Biden to jump into race for POTUS

[RandySF]

Former Vice President Joe Biden is almost certain to enter the 2020 presidential race, according to sources familiar with his plans.

“It’s pretty clear he’s jumping in,” said one source with direct knowledge of the would-be campaign’s moves, adding that Biden is “95 percent there.”

In recent days, Biden has sought to build support from grass-roots activists and is specifically asking donors for their help in the lead-up to an announcement, according to sources.

In phone conversations, Biden has been making the case for why he’d be the best candidate in what is already a crowded field.

“Here are the facts: He’s coming off a great midterm,” said Robert Wolf, the Democratic mega-donor who confirmed he spoke to Biden on a 25-minute call on Wednesday.

In phone conversations, Biden has been making the case for why he’d be the best candidate in what is already a crowded field.

“Here are the facts: He’s coming off a great midterm,” said Robert Wolf, the Democratic mega-donor who confirmed he spoke to Biden on a 25-minute call on Wednesday.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/430028-exclusive-biden-almost-certain-to-enter-2020-race?userid=57999

[madville]

1. He's the immediate frontrunner

And the attacks are going to be immediate in the media and online. I like Joe, he's automatically a top-tier primary candidate and will appeal to independents because he has been quiet and get a lot of the moderate center vote as well as independent support. He'll look like a measured and moderate alternate to Trump.

[RandySF]

2. I'm split between Joe and Kamala at the moment.

[TeamPooka]

39. Kamala is my first choice because I think 2020 is a year to look forward, not back. I love Joe

but after the Blue Wave of women succeeded so well last fall I think we should stick with that strategy next year.

[RandySF]

40. But Joe can immediately repair the damage to our alliances

and restore order to the federal government.

[TeamPooka]

43. Pretty much any of our nominees can do that.

[Demsrule86]

91. I prefer her as a VP candidate...have serious worries whether any woman can get elected in a general

WE must win in 20. And I am a woman...give my left arm to see a woman president.

[PatSeg]

30. "the attacks are going to be immediate"

But none of them will be new. Not much that the right can do to him that hasn't been done before.

I have mixed feelings about Joe running, but I'm sure he will be good for the process whether he becomes the nominee or not.

[madville]

34. I'm talking about attacks from our side

With such a large field there will be plenty of attacks in the media and from other Democratic candidate camps against Biden. Thinking about the Primary.

[PatSeg]

35. Oh yes

Now you are bringing back memories. Whenever Joe's name would come up on DU, the attacks were sudden and brutal, though none of them were new or unique.

I think Joe is seen as a threat to anyone opposing him. He is great on the campaign trail and connects to voters in ways that most don't or can't. He is totally authentic and his life story is compelling. No other politician has brought me to tears more times than I can count. He is an inherently good and decent person and I will support him in whatever he decides to do.

[madville]

37. I agree

I think after 8 great years as VP, he has the resume now. He is going to be seen as choice to bring us back "normal". He has an appeal that many are underestimating.

[PatSeg]

45. He is certainly

the most qualified person we've seen in a long time, plus he is very likable. I so wish he had run in 2016, but I completely understand why it was a bad time for him and his family. Over the years, the timing just was never quite right. In 2004, party leaders wanted him to run against GW Bush, but he declined. I am quite sure he could have beat Bush and the world would be a much different place right now.

[NewJeffCT]

68. The right recycled all the fake Clinton scandals from the 90s

in 2016, even though it was Bill Clinton and not Hillary.

[PatSeg]

70. That is true

Though they were also using a lot of sexism against Hillary which wouldn't have worked on Bill or any male candidate. Meanwhile, in spite of all the negativity thrown at her and Russian interference, she still beat Trump by three million votes. I can't think of any candidate over the years that was maligned the way Hillary was and that was from the right, the left, and the media. She would have been a truly formidable president.

[shanny]

3. Bad idea.

[GulfCoast66]

11. Care to expound? Below I gave a pretty good list of why I support him.

Since this is a discussion board, I would be interested in other opinions.

