Is Anyone Here Interested In Seeing Joe Biden Run For POTUS?

[KittyWampus]

I am just curious.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. No.

[Zorra]

56. +1

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Sure.

I'd like to see a field of 5 or 6 candidates at the beginning of the primary debating one another, and forcing one another to go on record as being to the left or right of each other on various issues.

[TeamPooka]

18. I agree. I like a nice field to start a race.

Plus we need the debate to show where the party stands now as you said.

[JI7]

3. i would probably vote for him if he ran

[rateyes]

4. yep

[Cha]

5. If Joe has the fire in his belly.. I say go for it. Interested in Martin O'Malley..

and we'll who else. Not, interested in Hillary from what I've read coming out of her mouth lately.

[CBGLuthier]

6. No. Nice guy and all but nahhh.

[riverwalker]

7. yes

anyone but Hillary.

[sketchy]

8. Yes, I'd like to see him run

I think he has a lot of common sense, and is very likeable to boot.

[Revanchist]

9. Maybe 20 years ago

Call me ageist if you want but I'd be reluctant to elect anyone in their mid 70s to the office of the president. The job takes a high toll any those who are elected, just look at the pictures of most of our modern elected officials from the campaign to the last days in office, they look like they've aged more than the 4 to 8 years that has passed.

[merrily]

62. Dates of Birth: Hillary, Warren, Biden and Sanders, in order of birth

Sanders September 8, 1941

Biden November 20, 1942

Hillary October 26, 1947

Warren June 22 1949



None are whippersnappers.

If we're going by health alone, I'd say that Biden looks the fittest of the four, though looks can certainly be deceiving.

[karynnj]

92. Though looks can be deceiving, I think all look younger than their age -

As to fit, other than Hillary, all look pretty fit for their age. However, there are nearly two years until the election and Hillary could lose weight -- and she is clearly over weight.

However, the rigors of a primary are such that any who enter will be tested. If Hillary has the endurance to smoothly navigate the primaries, she is likely fit enough to be President.

[merrily]

97. I disagree. A primary season is rigorous, yes, but it is also much more limited

than a Presidential term. Also, the demands and burdens of a Presidency are very different qualitatively from the demands and burdens of a primary. So, I don't think that surviving a primary necessarily means you are fit enough for a Presidency.

Conversely, though, if you can't pretty much sprint through a primary, you probably don't have enough energy for the Presidency.

When I say that Biden looks the most fit, I don't mean only his weight by any means. Overall, he just looks all around healthier. Skin color and tone, how he walks and does not lumber around and so on. A lot of things.

However, as I said looks can be deceiving. And I am certainly no doctor.

[karynnj]

99. I was speaking more of what you label "conversely"

I think the burden of the Presidency is grueling mentally, but the primaries may be both mentally and physically grueling.

I would say that Warren looks at least as fit - by your definitions - than Biden. I do think that all of them are old enough, that they might have to "prove" their stamina in the primaries. Biden's job as Vice President really was not as tough as Hillary's as Secretary of State. I do think that Hillary seems far more exhausted than any other Secretary of State I can think of. Kerry has had a far more daunting agenda than Hillary - both in terms of more travel and working far more delicate diplomatic missions - and he looks better than Biden on your criteria. (He has NO political ambitions at this point.)

[merrily]

100. As I previously stated, our opinions differ.

Whether a primary season is more or less physically taxing than four years as President seems patently self-evident to me, yet your opinion differs, as was evident from your first reply to me. I don't know if there is a point to going around in circles with our respective opinions.

As far as Kerry, I know you are a special fan of his, but I don't see the point of comparing Kerry to Biden in this context, given that Kerry does not seem to be considering a 2016 run for the Presidency. If Kerry is healthy, of course, I am happy for him on general principles, but I don't see any relevance in this particular context.

