Joe Biden for President?
Posted by Moonage on 20 Jun 2005 | Tagged as: 2008 Presidential Race
Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said Sunday on CBS News’ Face The Nation that he intends to run for president in 2008.
But Biden, who also sought the nomination in 1988, said he would give himself until the end of this year to determine if he really can raise enough money and attract enough support.
Going after the nomination "is a real possibility," he said.
"My intention, as I sit here now, is, as I’ve proceeded since last November as if I were going to run. I’m quite frankly going out, seeing whether I can gather the kind of support," Biden said.
Biden said he was taking his "game on the road, letting people know what I think."
He added, "If, in fact, I think that I have a clear shot at winning the nomination by this November or December, then I’m going to seek the nomination."
As pointed out in the article, Biden ran in 1988. He was the guy the dropped out after a round of plagiarism scandals. As with Howard Dean’s squeal, Biden’s plagiarism problems made for a lot of good humor. Teaming these two together would probably make for a lot of laughs, but that’s about it.
Biden is testing the water to see how warm it is. I get the impression he’s not so sure how well he can do, and is looking for public support ( read donations ), to re-assure him that he can be a contender. However, I have two words that should make him think harder: HILLARY CLINTON. Now, this isn’t even a statement that I think Hillary is intending on running, but, I am making it a statement that Hillary is doing the exact same thing at this time that Biden is. The difference is Hillary is very good at this part. Much more so than Joe. Joe is probably a better candidate. His only real skeleton I am aware of his is penchant to quote others without attribution. Compared to Hillary’s skeletons, that’s NOTHING. But, what I see Joe doing is testing basically the same water Hillary has already tested and tapped. If that happens, Joe will not run.
What Joe needs to do is tap his own resolve. If he wants to be President, then he better announce right now that he intends to be President. If he keeps sending signals that he’ll only run if people tell him to run, then he doesn’t the personal resolve it would take to win and compared to the ball-busting nature of Hillary, his will be busted whether she intends to run or not. Whether she runs for President or not, Hillary and her significant other are the perceived power brokers of the Democrat Party. That was made perfectly clear during the 2004 Presidential campaign. The crash and burn that will be Dean’s tenure at the DNC will be example number two very shortly.
If I were running Biden’s camp, if he really wanted to sacrifice everything he was to be President, I would be telling him to announce his candidacy at this time and mention Hillary as his running mate every single time he opened his mouth whether he wanted her as his running mate or not.
11 Comments »
on 20 Jun 2005 at 3:33 pm 1.StormWarning
said …
“His only real skeleton I am aware of his is penchant to quote others without attribution.”
I wouldn’t exactly say that Biden has a penchant for plagerism since to my knowledge, he hasn’t repeated that (multiple) faux pas since.
He’d make a good candidate, certainly stronger than Kerry was. And can you imagine a race between Biden and McCain? Now that would be fun. I do think that Frist and brother Bush have lost some ground recently, and opened the door for others in the Republican party.
Ahhh, but it is still so early for Presidential conjecture, no?
on 20 Jun 2005 at 8:17 pm 2.Moonage
said …
The problem Biden has is there is no real such thing as a forgotten past in national politics. It won’t ruin him, but, it will be mentioned.
I don’t really think McCain will be able to pull all the Republican factions together to win the nomination. He also has the historical burden of being a US Senator ( as does Biden and now, Hillary ). That burden is much more pronounced on the Republican side than the Democrat. Republicans have a history of choosing popular governors ( Bush, Reagan ) to run. I don’t see that trend ending anytime soon. Democrats do have a history of nominating US Senators, but they usually lose.
And, it may be early, but if Biden is willing to toss the topic out there, it’s fair game to speculate on his chances.
on 20 Jun 2005 at 10:22 pm 3.StormWarning
said …
Nope, you’re absolutely right. Once someone throws (or semi-tosses) his hat into the ring, the game has begun. Its just that the “political season” now seems to be an endless cycle and we, the electorate, don’t get any time off.
As for “previous jobs” of candidates, I think that being a Senator is a negative, and being a Northeastern Senator, is even more negative. And yes, being a governor, someone who has actually run something and governed a state is an advantage. That’s one of the reasons why I was suprised that Tom Vilsac (D-Gov, Iowa) didn’t get more attention in ‘04, and why I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow rose in prominence between now and ‘08. And I wouldn’t be too surprise if Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico also didn’t rise between now and then.
