At the beginning of this current election cycle (which lets just face it, started days after the 2012 general election) it was apparent that Hillary Clinton would be the democratic nominee for the 2016 election and nothing anyone can do could stop her. The base was excited and ready to put a woman in the front and center to see if the country was ready to elect its first female president.
It’s no secret that Joe Biden wants to sit in the oval office. He has run for president twice (1988,2008) and has never said no to the question during his current stint at VP. Over the past few years its been a question of “Who could challenge Hillary for the nomination?” “Would anyone dare remove Clinton from fulfilling her destiny?”
However it appears that Hillary’s popularity has dipped in the summer months due to several factors. From the right, their efforts to demonize and destroy her credentials for the past 10 years have started to weave their way into daily political conversation. Her recent email “scandal” has only fueled the anti-Hillary fire, giving the conservative media a few more straws to grasp at. Again this has all been apart of a larger scheme to knock her down knowing that she was the woman to beat in the race to the white house. If Biden were to enter the race, it would be the right time to establish himself as a potential candidate who could eat away at the establishment choice (Clinton) and the progressive choice (Sanders) poll numbers. While he might not immediately be at the top of the polls, the more America warms up to a full out Biden campaign, his numbers will be able to compete with Hillary before the start of the new year.
Experience: A big knock on our current President was that he came in with little experience in central government. He was only a senator for 3 years before declaring as a candidate and took office a year later. At certain points during his administration, it became obvious that he struggled in negotiations with congress both republicans and at times members of his own party. Who did Obama send in when he needed to get something passed and needed to reach across the aisle? Joe Biden.
Character: Biden is respected by individuals from both sides of the political spectrum. In the past, one of his biggest donors was a certain republican frontrunner named Donald Trump. Fellow republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham said about Biden “[Biden] is as good a man as God has ever created” and talked very fondly in an interview with the Huffington Post [seen here http://huff.to/1JE5RBd ] A lot of praise has been bestowed upon Biden ever since the death of his son Beau this past May, a tragedy that might play a large part in Joe’s decision to enter the race.
Element of Surprise: Biden has become quite famous in the media for his vocal gaffs. The Vice President is no stranger to putting his foot in his mouth on multiple occasions at public events. These free speaking moments have led many in the media and the public to believe that Joe Biden isn’t the smartest man in politics. I remember back in 2012 when Mitt Romney announced his running mate, everyone thought that Paul Ryan was gonna destroy Biden in the vice presidential debate. Ryan was the intelligent young starlet of the GOP while crazy uncle Joe was gonna say something stupid and smile the whole time. Nearly everyone was surprised when Biden stood his ground against the cocky Ryan and by nearly all accounts “won” the debate. It was a momentum killer for the Romney/Ryan ticket and we all know what happened later that fall. For all the wacky speech moments and aviator sun-glassed grins, we are all treated to moments of great sincerity from Biden on issues like gun control and women’s health.
Progressive Values: In my eyes, Biden is the perfect blend between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. He has that established Washington persona and namesake that many like in Clinton, combined with an outspokenness on progressive values that is currently giving Sanders quite the buzz. While Biden might not come out and say the things that Sanders is purposing, as long as he is in office, the progressive wheel will keep steering in the direction that we all hope for. Just look on how things have shifted under the Obama administration in areas such as Healthcare, LGBTQ rights, Foreign Diplomacy, Marijuana and Prison Reform, who else would be better in continuing to shift the wheel on true progressive issues than the current Vice President?
Likability: A lot has been made recently about Hillary’s attitude towards the public and the press. This is only hurting her numbers in the polls and hurting her chances come November, 2016. Joe Biden might be the most likable figure in politics right now. As awful as it sounds, Biden’s family tragedy really uncovered something deep that the public never really thought about…Joe Biden is a really good dude. This past week while discussing politics at two separate picnics, Biden’s name came up multiple times and each time nobody could find anything bad to say about the guy. Yes, the conservatives had to take issues with some of the current administrations directions, but when it came down to Joe Biden, nothing but nice things. While the country remains divided on nearly everything, one thing I think we can get behind is a man and a leader thats respected by all.
At the end of the day, I’m going to support whomever the democratic party nominates as it’s candidate. I still believe that Hillary Clinton would make a great president and have no issues with her as the current frontrunner. However, when Vice President Biden enters the race in the upcoming month or so, I feel that the party will shift in his direction and that democrats will be better served by having him as our representative.
magispolitics 