This was excerpted from the August 13 edition of CNN's Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. But the Harris-Biden appearance also exemplified the haunting emptiness of the most joyless election campaign in generations. When pro sports play before empty stadiums these days, TV channels pipe in crowd noise to viewers at home. But fake fans don't wash in politics, so Biden and Harris walked into the deafening silence of a school gym, before a group of socially distanced reporters. And in these quiet, socially distanced weeks, Biden and Harris' message of steady, serious leadership may have an edge over that of Trump, who feeds off the angry energy of fired-up crowds at packed rallies.

Source: CNN August 15, 2020 03:45 UTC