Discussion for article #239228
I wish with all my heart that he could be President – but I don’t know if I hope that he will run. The chances of his succeeding, given past efforts and the current focus on HRC, seem fairly dim, and while his “legacy” is already well established, it would be somewhat sad (I suppose that’s the best word) for his last official act on the public stage to be a 3rd failed run for the Presidency rather than a very successful 2 terms as Vice President. I think Josh said recently that he thinks Biden would be a good president but is not so sure that he can be a very good candidate for the presidency. Something to that effect, and that sort of sums up my feelings. ------ However, if he should decide to run, I’ll be knocking on the door of campaign headquarters and offering to do all that I can from the very first day. I don’t know if there is anyone on the national stage today for whom I have greater respect and trust. (Although I have to say that Pres. Obama and Bernie Sanders are not far behind)
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He should run only if he thinks being on the road nearly 24/7 for the next year and money grubbing at every available moment will assuage his heartbreak.
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When you put it that way – if Biden runs, it will be at great personal sacrifice. However, he knows the democrats really need a plan B candidate and that he is the best situated to step up to the plate if the Clinton campaign implodes. I think his decision will depend not only on the willingness of his family – but if Obama wants him to go for it. Should that happen, it will change the primary landscape profoundly.
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Please! He and Bernie are dreaming. This lifelong Democrat is not looking someone who will be 74 or 76 when they take office. Time to retire like their contemporaries of which I am one.
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I don’t know what he expects to achieve by running. And “only if you’re my running mate” is not the kind of joke a person makes if he’s actually decided to run. Seems like he wants something from the Clintons.
Obama won’t support anybody until after the convention, or I should say, until the necessary delegates have been gained. Then he will support that person. So, don’t expect any endorsement for Joe to be forthcoming…because it isn’t.
Biden entering the race would be a minor ripple on the landscape. He is currently polling in 3rd place, with about 10-12%. Sanders in second with 25ish, and Hillary well over 50%. (The other three are so far down its hardly even worth mentioning. In fact, it almost seems less insulting to not list their numbers).
In a best case scenario, which is highly unlikely, he could what…double his standing and give Sanders a run for second place? In the more likely scenario, based on his past runs, he maybe moves up a few points, but still finishes in Iowa and NH a distant third to Hillary and Sanders.
People have a lot of nostaglia and emotional support for Biden. But the people supporting Sanders because he isn’t Hillary aren’t jumping on the Biden bandwagon…they are supporting Sanders because they view him as the progressive voice in the campaign. Biden is not, and never will be, that voice.
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The conventional wisdom (aka morons) is that Hillary is the entitled candidate.
Couldn’t the same thing be said about Biden?
getting way tired of that. they don’t say it about Jebya now, do they.
Bernie is good for getting out important issues.
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Of course Obama would not publicly endorse – I am talking about him pushing Biden behind the scenes. I have no personal knowledge of what promises have or have not been made – but I still get the feeling Obama is not thrilled about the Clintons. He did choose to work with and befriend Biden though.
I am supporting Sanders as a protest vote during the primaries unless Biden runs. I like Sanders and his policies, but don’t think he’d win the nomination nor would he do well in the general. I do think Biden is the logical choice if Hillary’s campaign goes off the rails. That is the main reason I think he should be a presence in the primaries.
If Hillary bowed out of the race for any reason, there will be a slew of people jumping in the very next week. And Biden still won’t win the nomination. And please don’t get me wrong, I love the guy. I supported him back in 88, and was looking forward to seeing more of him in 08. But the media and most voters have him pegged in a certain hole, and he does nothing to dissuade them otherwise.
And, the party today is in a more progressive place then it was in 88 or even 2008. Not to say that we are moving to the left, I think its more the entire country has shifted that way in recent years. Being from Delaware, Biden never met a credit card company he didn’t love. That sort of thing is a problem.
Obama will play the neutral party until a candidate has won. Its sort of the expected, though not always followed, norm. And, though I am sure this will not be agreed upon by a lot on this board, politically, I don’t think Obama has been a spectacular team player anyway. When he is running, he has run great campaigns…for himself. When it was midterms time…he largely sat on the sidelines for both. There have been quite a few stories that the OfA people do not play well with state and local people, and have been very resistant to helping even other national campaigns. So I wouldn’t worry too much about him throwing his weight behind Hillary either…at least until the nomination is won.
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Can you tell me what your issue is with Hillary?
Please be specific - no generalities or shoulda couldas…
or wouldas.
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If he entered the race at this point, I think it would make an interesting statement that he thinks he has a chance to win. I don’t see him running a vanity campaign.
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Some data on how many Veeps have won the presidency. If I were advising Joe, I’d say don’t do it.
How many vice presidents have been elected president?
Only 3 vice presidents have been elected once, and then defeated in reelection: John Adams, Martin Van Buren, and George H.W. Bush. Only 2 vice presidents have ever been elected and reelected: Thomas Jefferson and Richard Nixon (Only Jefferson served two full terms)
HRC is running a highly disciplined campaign and her team is composed of advisers from B. Clinton’s and Obama’s winning campaigns. It’s not going to go off the rails, and as the prominent woman running, I believe women of both parties will be listening. She’s the only candidate who will be talking about issues important to women, and we saw how the Rs on that stage were more than willing to trash women to score points with an old male white electorate.
Moreover Biden should not run. The historical data does not support a win.
How many vice presidents have been elected president?
Only 3 vice presidents have been elected once, and then defeated in reelection: John Adams, Martin Van Buren, and George H.W. Bush. Only 2 vice presidents have ever been elected and reelected: Thomas Jefferson and Richard Nixon (Only Jefferson served two full terms)
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Don’t do it Joe
Just don’t
You are too decent a guy.
If I were you I’d try for your seat in the Senate.
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I think BIden is one of the most decent people in politics and certainly one of the very best regarding foreign policy. That said, I hope he bows out. He has not been successful in the past for whatever reason and this is likely to be a repeat of those efforts. He has made an incredible contribution to the country, but right now he could do more for his family, his wife, children and grandchildren. He could certainly command a huge salary whereever he ends up and from what I have heard, he is not a particularly wealthy person never working the system in that way. He deserves some bucks without compromising his good works. Let us remember what an incredible guy he is and let him retire from public service on a high note. He would make a good President, but at 72, he should embrace his family for the rest of his days.
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If Hillary bowed out of the race for any reason, there will be a slew of people jumping in the very next week.
Ah, but as the article notes, there are ballot access deadlines to be met, including some as soon as November. Plus, as a practical matter it takes time to build a campaign infrastructure. So I think what people are suggesting is that for Biden to fulfill the role of “Plan B” then he’d have to go ahead and start running now while there’s still time, and the same would be true of any other candidates who might want to “jump in” if Hillary’s prospects seem to be going downhill (or, which I think is almost unthinkably unlikely, Clinton actually “bows out” for some reason).
Needless to say, I have no idea whether he’ll get in the race or not, but if he does it will be interesting to see if he gets much traction. My sense is that most current Clinton supporters will stick with Clinton, and most current Sanders supporters will stick with Sanders, which leaves Biden competing for what? Some piece of the undecideds and the couple percentage points the other long-shot candidates have at this point?
I think he’s basically too late to the party, Clinton and her people have been preparing for this run since 2008. Biden in, or Biden out, I think she’ll still be the strong frontrunner. That being said, a lot can happen in the months between now and the primaries, so I do understand the “Plan B” reasoning.
And note that Nixon lost when he ran as the sitting vice-president (he only won eight years after leaving office, after carefully rebuilding his image), and Jefferson was from the opposite party as the president he served with.