[hedgehog]

109. I never would have guessed that Sanders is the oldest of the lot.

[merrily]

113. As I posted somewhere on this board, maybe on this thread, if it comes

to Sanders v. Hillary and Sanders is in the throes of rigor mortis, I'm voting Sanders.

[fadedrose]

112. I think his mother is still alive

and knows who he is, still.

[merrily]

114. In 2008, McCain pointed out the same about his mom.

I hope it's not dispositive. My mom passed way too young when I was in my 30s. I really hope that doesn't mean I am going to die soon.

[fadedrose]

116. Dad passed at 67, Mom at 69, I hit 76 today!!

So maybe dispositivity (izat even a word?) has nothin' to with it.

[merrily]

120. Thank you and a very happy birthday month to you.

At 76, you should celebrate for at least a month. Should be the law!

[monmouth3]

10. No...

[Cognitive_Resonance]

11. Yes. nt

[ballyhoo]

12. No

[conservaphobe]

13. Yes. There should be no less than 8 candidates vying for our support. nt

[AngryAmish]

14. I am sure the nation of Africa is interested.

[lpbk2713]

15. I like Joe.

But at this point I wouldn't say I'd vote for him over anyone else.

[joeybee12]

16. No.

He's not up to the job...decent senator, although his handling of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings will forever be a huge stain on his reputation.

[BrotherIvan]

35. +1

[CherokeeDem]

17. Yes....

I love Joe Biden, and I would seriously consider voting for him. However, I am a major fan of Martin O'Malley.

[merrily]

115. I never paid attention to him (shame on me) until posts here started mentioning him.

Then I read his wiki. A couple of things in it gave me pause, but not much.

[MikeW]

19. NO

[mwrguy]

20. Yes.

[pa28]

21. I would.

Based on his record in the senate as opposed to his rhetoric as a champion of the middle class I'm not really a fan. However, based on his public shaming/ass-kicking of Paul Ryan during the VP debate I'd like to see him in the mix. He looked like a winner that night.

Maybe I'm grasping at straws here but his approaching mortality might make him take a look at the public interest and use his formidable political skills to that end as a president. I'm looking at realistic options to Hillary and at this point he seems like a good one.

[hedgehog]

110. I agree - he voted in support of Delaware and the credit card industry

over support for the middle class too many times. I understand why he voted that way, but still. I think that record will come back to bite him if he joins the primaries.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

22. Love him. But, no. nt

[AlinPA]

23. I love him, but the media would butcher him.

[hfojvt]

24. No

He was one of the main forces making the Bush tax cuts permanent.

As such, I have no more use for him than I do for Hillary.

[iandhr]

25. Yes

[Nobel_Twaddle_III]

26. no

[GP6971]

27. I wouldn't in the primaries

but would whole heartily support him if he got the nomination

[Nye Bevan]

28. It would be entertaining and likely amusing.

But no.

[tularetom]

29. Well, he isn't Hillary so he has that going for him

[Jim Lane]

43. Sadly, that's where I am, too.

If he runs and emulates Hillary in running to the right -- then no. If he's willing to mount a progressive challenge, though, I'd be willing to listen.

At this point, Hillary's lead in the polls and in the conventional wisdom is unprecedented for a non-incumbent. The comparisons to 2008 aren't valid. In that year she started the race as the front-runner but not with the overwhelming advantage she has now. That doesn't mean that she'll definitely run, or that if she runs she'll definitely win. It just means that we have keep doors open for other candidates. (By "we" I mean Democrats who will support just about anyone else in the primary and who, in the general election, will vote for the candidate with the best chance of beating the Republican, but will do so with a marked lack of enthusiasm if she's the nominee.)

[hifiguy]

108. That's about where I am.

Will vote third party for POTUS if Hillary is the Dem nominee, while voting my usual straight-ticket Democratic ballot for everything else. MN is pretty reliably blue in presidential races. Will NOT vote for HRC. Nope. Had more than enough of neo-cons.

[KamaAina]

30. Hard-core drug warrior

Nope. Plus Delaware has what, 3 electoral votes?

