Politics

Report: Biden Preparing to Run in 2016

In 2004, when Vermont Governor Howard Dean enjoyed his brief spike in the polls, the conservative magazine National Review ran the following magazine cover as a reaction:

Joe Biden May Run for President in 2016, According to The New Republic

Now, with news coming from the New Republic (TNR) that Vice President Joe Biden is seriously building the infrastructure for a 2016 run, many snickering conservatives are likely to have a similar reaction. From TNR’s story:

First, Biden is going to extravagant lengths to ensure his boss’s reelection while putting his own ambitions on hold, in the hope that the Obama brass will reward this selflessness when the time comes. There is, quite simply, no speech Biden won’t deliver if it advances the White House cause, no attack on Mitt Romney he won’t wage, no annual convention of Pacific Islander flight attendants he won’t attend on the president’s behalf. “To some extent, he’s put himself in a challenging position [for 2016] by playing by the rules of the Obama political operation and not doing a lot of the prep work, particularly around fund-raising, you would ordinarily be doing by now,” says the adviser.

But Biden’s inner circle believes the strategy will position him to inherit key players on President Obama’s political team. The adviser notes, for example, that Jim Messina, the president’s 2012 campaign manager, is a huge Biden fan who could play a leading role in a future campaign: “Jim and the vice president have built up a nice relationship these past four years.” Likewise, Rufus Gifford, the Obama campaign’s chief fund-raiser, could give Biden entrée to deep-pocketed donors (who have eluded him thus far) in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and the financial sector. “I know [Gifford] felt the vice president has done a great job. He could be instrumental in pulling together money for this,” the adviser explains.

Step two of the master plan is leveraging Biden’s deep ties to traditional Democratic constituencies, such as labor, trial lawyers, and African American, Jewish, and gay groups and donors, the last of which were thrilled by his plug for same-sex marriage this May. The vice president cultivated some of these ties for decades as a senator, but has strengthened them significantly during his punishing tour of Holiday Inn ballrooms over the past four years. “Biden has a special call on a lot of people’s loyalties, starting with the president,” says the adviser. “That’s why you’ve got to take him seriously. And he’s serious.”

All of which makes it unsurprising that Biden considers himself, if not the 800-pound gorilla of the 2016 field, then certainly a big-boned primate. “Other than Hillary, he doesn’t consider any of the names lurking beneath the surface as competitors,” says the adviser. But even if we allow that Biden’s chances are far better in 2016 than they were in 2008, does that make them, you know, good?

Given that there have been repeated talks about Biden being dropped from President Obama’s ticket for being a liability, this kind of ambition from the vice president will no doubt strike some as more than a little silly, given the Vice President’s fondness for gaffes.

However, those gaffes are arguably no excuse to underestimate the vice president. Biden is a veteran campaigner, having run for president several times, and with his Vice Presidential chops, it’s understandable that he might view 2016 as his last, best shot for the presidency. Moreover, with the exception of his widely panned remark that a President Romney would “put y’all back in chains”  and his apparently utterly serious statement that a vote against infrastructure spending is a vote for rape, Biden’s gaffes have generally tended toward the silly rather than the offensive. Such statements would be political thin gruel after voters have had four years to forget them.

Still, in the event that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan win election this year, Biden would probably have one glaring vulnerability: namely, his ties to the first one-term Democratic president since Jimmy Carter. Not that this stopped Carter’s vice president, Walter Mondale, from running for president in 1984 (and winning the primary), but based on what happened to the electoral map after Mondale was nominated, that’s not an experiment the Democrats are likely to want to repeat:

Joe Biden May Run for President in 2016, According to The New Republic

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Comments (111)

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  • girving
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:48pm

    Oh, please Joe, please run……

    Report Post » girving  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 2:05pm

      And don’t stop of you see water.

      Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 3:21pm

      The Rimshot candidate.
      Please run, Please,please, please.

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • michael48
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 5:07pm

      don’t even want this twit close to the big, red button…he!! he’s liabile to blow America off the face of the Earth…ya’ll

      Report Post »  
    • theninthplanet
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 5:19pm

      I’m guessing Evan Bayh is going to be a leading contender. Would be a lot less silly than Biden.

      Report Post » theninthplanet  
    • iblvingd
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 5:43pm

      It will be kind of like watching a drunk get rolled in a bar! Run Joe Run!

      Report Post »  
    • Detroit paperboy
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 6:38pm

      Run what ? A donut shop ?……..

      Report Post »  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 7:12pm

      Run Forrest! Run!!

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • WeDontNeedNoSteenkinBadges12
      Posted on August 28, 2012 at 2:04am

      If, somehow, America avoids being overthrown by the Progressives-communists 100 year infiltrate-and-destroy plan, Joe (and many of the other Washington DC traitors) will be running allot sooner and allot harder than expected.

      Report Post » WeDontNeedNoSteenkinBadges12  
  • elosogrande
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:44pm

    The various teacher’s unions and the educators in America have been doing their best to “dumb down” Americans and convince them that Capitalism has been a failure. Young Americans have been brainwashed to believe that Government owes them whatever they need, so they don’t have to be responsible for anything in their lives. This scheme has left the door wide open for buffoons of Biden’s caliber to become The President of The United States.

    Look around – listen to what young people say. Find out what they believe, and you’ll be shocked. The American electorate is certainly stupid enough to elect a fool such as Joe Biden. A great number of Americans have becaome useless people, who are unable to think for themselves or provide for themselves,o they need someone like Biden.