I was for Harris or Brown if he jumped in.

But if Joe runs and has Obama’s support I will be all in.

[shanny]

23. I luv Joe...but he is the past.

It is not his age, it is that the nation and the party have moved on. There's Anita Hill, which resonates very strongly and negatively now with Barf Kavanaugh on the Court. There's Bill Clinton's soul-destroying crime bill, which he supported. There's the truly awful bankruptcy bill, which looks horrific and corporatist in the face of stagnant wages, soaring debt and a generation that is worse off than their parents. All the fire, and energy, on our side of the aisle is coming from people Biden's past positions have hurt. (and remember that when he has run on his own he has gotten nowhere).

The Obama years were an era of attempted bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle. It didn't work, we are not going back there, we are in the fight for our lives and the planet and Joe just isn't the guy. We can't just try to turn back the clock and return to those years. Those years weren't working! for too many. And Biden, fairly or unfairly, represents that time.

If he's in for another stint as VP, I'm all for it; he did a good job. If he's in as a surrogate and happy warrior supporting our nominee and trashing theirs, bring it on. But not at the top of the ticket. His time is past (and we wouldn't even be considering him were it not for the veep years.)

My two cents.

[sharedvalues]

47. Agreed with every point.

Love Joe
He’s the past
We need to stop reaching across the aisle
Would love him as VP


And I’d add: billionaires buying our politics is at the root of the TrumpGOPEmergency. Any Dem I’m going to support hasto have plan to fix that. Which is why I am Warren, Bernie, Booker in that order.

[R B Garr]

58. Reality is that gun violence and retaining Obama's ACA

are more important current issues than these dated attacks that read like the same attacks from the left. Every candidate will have these kinds of “deal breakers” if you promote them hard enough.

[LongtimeAZDem]

95. +1

[honest.abe]

72. Very well stated.

[Cha]

12. Not really.

[Apollyonus]

61. Is he not "pure" enough

like the ... ummmm perfect purity bearing purest one?

[shanny]

74. Asked and answered. Yesterday.

Reply #23

Thanks.

[bdamomma]

4. I have always admired him.

He has loads of experience, he takes no crap and he completes full sentences. In 2008, I was leaning towards him until Obama, but I was so happy when President Obama asked him to be his VP.

Plus Biden would ask a woman to be his VP. We have the best candidates. Even Cory Booker I admired his soft voice demeanour. I want NORMAL again.

[In It to Win It]

16. Me too

I also want NORMAL again.

This experiment we test is just way too much "excitement" for me.

[LakeArenal]

5. Yippee!!!

[GulfCoast66]

6. Well, I hope so. He will have my support For a few reasons.

- I can’t see him getting in if he does not have President Obama’s support. And Obama can be the king maker. Those 2 are tight.

- As much as I like outliers like Brown and Harris. I think what Americans are wanting more than anything is a sense of Normality. Trumps base is with him forever. And there only hope is to gin up fear of a radical opponent. Joe is many things, good and bad, but radical is not one of them.

-if as I would expect he names a more left leaning VP I would expect him to not run for re-election.

There is one over-riding imperative in 2020. Win.

[riverine]

8. I like it

Obama can be the king maker

yes

Americans are wanting more than anything is a sense of Normality.

yes

Joe is many things, good and bad, but radical is not one of them.

Yes!

There is one over-riding imperative in 2020. Win.

YES!!!!!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

51. Definitely, the win is imperative... and Joe's not the only one who can.

[GulfCoast66]

86. I totally agree with you.

But I think he is the most likely at this point. That may change.

[bdamomma]

67. Exactly we need to win

I do not want a dictator.

[Drahthaardogs]

7. Good.

He's a solid candidate. I wish he were younger, but Trump will have a hell of a time villifying Joe Biden.