[Motown_Johnny]

34. But he has roots in PA too. n/t

[KamaAina]

74. As does Bernie in NY.

Just sayin'.

[Motown_Johnny]

84. True, although it has nothing to do with the VP running or not.

[Warren DeMontague]

88. Yeah, that's my biggest problem with him, too.

I don't want someone who promises to "deal with the marijuana problem" by continuing the failed policies of prohibition.

[Nite Owl]

31. Biden is ok

He can be very down to earth. Mostly he isn't Hillary!!

[craigmatic]

32. Yup definately better than Hillary.

[Motown_Johnny]

33. Hell Yes! Odds are he would have my vote in the primary.

Way to early to know for sure, but if the election were held today I would vote for the VP.

[frogmarch]

36. Yes! nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

37. no, I am not. VP is a dead end job afaic. He may hold other positions for another President but, imo

if one wants to be President they need to turn down the VP offer and wait it out.

[Martin Eden]

38. NO

I'm not interested in seeing Hillary run either.

I will never vote in a Democratic primary for someone who voted in October 2002 to give GW Bush the green light to invade Iraq.

[bigwillq]

39. Not one bit (nt)

[winter is coming]

40. No. n/t

[WhiteTara]

41. I didn't want him last time. No. nt

[cui bono]

42. Interested? No, not particularly.

We need new blood and someone on the actual left end of the spectrum. Someone to shake things up. For real this time.

[TheCowsCameHome]

44. No, thank you.

[MoonRiver]

45. No

If by some miracle he got the nomination, of course I would vote for him in the general. But I greatly fear he might lose to a Rethug crazy.

[Dems to Win]

46. He's welcome to run, but I'm looking for a younger candidate to support

The presidency is one of the hardest, most stressful jobs in the world. It visibly ages people.

The country needs a strong, healthy person in the office. I've seen too many aged 60+ people turn into frail elderly practically overnight due to a health crisis, and they don't recover their strength.

I think Pres Obama is at a good age to be serving as president. I'd like to have someone age 40-55 to vote for in 2016.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

47. Why not?

The more the merrier.

[LuvNewcastle]

48. Not a bit.

[tritsofme]

49. I think the bulk of his support lies in people whose last name starts with the letter "B"

and ends with the letter "N" He's the candidate no one really wants.

I doubt he would do much better than 2008, but I suppose he couldn't do worse than 1988. In fact I doubt that a sitting Vice President has ever suffered the sort of the spectacular and thorough defeat that awaits Biden should he try another quixotic run at the White House.

[zappaman]

50. Not really, no.

I have serious doubts that he could win.

[MADem]

51. No. I like him a lot, though.

He has had two brain surgeries to repair AVMs.

He is from the "credit card state" and is quite naturally indebted to that industry.

He has that Neil Kinnock problem that will rear its ugly head again if he's running for "first chair."

I'd like to see him continue to serve as a Special Envoy in future years--he really has a brilliant grasp of foreign policy matters and they interest him greatly.

[amandabeech]

66. Special Envoy would be an excellent future position for him.

I'd hate to see all that expertise and those great interpersonal skills go to waste after 2016

He's a little too old for the modern-day presidency now, although I would vote for him if he were the nominee.

[golden-girl]

52. NO

NO

[Kilgore]

53. No

[dylan33]

54. Yes

He would be better than any republican. I think he would surprise a lot of people debating in the primaries.

[Autumn]

55. Pass.

[Baitball Blogger]

57. Not since I heard Anita Hill say that he didn't help her situation when

he didn't push to get in the other witnesses during the Clarence Thomas hearings.

[elleng]

58. Yes.

[SoCalDem]

59. Nope.. we need someone who is in their mid-50's

or younger..

Someone who grew up with computers in their lives, and who understands that while we must learn from the past, we must also prepare for the future..

The older one is, the more likely they are to want to keep doing things "the way we always used to do them"...