    The Democrat Party has all but destroyed America and her values. Vote this garbage out, before it’s too late.

    Report Post »  
    • woodyee
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:54pm

      They were stupid enough to elect an unvetted Gaybama…

      Report Post » woodyee  
  • OKNative
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:43pm

    No concern. Just another Biden gaffe!

    Report Post »  
  • Tom K
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:43pm

    Let’s see . . . Obama ‘s “Fundimental Disaster” 2008 – 2012. . Obama’s “Final Solution” 2012 – 2016 and then The Joe Biden “Comic Relief Finish” 2016 – 2020 . Yeah, that should just about finish off anything even resembling America. ANYONE BUT The “ Ineligible One ” and Biden in NOVEMBER !

    Report Post »  
  • jarheadone
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:41pm

    Mickey Mouse is going to run in 2016 also. Must be dementia is setting in.

    Report Post » jarheadone  
  • blackfeather
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:38pm

    …this klown??? spare me.

    Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:43pm

      I just showed this report to the local Communist Party USA members in the apartments I live in; they went nuts, convinced that Biden was now going to destroy their cause. I wish I could have had a camera handy for their expressions when I said that PM Putin already endorsed him.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • vox_populi
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 2:04pm

      I‘m pretty sure the CPUSA doesn’t care who the Democrats run.

      Report Post » vox_populi  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 2:06pm

      2016: The year of hilarity. This should make for a whole new batch of gaffes and outtakes.

      Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
  • GlennaBeckski
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:37pm

    Puuh leeeeeeez … Who would his running mate be, Al Franken?

    Report Post » GlennaBeckski  
    • Zipit
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 2:08pm

      Biden/Franken!

      Ha, Haha,HAHA, HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, OH MY GOD MY GUT HURTS,HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Wait a minute! Both my brother and sister in law would vote for them!

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • lavishlee
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 2:24pm

      I’m throwing my Golden-doodle in the ring as VP, HYSTERICAL

      Report Post »  
  • pap pap
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:37pm

    Apparently when Joe looks in the mirror he see’s someone else.

    Report Post »  
  • Stelex
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:35pm

    If Bidens running them I’m running, may actually have a shot at it. I need a VP any takers?

    Report Post » Stelex  
  • Libfreezone
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:34pm

    Unfortunately, Biden will never win the nomination. He is not “likable” enough to win in a general election. Biden “is seriously building the infrastructure for a 2016 run” shows how stupid he really is.

    Report Post » Libfreezone  
  • olddog
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:33pm

    Here we go, A Biteme Dean Ticket. haha
    The 2012 election is about Scoialism or Freedom, you make your choice at the polls.

    Report Post » olddog  
  • ImJusSayin
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:33pm

    OK OK now that Ive wiped the tears from my eyes from laughter. Whats the punch line? Biden preparing to make a run on 2016? Thats a JOKE!

    Report Post » ImJusSayin  
    • Angel_light
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:46pm

      I cannot take the guy seriously, can anybody else? and Not only his speech impediments but I also can’t help but laugh every time i see a funny pic of him. I guess he’s just a funny looking dude…

      Report Post » Angel_light  
  • IMCHRISTIAN
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:33pm

    Now come on people. Biden can waste his money and look like Chris Matthews when they get “excited” and makes goofy comments.

    Report Post »  
  • jakartaman
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:33pm

    Romney would love that seeing he trounced his boss in 2012!
    Biden is the gift that keeps giving.

    Report Post »  
  • chips1
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:30pm

    If Biden tries to run in 2016, he will have a massive heart attack before he gets a half block.

    Report Post »  
    • KenInIL
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:40pm

      Biden will definitely get the call in 2016 if Romney wins 2012. Who else would consent to be the fall guy?

      Report Post »  
  • Jenny Lind
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:28pm

    This is me banging my head on my desk-and thinking I have now entered into the twilight zone. Oh. My. Gosh.

    Report Post »  
  • RightUnite
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:28pm

    Well, if nothing else, gotta say he’s funnier than heck!! Hehehehehe!

    Report Post »  
  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:27pm

    “That’s why you’ve got to take him seriously. And he’s serious.”

    So is THAT why I laughed so much?

    Report Post »  
  • nobull14
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:25pm

    It hard to believe he would even think. He have a chance with a record like his ?. One of the biggest scares we have if something happened to Oblamo he would take over.

    Report Post »  
  • Exidor
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:25pm

    Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:24pm

    Run AWAY, you disgusting arrogant piece of elitism.

    Report Post »  
  • Bobby D
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:23pm

    The only running joey-FOOT-IN-MY-MOUTH-will be doing is at the MOUTH—-LOL

    Report Post »  
  • SHASTADIANE1
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:22pm

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaa!

    Report Post »  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:22pm

    HAHAHAAHAHA The drunks going to run that’s some funny &^%$ there. In early November you can start looking for work,oh maybe as a carnival side show,yeah you stand around making stupid comments and just be the fool that you are.it’ll be a a great move for you Joe.

    Report Post » progressiveslayer  
  • CatB
    Posted on August 27, 2012 at 1:21pm

    LOL .. oh yes PLEASE .. after 4 years of R & R and the economy surging … yes .. let OLD Biden RUN!

    Report Post »  
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