‘An even bigger deal’: Biden and Harris show what Democrats need to win NC | Opinion

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris rolled into Raleigh on Tuesday for a rare double appearance.

Their mission was celebrating the 14th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act as well as North Carolina’s decision, at long last, to take advantage of the ACA’s incentives for states to expand Medicaid eligibility.

At the time of the ACA’s passage, then-Vice President Biden was famously caught on mic whispering to President Barack Obama that the new health care law was “a big (expletive) deal.”

On Tuesday, after apologizing for his language, he said, “It’s an even bigger deal today.”

Eighty miles away in Kinston, Dr. Pradeep Arumugham agreed. He advocated for Medicaid expansion for years as he saw his patients unable to afford tests and medicines because they didn’t qualify for Medicaid or for ACA premium subsidies.

Now Arumugham helps his newly eligible patients sign up for Medicaid. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he said shortly before the president spoke.

Rather than seeing patients’ conditions worsen for lack of access to medical care, the doctor said, “Now I don’t have to worry about those sorts of things.”

In their one-two delivery, Harris focused on what the Biden administration has done to improve women’s access to health care and the president emphasized how Republicans have tried to repeal the ACA and failed to support legislation that has lowered the price of some drugs, most notably insulin for seniors.

Biden said, “We finally beat big pharma.”

Protesters briefly interrupted Biden with calls to help the people of Gaza. Biden waited for the protesters to be removed and said, “They have a point. We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”

While Biden wants to make his run for reelection about his investments in the economy, health care and access to abortion, the protester signaled how the Israel-Gaza conflict could weaken his support among liberal Democrats.

Biden’s delivery underscored other challenges. He joked about his age. He said he was a man of 40 times two plus one, but it remains a liability he can’t change. He is not a strong speaker. He copes with a stutter and occasionally fumbled his words on Tuesday.

The most powerful statement made by Harris and Biden was their dual presence. The Biden campaign clearly thinks North Carolina is winnable. The state hasn’t gone for a Republican presidential candidate since narrowly supporting Obama in 2008. But Biden’s likely GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, saw his margin of victory in North Carolina fall from 3.6 percent against Hillary Clinton in 2016 to 1.3 percent against Biden in 2020.

Tuesday’s visit was Biden’s second to North Carolina this year. Harris visited on Super Tuesday and First Lady Jill Biden also visited this month to advocate for women’s health issues.

Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University professor who studies North Carolina elections, said, “There’s no question that the Biden camp and the national Democratic Party think North Carolina is in play in 2024. And that makes sense – Trump’s margin in North Carolina was the smallest of any state that he won. If Biden picks up a state, North Carolina is the most likely contender.”

Cooper said health care – and the related issue of abortion access – are strong points for Biden, but they could be countered by Trump’s emphasizing law and order and problems at the southern border.

“Ultimately, the outcome of this election won’t depend on one party getting the public to come over to their way of thinking on an issue, but rather because one party will do a better job focusing the public’s attention on issues where they’re already on the same page with the majority of voters in the state,“ Cooper said.

North Carolina voters will need to pay attention. The vote here could determine the presidential election.

This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 6:47 PM.