[krawhitham]

60. yep

[handmade34]

61. yes

[yortsed snacilbuper]

63. The Democrats have a deep bench,

Joe, Hillary, Elizabeth, Bernie and anyone of them would be a good President!

[merrily]

64. No objection, IF others run as well.

If the primary comes down to him or Hillary, that is going to be rough for the left. And Biden does have a record of not doing well in primaries. If he entered the primary, he would probably lose early on, which would not do much of anything positive for anyone but Hillary. (Positive for Hillary because a run by him against her would silence the "anointing" talk.)


He was the Senator from Delaware, renown nationwide for its corporation friendly state laws. And he did leave Ms. Hill on her own. Many women cannot forgive him for that.

I don't get as exercised over his plagiarism as some here seem to be about the allegations about Hedges' plagiarism. Then again, their outrage seems to me to be more about Hedges than it is about plagiarism. They don't even acknowlede that Biden did it--and not only a sentence here and there, either-- and became Vice President away. Guess I just have other fish to fry.

In all, he appeals to me personally more than Hillary does. But, again, I would hope to heaven that others were in the race.

[LeftyMom]

65. Interested in a "I'll make popcorn" way? Yes.

In a "I don't think this is a terrible idea" way? No.

Still better than Hillary Clinton though.

[cherokeeprogressive]

67. The President thinks he's the only person qualified to be one heartbeat away from The Oval Office.

I don't see how President Obama could ever endorse Hillary Clinton over the Vice President if he decided to run.

[No Vested Interest]

81. "Only person qualified to be one heartbeat away" -

That was then, this is now.

[cherokeeprogressive]

82. Is there someone else a single heartbeat away that I don't know about?

[No Vested Interest]

83. Sorry, cherokee progressive, -

The statement was only person "qualified" - emphasis on qualified.
In fact, VP Biden is the only person in fact one heartbeat away, and you could say, by virtue of his currently holding the office of VP - no one else is qualified, and, according to the Constitution, that is true.

However, using the word "qualified" to mean having the personal qualities - the are several or more that have the mental, temperamental, physical capacity to be president.

As I stated in another line, I believe Joe, for whom I have a high regard, is past the age of being of sufficient interest to the electorate.
(I myself am older than Joe, and know what age feels like.

[scarletwoman]

68. Nope. (nt)

[sabrina 1]

69. No

[truth2power]

70. No.

[badtoworse]

71. No, I don't think he has the smarts.

[blue neen]

77. Really?

Why would you say that?

[oberliner]

72. A lot of ageism on this thread

People objecting to him based on his age?

Never noticed that before.

[kwassa]

73. Speaking as an old fart ...

well, at least oldish ..

and as some one from Oberlin ...

I don't think that either he or Hillary represent the necessary successful future for the Democratic Party.

We need new and talented blood. Where we find it, I don't know.

[oberliner]

75. You went to Oberlin?

Small world.

Anyway, I think we can get talented folks in their 70s.

[kwassa]

79. well, not really.

Parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts graduated from OC.

Me, just OHS. But we did crash the co-op parties.

I went to art school, instead.

[Warren DeMontague]

89. He could be 95, if his ideas weren't old.

As it is, I want someone who approaches issues like marijuana legalization from the perspective of a Gavin Newsom, not author-of-the-RAVE-act Biden.

I went to a lot of Dead shows in my youth. Under Biden's goofy law, the people who put on those shows were felons who should have gone to prison for 20, 30 years, because there were sometimes -gasp- people smoking pot in the crowd!

Imagine that, a rock and roll show with people smoking pot. I knowwwwwww.

So, uh, yeah, Biden's a little old. Not physically, but behind the curve. I think.

[oberliner]

91. People learn and grow - even in their 70s

Biden has room to evolve on some issues.

[merrily]

104. I saw a lot of ageism from fellow Democrats during the 2008 season, but

about McCain, on the board that I was posting on then. (That board allowed posters of all political views.) "McOld," "get off my lawn," and a host of other age-based references.