[MontanaMama]

32. He's been vetted to hell and back.

I must admit...he gives me a warm fuzzy feeling of a dad like figure. Before anybody here sends me to therapy...I’m already there and have been since 11/9/16, so save it. For the record, Barack Obama gives me that same feeling safety and comfort. I just want to have a morning where I wake up and don’t reach for my iPad in a cold sweat wondering what the hell happened while I fitfully slept durning the night.

[CousinIT]

9. Biden-Harris?

Could be a winner!

[Maru Kitteh]

22. That is my choice too. Perfect ticket. Plus it's possible Joe may run for one term.

Effectively handing off the Presidency to Harris. Just a thought. Either way - I have always like Joe Biden.

[musicblind]

10. I like Biden.

Like anyone else, he'll have to earn my vote.

I like him, Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren.

But honestly, it's anyone's ballgame. It'll be an interesting primary. There are many entrants I would be extremely satisfied with.

[PatSeg]

33. We are truly fortunate

We have so many great choices, it could honestly be difficult to choose!

[WeekiWater]

13. He wouldn't make my top three with those currently announced.

Current polls are name recognition. His number will only go down. He would remove any reason for Schultz to enter.

[dem4decades]

31. His number will only go down? Why? He can win the wall.

[WeekiWater]

60. Yes, his current number will only go down as others name recognition increases.

I do think he can win. I also think people are going to be quickly reminded as to how conservative he is. His numbers will drop pretty quick. That doesn't mean I don't think he can't win. I simply don't think will. He would have to do an economic 180 from his previous on record positions with respect to economics in order to get where the party is today. I'm not sure why everyone forgets that aspect.

[Qutzupalotl]

14. Great!

We have so many great candidates to choose from. Biden will add a lot to the debate. I can see him going head to head with Trump ... assuming that is still necessary.

I just hope we have learned not to form a circular firing squad.

[David__77]

15. I would consider that a good thing.

I definitely think he could win by a large margin against Trump.

[Adrahil]

17. I love Uncle Joe....

...and I do not plan on voting for him.

Time to retire, Joe.

[Demsrule86]

18. Joe Biden is a great guy. I met him durig the Obama campaigns...very talanted politician...and

he was one of the few Senators are not millionaires. In fact when his son got sick Pres. Obama gave him the money needed so he would not have to sell his house. I would like to see him pick a young VP like Castro, Harris or Booker. He has my support.
The man is clearly qualified.

[NewJeffCT]

69. How about Stacy Abrams for VP?

he met with her last week in Georgia

[Demsrule86]

78. I lover her. I was thinking she would run for the Senate maybe ...but she is great no matter what.

Gillum too as he might help us take Florida.

[NewJeffCT]

79. I like Gillum a lot as well

but, he is currently embroiled in legal issues. Even if he's cleared, it might be too soon afterwards for him to be on a national ticket

[Demsrule86]

85. That is a good point. I agree.

[Apollyonus]

65. Let the Democratic voters decide

70 is the new 50 now and he is in excellent shape.

He energizes the working class base in the rust belt and keeps those voters in the Democratic fold - something HRC couldn't do.

Biden is also flippant and has great come backs to kick Trump's ass and weaken him by exposing his lies.

Win or lose the nomination, Biden is doing this for the Democrats and for the country. Kudos to him.

[NurseJackie]

21. Our next president needs to be a two term president.

[Garrett78]

29. This "transitional president" plan that some are floating is just silly.

What a horrible campaign strategy that would be. "Yes, we realize that Biden is even older than Trump, but that's why he'll only serve 1 term and then hand the reigns over to his relatively young VP." Frankly, it's a ridiculous idea and would not go over well. It would only serve to highlight the very reasonable concern people would have with electing a 78-year-old.

[NurseJackie]

50. It doesn't go over very well with me, that's for sure.

Frankly, it's a ridiculous idea and would not go over well.

It doesn't go over very well with me, that's for sure.

[LongtimeAZDem]

71. I disagree; this is a unique chance to have what we really need, a President with the experience to

put things back in order without any of the encumbrance of running for reelection.

