminished because most of them are not sitting lawmakers or current administration officials.
They and other critics can also be easily portrayed as having grievances against Mr Trump: Mr Romney and Mr Kasich were defeated by Mr Trump in the 2016 presidential primary contest, while Mr Bolton was fired by Mr Trump.
Moreover, some Republicans like Mr Romney and Mr Bolton, who said they will not vote for Mr Trump, have also not endorsed Mr Biden.
Still, a Pew Research poll released on Aug 13 showed that most registered voters who support Mr Biden and those who lean towards supporting him back him because he is not Mr Trump.
Some 56 per cent said they supported him because he is not Mr Trump, with the next biggest factors - his leadership and his personality - trailing far behind at 19 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
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