Some things are hard to live down.
But why would you pick a known smear artist as the person to float your trial balloon?
Or it was a discussion with a reporter. E.J. Dionne mentioned that Biden has discussed this with multiple people, including other journalists, that heās been very open about it. If thatās the case, the problem isnāt Biden, itās Politico attempting to smear Biden by calling it a ācalculatingā move.
She writes a column that gets read by a lot of people, and itās on perhaps the most respected Op-Ed page in the mainstream media.
I would not call her a smear artist. All mainstream Op-Ed columnists have bias and BS in their columns, liberal and conservative. Sure, he could try a guy like Boll Moyers who is honest, but then no one finds out. He needed someone popular, and perhaps he already knows her well. And how do we even know she is the only journalist he told.
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Didnāt he basically say something like this on Colbert anyway?
If you donāt like smear artist, how about Hack? Cheap Shot Artist also works. She also hates all things Clinton, as I recall.
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All those adjectives describe most mainstream Op-Ed columnists. That stuff sells. And she has gone after Bush, Cheney, and yes, the Clintonās. Again, it sells.
If Biden wanted to do this he should have set things up he should have done it a year ago.He keeps saying he has to do whatās in his familyās best interests. What about the best interests of the Democratic party?
Great imitation of a gossiping magpie. So what if Biden talked directly with Dowdā¦I assumed it was first person. As long as Iāve known Biden, I would never believe he would use one of the most devastating times in his life (and heās had several, none of which heās ever exploited, right?) to āsend up a trial balloonā. And why the interest 2 months out from the original article. I could be wrong, but it sounds like stirrings from a campaign feeling heat of Bidenās consideration of a run. Whatever, the sudden gossipy Politco story appears interesting in its timing. I also think the way MSNBC shows began the story to be disgusting.
I couldnāt agree more. I donāt get how his running improves the Democratic party. If he had decided to run a year ago it would have been different. Now itās just the disruption that Republicans love.
What really bothers me is that he actually discussed her Benghazi testimony in October. So heās been enjoying her distress and hoping to capitalize on it. He literally planned to be the Emailgate candidate.
But now that Kevin McCarhty has so clumsily given the game away and sheās gotten back on offense there is no need for his campaign whatever.
He ought to just let it go while heās still thought so highly of. I doubt he gets in but if he did the good feeling about him would quickly become a memory
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Why is simply looking at his record a hit piece? Nothing in it was untrue. Biden wants to run on the Benghazi Super PAC hit piece of House GOP.
Why is it ok to hit her but Biden gets a pass?
So the vice presidentās son is dying , he has a moment with his dad. Mere moths after his sonās death the vice president who by the way we know is still grieving, decides to give Ms. Dowd an interview, during that conversation he utters his sonās dying wish. Politico is now debating if Mr. Biden intentionally told Ms. Dowd his thoughts because heās planning to run for president?
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Whenever Iām grieving I know Maureen Dowd is the person I want to talk to.
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Mike ā Sadly, you are a perfect example why people are turned off by Clinton supporters and are worried they will end up CAUSING her to lose the general. It doesnāt help Clinton to alienate potential voters. In Clintonland, everyone who is not 100% in love with her is the enemy. ANd once they are turned off, its really hard to get them back. Clinton lost me in 2008 and Iām finding it very difficult to get past those memories. I am supporting the democratic nominee whomever that ends up being ā however, I like Biden too and donāt appreciate seeing him smeared by the GOP ā or worse, if it turns out the Clinton campaign is behind it. You imply that Biden takes glee in watching Clinton struggle with Benghazi ā but it is my perception that he is genuinely worried about her ability to win the general and to carry on the legacy of the Obama administration. No doubt there are powerful democrats behind the scenes (Obama being one of them) who are encouraging him to run, even when its probably not personally the right thing for him. If Biden runs it wonāt be for selfish reasons (his family are sure getting that ugly taste with this latest shit), but because he thinks the democrats will need him to. That should be a wake up call to Clinton supporters ā the enemy is not Biden. The problem is a ineffectual Clinton campaign (once again) that canāt figure out how to cut through the GOP noise and ends up being their own worst enemy.
Iāll grant you that Joeās conversation might have been with another person who might have repeated it to Dowd. But never assume Joe is not a politician, and that this was an innocent conversation with somebody else. Joeās a politician as well being a kindly uncle figure. The intention was to get the word out and it worked. Supporters have formed committees to urge him to run. Iām more inclined to believe that Joeās current state of mind about running is what he expressed during the interview with Colbert which is great doubt because of the familyās grief.
Sounds a lot like Berniestan also.
Ultimately, if he does or if he doesnāt, itās toothpaste out of the tube now and framed Politicoās way. Thatās unfortunate because itās also meant follow up work that is identifying competitorās campaigns are now ramping up dirt patrols.
I have to say that for all of his stellar qualities, I hope he doesnāt run. Because the ability of a third kick at the can to do irreparable damage to what he has accomplished in the last 8 years (and quite a few in the Senate) is almost immeasurable. Heās also got a lot of history of votes that could come back to haunt him, and I already know they would. And we know that one of the big huge āelephant on the tableā questions would be: what makes this, your THIRD run for President, different than the others where you lost and lost badly? I donāt say that lightly or as a non-supporterā¦on the contrary. Iām a realist about what kind of muckraking crap is going to get flung his way - and thatās a big one.
I could see VP Joe Biden becoming a very effective figurehead for the party. But this late in the game I donāt think another run is a smart move, from any angle.