Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a Democratic debate. // David J. Phillip/AP Images

When Former Vice President Joe Biden states that a vote for him is a vote to “restore the soul of this country,” to whom is he speaking?

This is a phrase used so commonly it could be the motto of his campaign. As the presumptive Democratic nominee, this tagline is especially relevant because it exemplifies his attitude toward the presidential race at large and how he will attempt to both energize voters and defeat Donald Trump.

What demographic and what voter is he regarding with this statement? Democrats don’t need to hear this — the majority will be voting against this administration regardless. So if this claim is not directed at the Democratic voter, is it directed toward the moderates? The indecisive? The disenchanted Republicans?

In 2016, before the general election, Trump’s daily rhetoric made it clear that he was a liar(10), a sexist (11), prone to incite violence (12), and had a long history of racism(13). Trump’s base knew what he stood for in 2016 when voting, and largely remains in support of him today(14). So if not toward them, perhaps we should presume this moral approach is directed to an indecisive or moderate voter, one who voted for Trump in 2016 but is now disenchanted by his moral choices over the last three years. Yet through countless interviews, inside arenas before tens of thousands of people, via testimony by his colleagues, in debates, on video with Billy Bush, and in personal testimony from the man himself, Trump explicitly showed who he was prior to the previous election. So how will Trump’s character, unwavering in its consistency during his Presidential years, be convincing to these citizens — presumably clamoring to “reclaim the soul of our country” — if the year-and-a-half run up to the 2016 election didn’t deter this moderate voter looking for moral leadership?

A voter who doesn’t care about the morality of a candidate but who is most concerned about policy is perhaps more believable. Voting for ‘outsider’ change in 2016 and being disappointed by the last three years worth of executive decision making is a plausible sentiment. Speaking to both policy and plans would appeal to this imagined moderate, this voter who would want to swing from a Trump vote to a centrist-left candidate for a platform better aligned with their domestic or foreign agenda. With the greatest economic contraction since the Great Depression at our collective feet, this administration cannot stand behind a strong economy and trumpet their positions as an inalienable success.

Biden’s moral posturing, the way he has reflected on the Trump presidency in every debate and every speech, is a “Folks, this is not right. We’re better than this” sentiment. This stance is far too late and will prove wildly ineffective. Why? Because the GOP political system is no longer subtly corrupt but overtly. The executive branch and GOP-led Senate work in tandem to protect themselves while they stack the courts with a biased judiciary(17). Subpoenas have been ignored(0), obstruction of justice has been condoned(16), and Trump’s own lies total in the thousands(1). Impeachment hasn’t slowed down this administration or those who support it, galvanizing Trump’s belief that he is untouchable. Undoubtedly it has only emboldened this administration heading into the 2020 election.

Donald Trump does one thing very well : gaslighting(6). Trump repeats verbal narratives which create his own reality. He makes others engage and compete within his realm of various lies and whataboutisms, diverting all attempts to rebuke his claims and converse solely on facts. When questioned, he often defends by attacking the questioner(9), doubles down on his lies, or shrugs it off and moves on with more lies, thus obfuscating the narrative trail and starting the process over. America has seen four years of pathological lying from the GOP candidate-now-President with no accountability — four years of corruption charges(5) with numerous associates of the executive branch now in prison(7). At this time, “We’re better than this” adds nothing of consequence.

Unless Joe Biden and company are willing to state to Donald Trump’s face “You are a liar and I refuse to normalize your criminal choices” and repeat this to literally EVERY claim Trump makes, the results will be the same as before. Trumps will stick to his narrative, attack Biden with a mix of valid and wild accusations, and gaslight the public without accountability. Unlike other politicians(2), Joe Biden hasn’t shown he can avoid Donald-driven talking points(8) or maintain the firmness of position needed to hold a man like Trump accountable. This past week the two men had a phone conversation over the COVID-19 response(3). Biden’s willingness to engage Trump and not draw a hard line like other Democrats(4) further normalizes Trump’s flagrant criminality. Equally important — Joe Biden has a very serious sexual assault allegation levied against him(15). Not only is this assertion a terrible potential truth for the Democratic presidential nominee, the moral argument goes out the window with a simple counterargument — and rest assured this allegation will be repeatedly and hypocritically touted by the GOP machine between now and November.

Even with a presidential ticket alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren (calling it now), it looks improbable that Biden will have strong footing with his “soul of the country” colloquialisms. But is still early enough in the general race for Democrats to pivot to a new tactic and a stronger position. After all, Donald Trump is an incumbent defending a seat during the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. By the time November 2020 arrives, the country will have weathered seven months at the boot of record unemployment and economic uncertainty.

Perhaps this year, the fight over economy is more pertinent than morality?