Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT?
FEBRUARY 27, 2014
POSTED BY JOHN CASSIDY
Vice-President Joe Biden is running for President in 2016.
That is, hes thinking about it seriously. That is, hes not going to let Hillary Clinton, her fearsome political machine, or Jim Messina, his bosss former campaign manager, make his decision for him. That is, he considers himself more than a match for Hillary, but hes not oblivious to the polls showing her way, way ahead of him. That is, what the heck, hes seventy-one, hes still full of energy, hes served President Obama loyally, he loves the game, and he thinkspundits and pollsters be damnedthat this might be the moment for an old-school, shit-kicking, hand-grasping, mouth-running, stick-up-for-the-working-stiff pol like himself.
Its either going to be me or someone else who is going to make this argument in the Democratic Party, he told Glenn Thrush, the author of a bang-up new profile at Politico. When productivity increased, when profit increased, the people who are the reason for the increase were to share in the bounty. Thats what was settled in the late 30s on collective bargaining, the Fair Labor Standards Act. Guess what? The workers are getting screwed.
Surely, they are. But that wasnt all weve heard from the Vice-President in recent days. Its as likely I run as I dont run, he said on The View, the ABC talk show. Well, you know, I was planning on making a major announcement tonight, but I decided tonights your night, he joked to Seth Meyers, the new host of NBCs Late Night.
more
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/02/joe-biden-for-president.html
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
3 replies, 562 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (4)
ReplyReply to this post
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
JOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT? (Original Post)
DonViejo
Feb 2014
OP
Segami
(14,923 posts)1. Biden/Warren?
Segami
(14,923 posts)3. "..And why not? With Clinton riding so high,..
....the expectations for a Biden candidacy would be low, which means that he wouldnt have much to lose. And his poll numbers arent too awful. According to a new Times poll, forty-one per cent of Democrats want him to enter the race, against thirty-one per cent who dont. That leaves him far behind Clintonmore than eight in ten Democrats said that they want her runbut well ahead of other possible candidates, such as Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator, and Martin OMalley, the governor of Maryland.
Biden is surely right when he says that there is an opportunity for someone to run to the left of Clinton, as an economic populist. If Warren stays out, as shes indicated that she will, the veep could fill the gap. At this stage, the only other possibilities appear to be OMalley, who recently acknowledged that hes looking at a possible bid; Brian Schweitzer, the former governor of Montana, who has just joined MSNBC as a talking head; and Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont, who, presumably, would run as an independent rather than as a Democrat.
A Biden candidacy would be a long shot, of course. Hes run twice before, and both times it ended badly. In 1988, he was forced to withdraw amid allegations that hed plagiarized a speech by Neil Kinnock, the Labour Party leader in Britain, and misstated, or exaggerated, his college record. In 2008, he made little impact in a contest dominated by Obama and Clinton, and dropped out after coming in fifth in the Iowa caucus. But, if he were to run in 2016, being the underdog would be part of his appeal. At the very least, his candidacy could serve a useful purpose by forcing Clinton to engage with tricky issues relating to inequality, wage stagnation, and the partys ties to Wall Street, and by showing that nobody, not even a former Secretary of State, senator, and First Lady who would be bidding to become the first female President, can expect to have a nomination handed to her..."
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/02/joe-biden-for-president.html
Biden is surely right when he says that there is an opportunity for someone to run to the left of Clinton, as an economic populist. If Warren stays out, as shes indicated that she will, the veep could fill the gap. At this stage, the only other possibilities appear to be OMalley, who recently acknowledged that hes looking at a possible bid; Brian Schweitzer, the former governor of Montana, who has just joined MSNBC as a talking head; and Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont, who, presumably, would run as an independent rather than as a Democrat.
A Biden candidacy would be a long shot, of course. Hes run twice before, and both times it ended badly. In 1988, he was forced to withdraw amid allegations that hed plagiarized a speech by Neil Kinnock, the Labour Party leader in Britain, and misstated, or exaggerated, his college record. In 2008, he made little impact in a contest dominated by Obama and Clinton, and dropped out after coming in fifth in the Iowa caucus. But, if he were to run in 2016, being the underdog would be part of his appeal. At the very least, his candidacy could serve a useful purpose by forcing Clinton to engage with tricky issues relating to inequality, wage stagnation, and the partys ties to Wall Street, and by showing that nobody, not even a former Secretary of State, senator, and First Lady who would be bidding to become the first female President, can expect to have a nomination handed to her..."
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/02/joe-biden-for-president.html
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)2. The more, the merrier.