To an extent, a Senator running at the top of the ticket with a governor as VP might offer a strong ticket. Despite some negative things that partisans could come up with, Richardson was UN Ambassador for a period of time, and from what I’ve read and heard, he’s done a fine job in NM.
More later. Its clear that there will be no rest for us…politics as usual is now politics everyday, all day, all year, from wire to wire, with the Presidential elections blending into the next, almost as the Oath of Office is given.
When do these people actually get a chance to do their jobs and govern and represent the people who elected them? Even when not running for national office, when do Representatives get time off…its well known that Congressmen need to raise money constantly…they get elected, and because of the two election cycle, need to start raising money for their next campaign immediately…and then they still have to do their jobs of governing, or is it legislating?
on 20 Jun 2005 at 10:34 pm 4.Moonage
said …
I’m not quite as sold on Bill Richardson as some. He does have the credentials, but, there is just some intangible that I can’t put my finger on, yet. The primary obstacle Bill will run into IMO is his power base is Hillary’s power base. If push came to shove, his power base would vanish over night. I think he knows that. I see Bill staying in NM through ‘08 and seeing what shakes out. I truly think the people that made Hillary what she is won’t wait much after ‘08 to start making their moves en masse. If she makes a move in ‘08, and wins, Bill is a top dog in DC. He knows that.
when do Representatives get time off…
Congress is only in session sporadically throughout the year. They’ve got plenty of time to do their legislating and then spend the rest of the year fundraising. And, given the advent of PAC’s and lobbying, the ones that have been around a while don’t really have to put that much effort into fundraising.
on 21 Jun 2005 at 4:41 pm 5.Lamb said …
Senator Joe Biden would make a superb choice for the democratic nomination. He has been a United States Senator for over 30 years now. His candor and demeanor automatically make him a much more likeable candidate than Senator Kerry. The fact that he is a Democrat known for being strong on national security does not hurt either. Biden certainly is a more able candidate than Senator Clinton who lest is forget, is less than one term in to her senate tenure.
on 29 Jul 2005 at 10:48 pm 6.David A Kruse said …
Please provide information as to how I can work on the “grass roots” level for Sen. Biden. I don’t have much money to contribute as I am on a fixed retirement income, but I do have time to give.
on 29 Jul 2005 at 11:29 pm 7.Moonage
said …
I would personally call the DC number ( 202-224-5042 ) and ask for his office administrator and tell them what you want to do. It’s very early for them to be accepting volunteers, so all they’ll probably do is take your name and contact info for later reference. But, I know they’ll enjoy and appreciate the call. And from my own personal experience, a seasoned politician values grass roots support a lot more than a donation, so don’t fret the money side of it. He’s got professionals working on that part.
Good luck. And do me a personal favor for pointing you in his direction: Have fun with it.
on 31 Jul 2005 at 2:39 pm 8.Bryan Kerwick
said …
Biden has about as much a chance of getting the Democratic Party nomination as I do and I’m not a Democrat.
This is the Hillary Clinton nomination pure and simple. If she does not run,(but she will) Bill Richardson is probably the most electable on a National basis rather than a Democratic Party basis.
Unfortunately for the DNC, it has become a fringe group of extreme leftists because Hollywood and the big city elitest crowd have all the money. Therein lies the problem for the DNC.
As far as who will be the Republican Canidate goes, I would like to see someone like Dr. Rice but that isn’t likely. Pataki may be the de facto winner IMO.
That would not bode well for the Republicans as Hillary is a much better politician than either of those.
on 10 Aug 2005 at 2:46 am 9.J said …
Clinton-Clinton 2008 is the only way Hilary could win
on 10 Aug 2005 at 4:05 pm 10.Bryan Kerwick
said …
That would probably be a bad thing for Hillary. What if Bill decided to get his old job back?
on 27 Dec 2006 at 11:38 am 11.Jay Kelding said …
Ironically I had my money on Joe before his announcement to run. In the process of reviewing the campaign site I found his views on resolving the Mess o potamia uhm mess. My concern at this point is Joe’s co-author on that plan. I fail to see why every perfectly clear thinking candidate has to enlist the likes of CFR and Zionist influences every trip out of the gate.