Running for the second term has always been a handicap; you have to hedge, soften, and avoid making the hard choices. And this time, there will be a lot of hard choices as we try to rebuild the government.

Biden's age is the excuse that makes this possible, and his already-distinguished career makes it reasonable.

[Quixote1818]

24. He gives someone like Warren a better shot by splitting the more moderate vote. nt

[Awsi Dooger]

25. I'm not thrilled with this

Donald Trump does not enter the equation for me. I would ask...is Joe Biden the ideal candidate to oust an incumbent? And I would have to say no. I'm looking for someone with charisma and likability and teflon. I don't see how Biden qualifies. You are handing over a 40+ year voting record to be picked apart and misconstrued, along with Biden's propensity to get emotional and overreact while on the defensive.

The more we try to pretend Donald Trump won't be as difficult to remove as a typical incumbent, the more we err. I love Joe Biden but we need to do better regarding 2020.

[Garrett78]

28. There are reasons younger and less experienced people become POTUS.

The average age of our last 5 Democratic presidents was 48 upon taking office. Less time to develop baggage.

Drawing sharp contrast with Trump-Pence and turning out the Obama coalition in a big way will be key. Biden doesn't really accomplish the former and he won't necessarily help accomplish the latter simply because he was Obama's VP.

And, as I've mentioned elsewhere, there are reasons why Biden has twice come up *way* short in seeking the nomination. Those reasons on top of his age (78 in 2 years) suggest he may not be as successful as some seem to think he will be. Polls are still meaningless at this stage--they're just a reflection of name recognition.

[Zoonart]

26. Release the Biden!

[woodsprite]

27. We need someone who will garner the forces and hold the traitor's balls to the wall.

I think a Biden-Harris ticket could work. One term for Biden, begin to repair relations with our allies, mentor Harris, Harris runs in 2024 and 2028 and brings maybe Kennedy or another young dynamic Dem on as VP.

[spanone]

36. K&R...👍🏼

[BluegrassDem]

38. We need Biden to counterbalance the Sanders agenda a little bit

Getting tired of Dems tripping all over themselves to back every single policy idea that Bernie has, no matter how unrealistic it is. I'm all for a more pragmatic candidate that can actually WIN.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

55. The Sanders agenda? You mean the one most current candidates have adopted from him, which include

progressive policies that are extremely popular and, thus, poll well with the American people?? Oh, okay.

[R B Garr]

57. "no matter how unrealistic it is."

You missed that part, which says it all. I’m glad they are not letting him try and paint them like was done before, but I’ll take pragmatism over all-or-nothing scenarios.

[jcgoldie]

64. "adopted from him"

Right because no-one ever advocated for universal health care, a higher minimum wage, and shifting the tax burden to the rich until Bernie came along. Such a revelation he's been.

[Garrett78]

93. All part of our platform going back several decades.

Sanders supporters like Warren but not Harris, who has a nearly identical voting record to Warren. Gee, I wonder why.

And some of them like Biden but not Clinton, even though they have pretty much the same positions.

Meanwhile, Sanders keeps putting his foot in his mouth on matters of racism and sexism, but some wonder why the rest of us say he has no path to victory.

[Trenzalore]

41. I love the guy but please no

No Bernie. No Biden. No Hillary.

It is time to pass the torch.

[honest.abe]

62. +1

[Doreen]

42. He has my vote.

[radius777]

44. I would prefer he did not run,

and instead just played the happy warrior role, which is what he is best at.

Could he win? Possibly, but we desperately need generational change.

Don't get me wrong, I like Joe and agree with him ideologically for the most part, and don't fault him for past positions (crime bill, etc), most of which made sense at the time.

I think Joe looks at the field and thinks none of the current group has the "it factor" to take down Trump. I partly agree with this. And Joe would play well in crucial regions like the Midwest and moderate swing states like VA and FL.

But someone like Beto may give us the best chance of winning - being a rockstar type like Bill and Obama, while giving us generational change, and ability to win those same crucial states (and maybe Texas?).

