Biden Attempts a Meet-and-Greet, Farmer Reportedly Has No Clue Who He Is
Oh, to be that farmer in the Corn Stalk Cafe.
If you don’t know who I’m talking about, well, Joe Biden probably wishes he doesn’t. And it’s just as well, because the farmer apparently doesn’t know who Joe Biden is, either.
In case the name of the establishment didn’t clue you in, Biden is on another sweep through Iowa, a state where he currently sits in fourth place and is trending downward, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
In fact, the only reason he can’t really get lower is that Amy Klobuchar is in fifth place and, let’s face facts — Amy-mentum just isn’t happening.
Campaigning in Iowa means plenty of low-level meet-and-greets, and one of them was at the Corn Stalk Cafe in Shelby, according to TheBlaze.
The incident was caught on camera and tweeted out by Politico’s Natasha Korecki.
“That time when former VP @joebiden is standing right next to you at the Corn Stalk Cafe and you just don’t care,” Korecki tweeted Saturday.
That time when former VP @joebiden is standing right next to you at the Corn Stalk Cafe and you just don’t care. pic.twitter.com/YFr7J6eY87
— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) December 1, 2019
Instead, the man in the photo seemed a bit more interested in the Auburn vs. Alabama football game on television.
Not only that, but he was only moderately interested when told who he was dealing with.
“I ask the guy if he just wasn’t a fan of Biden’s and he says ‘who?’ I say the former VP,” Korecki tweeted.
“The man, who farms in the Missouri Valley says he’s never heard of Joe Biden.”
“He says ‘are you serious?’ When I say he was Obama’s veep, I get an ‘ohhhhh. I’m not an Obama fan. This is Republican country.’”
He says “are you serious?” When I say he was Obama’s veep, I get an “ohhhhh. I’m not an Obama fan. This is Republican country.”
— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) December 1, 2019
There’s an interesting takeaway here, I suppose, and it has to do with celebrity — and namely, what it means for the Democratic field.
For all we know, this guy is just unusually uninformed about politics. Fair enough.
However, last campaign cycle, the top two candidates going into the Iowa caucuses could be identified with relative ease — even though Trump lost the state to Sen. Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton barely won it, there likely wasn’t a single person in the Corn Stalk Cafe not suffering from soap opera-style amnesia who didn’t know who they were.
I’m trying to picture any other clear December frontrunner — particularly a former vice president — who would have this happen to them.
Howard Dean fell into this category (not a former VP, mind you, but a clear December frontrunner who might not be recognized) and … well, fat lot of good that did him when he started primal scream therapy after the caucuses just a few months later.
I think most Americans would recognize Joe Biden’s visage, but not as many as you’d think.
And yet, one of Biden’s selling points is his brand.
No, he may not be your first choice, but he’s supposed to be recognizable and respected.
At least to this farmer, Biden was neither.
I doubt this farmer is the only one — and that could be one of many signs of trouble for Biden, who, at least for the moment, is the putative frontrunner.
CORRECTION, Dec. 12, 2019: This article has been updated to clarify that Hillary Clinton won Iowa in the Democratic caucus in 2016, while Donald Trump lost the Republican caucus to Sen. Ted Cruz. When originally published, it was unclear what election was being discussed. We apologize to our readers for any confusion we may have caused.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