Even though I usually insist on applying my views regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican is involved, I can't honestly say I objected vociferously then. I like to think my view on that issue has improved since, though.

[840high]

76. No.

[Iggo]

78. Yes.

I'd like to see a bunch of 'em run, him included.

[No Vested Interest]

80. Love Joe, but his time has passed for a presidential run.

Sorry to say, but I believe Hillary's time has passed, too.

Nothing against either one, but as a senior I feel free to say, that younger candidates give the feel of energy, progress, etc.

As of now, I'm looking at O'Malley, though I don't know that he's the greatest campaigner.

Am open to others, as well.

[Motown_Johnny]

85. He is the seated VP and only 74 in 2016

He isn't to old.

If not for Hillary's backing by the establishment he would be the obvious choice in 2016.

He really should run.

If he doesn't it will be spun as Pres. Obama's policies being a failure and causing the VP to not run. It would be horrible for our party across the board (not to mention the damage to our nation and to our entire world).


We need him to run.

[LeftyMom]

94. Only 74? The average life expectancy of a man in this country is 76.

He would be as old as Reagan was when he was elected to his second term, and we all know how that turned out.

[No Vested Interest]

106. 74 is too old.

I've been there and know that the energy just is not great enough at that age.
I also believe Hillary is/will be too old.

Sorry about how anything is spun; nature decides these things, and you can't fool Mother Nature.

[doxydad]

86. Uncle Joe is a swell guy...

...but, NO.

[Warren DeMontague]

87. Not really.

[aikoaiko]

90. No. He is just a junkyard dog at this point.

His job is to bark loudly.

[woo me with science]

93. Mr. MBNA/Bank of America?

No thanks.

[cascadiance]

107. I want someone to take down the current bankruptcy laws instead of one who put them in place...

... which he did when he lead the Senate in passing the current bankruptcy bill when he was a senator for Delaware paying back those banksters that were headquartered in his state then. Those laws are part of the problem now that needs fixing... We need someone like an Elizabeth Warren who has advocated fixing laws such as those that along with others in recent years have screwed a lot of us in this trashed economy. That was why I couldn't support him back in 2008 either, but probably was a good reason for Obama to choose him as his running mate.... Kind of like how he chose Rahm Emmanuel to head up his cabinet too then.

[NCTraveler]

95. While he probably wouldn't get my vote in the primary.

Yes, I would love to see him run. He is a very important member of our party and understands the middle class better than most elected officials in our party. He is a great spokesperson for the party. Gaffes and all.

[Stellar]

96. All options are open for me.

Hillary can't be the last word.

[cbdo2007]

98. Statistically, he is our best shot by a long shot. My money is on Joe!

[RKP5637]

101. Yep! n/t

[Xyzse]

102. I don't mind it.

If he feels like running, he should.
Will I vote for him in the primary?

I'd vote for him before I vote for Clinton, that's for sure.
Saying that...

I will only donate in the primaries when it happens, since I can't vote, since I'm an Independent.

[NYC_SKP]

103. Sure, I prefer him to Hillary Clinton but would love Warren over both of them. nt

[Bluenorthwest]

105. I've already seen him run for President.

As I recall, he lost and lost more than once.

[fadedrose]

111. Ya. Me.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

117. not really.

[avebury]

118. No

Not after reading "The First Family Detail" and the overuse of Air Force travel between Delaware and DC to the extent of almost $1.0 million (sometimes going back and forth several times in one day. On top of that, the Air Force will not pick up the tab unless the VP is on board so he would ride the plane to Delaware to pick up his wife. And this is the guy that Obama put in charge of trying to find wasteful spending in the Federal Govt. He may try to come across as a regular guy but he is just as good at wasting money as anyone else in Washington.

[Orsino]

119. Sure. His tendency to get out over his skis...

...could lead him into some progressive promises.

And Clinton would have to become a better candidate. Win-win.