[quickesst]

46. Run Joe Run!!

He will be attacked by the right-wing. He knows it, we know it, and he will be prepared for it. He will also be attacked by the other candidates who are running for the Democratic nomination. I predict that's some of those other candidates will eliminate themselves by the method of attack on Joe Biden and other candidates. You can tell a lot about a person when opportunity and desperation merge.

[AlexSFCA]

48. I doubt he'll win in the general

I couldn’t find any differences in policies/views between Biden and Clinton. He won’t get any media coverage whatsoever. He had run before and didn’t get far. Some folks just do much better as policy makers than politicians.

[Demsrule86]

80. I like Biden and he is much liked by the rustbelt. Clinton (unfairly as her husband did NAFTA) was

not.

[Buckeyeblue]

49. We won the midterms with new faces

We need to take the same approach to winning back the presidency.

He can run but he won't get the nomination. His time to run was 2016. The country and the world are much different now.

[Demsrule86]

82. These were midterm races not statewide races. So I think the comparison is not relevent.

Also, Joe has been vetted. And that is a big plus.

[Buckeyeblue]

89. I like Joe. I'm just not enthusiastic about him. I'm not sure the country will be either.

[jodymarie aimee]

52. this is pure gossip

there is no source cited, just like Brad and Jen are having a baby...we are smarter than this people.

[BeyondGeography]

53. Good for Joe, good for us

I prefer Warren but he’ll add depth and quality to the field, which is another way of saying more voters will be drawn to Dems.

[dubyadiprecession]

54. Joe is our only link back to the positive positions of the Obama years.

He will be able to fix this nightmare that has been afflicted on this country.

[handmade34]

56. American Possibilities...

https://www.americanpossibilities.org/

[apcalc]

59. I will support whoever my fellow Dems nominate. I will say age matters. That's a fact.

[honest.abe]

63. I love Joe but its time to move on.

Many will say it ageism but there is no doubt age plays a factor when the candidate is over 70 years old. Wouldn't it be great if we had a "youthful" energetic candidate like Kamala Harris going up against that lunatic confused old fart Trump. What a contrast that would be!

[Garrett78]

81. Nearly every single president has left office before turning 70.

And here we're talking about someone potentially taking office at 78. Someone with a history of gaffes and other baggage, who has twice come up way short in his attempts to get nominated.

No thanks. And Biden doesn't necessarily bring out the Obama coalition that got us 365 electoral votes just because he was Obama's VP.

A stark contrast is what we need. Harris-O'Rourke, for instance.

[Demsrule86]

83. Trump has changed the age thing...and I do think Biden can win a general.

I don't who else can win a general...maybe Sherrod Brown.

[R B Garr]

88. Yes, Trump has changed the age thing and so much more.

Biden consistently polls highest, indicating people don’t want the shrill populist demagoguery. Looks like they want stability and familiarity.

[Demsrule86]

90. I think he has a shot at winning a general and will have coattails....important decision who the VP

is though.

[apcalc]

94. No Trump has not changed the age thing.

He exhibits little understanding of complex issues, is forgetful, gasps for air, can’t walk 700 yards ( has to take a golf cart), and sits on his ass watching TV all day.

Not saying the others are there yet, but will be at some point.

Age matters.

[MineralMan]

66. As soon as he does, people will begin talking about reasons

why he shouldn't be elected. Maybe even before he announces (I haven't read this entire thread yet.).

[BSdetect]

73. Old age can strike down anyone especially if trying to work under enormous stress.

[hughee99]

75. Finally, an 76 year old straight cis-gendered white Christian guy is here

To fix this mess! On the upside, we can start using the phrase “Joementum” again.

[JenniferJuniper]

76. I here ya.

It's sad.

[Gothmog]

77. I could support Joe Biden

[Demsrule86]

84. Me too.

[Runningdawg]

87. I will cheer on Uncle Joe

but I won't vote for him unless he is the nominee.