Washington Post-Opinion: Biden's heart-on-his-sleeve campaign

In a race in which candidates are jockeying to be the most un-Trumpian candidate — whether by intellect, ideology, experience or vitality — Americans are reminded he is a man of decency, kindness and loyalty.
This is the polar opposite of a president who gives a thumbs-up with an baby orphaned by the El Paso shooting, who brags about crowd size on a day of mourning and who attacks opponents in between stops with survivors and their grieving families. Trump is entirely lacking in empathy and sincerity; Biden has a surplus of both.....

We may be in an age that is far too snarky, cynical and polarized for that message. It is certainly understandable that older voters who’ve lived in a United States that is kinder, gentler and more unified would appreciate that message.

However, building a presidential campaign based not on policy plans but on emotion, aspiration and inspiration is a very contemporary phenomenon. Bill Clinton’s “I feel your pain” and Barack Obama’s hope and change reflected an awareness that voters want more than PowerPoint presentations from their president. They want to know he or she sees, understands and cares deeply about them.