Biden Bump - 8/15

[Progressive]

What do you think? Speculation about him seems to come in circles. I feel though it's still unlikely, it's more likely now than ever.

[Suburbia]

Yes, I think he will run.

[Figueira]

Why does everyone think he's running all of a sudden? I'm out of the loop.

[Blue3]

Why does everyone think he's running all of a sudden? I'm out of the loop.

His inner circle keeps leaking reports to the press that he's calling potential allies to hear their thoughts about him running, and it was leaked that it was his son's dying wish.

[/]

Nope.

[Torie]

The odds seem to be increasing rather rapidly.

[Progressive]

I've been saying this for months but I'll reiterate. I think the party establishment actually wants him in to avoid Bernie coming in 2nd place, and to have the battle be between to trusted establishment progressive Dems.

[useful idiot]

I've been saying this for months but I'll reiterate. I think the party establishment actually wants him in to avoid Bernie coming in 2nd place, and to have the battle be between to trusted establishment progressive Dems.

This will backfire in one of two ways. Either he gets in the race and doesn't do any actual campaigning, which isn't going to beat back Sanders and would only embarrass him, or he is going to have to go after Clinton, which will damage her. The media has held back on her because they don't want to damage the Democrat's chances in the general. If Biden gets in the race at this point in time, he's going to have to answer lots of questions about Clinton's SoS record, the email stuff, and why he thinks he would be a better president than she would. If he criticizes her then it will hurt her, and if he doesn't then his campaign would appear pointless. His criticism would give the media the free pass to go after her as well.

[Progressive]

I've been saying this for months but I'll reiterate. I think the party establishment actually wants him in to avoid Bernie coming in 2nd place, and to have the battle be between to trusted establishment progressive Dems.

This will backfire in one of two ways. Either he gets in the race and doesn't do any actual campaigning, which isn't going to beat back Sanders and would only embarrass him, or he is going to have to go after Clinton, which will damage her. The media has held back on her because they don't want to damage the Democrat's chances in the general. If Biden gets in the race at this point in time, he's going to have to answer lots of questions about Clinton's SoS record, the email stuff, and why he thinks he would be a better president than she would. If he criticizes her then it will hurt her, and if he doesn't then his campaign would appear pointless. His criticism would give the media the free pass to go after her as well.

"The media has held back on her" I beg your pardon?

[useful idiot]

I've been saying this for months but I'll reiterate. I think the party establishment actually wants him in to avoid Bernie coming in 2nd place, and to have the battle be between to trusted establishment progressive Dems.

This will backfire in one of two ways. Either he gets in the race and doesn't do any actual campaigning, which isn't going to beat back Sanders and would only embarrass him, or he is going to have to go after Clinton, which will damage her. The media has held back on her because they don't want to damage the Democrat's chances in the general. If Biden gets in the race at this point in time, he's going to have to answer lots of questions about Clinton's SoS record, the email stuff, and why he thinks he would be a better president than she would. If he criticizes her then it will hurt her, and if he doesn't then his campaign would appear pointless. His criticism would give the media the free pass to go after her as well.

"The media has held back on her" I beg your pardon?

Fox News and talk radio aren't "the media." Don't be stupid. If this were any one else, sans Obama, she'd be getting thrashed. Instead CNN has wall-to-wall coverage of the Trump show and the networks only want to talk about Cecil the Lion. When it is covered it's framed as a partisan issue (Republicans think this is a big deal, Democrats don't). If Biden got in it would no longer be a partisan issue and the media would have to readjust how they cover it. The only liberal-leaning program that has legitimately criticized her is Morning Joe, and public-access knitting shows draw more viewers.

[The Other Castro]

He's actively considering it, which is a lot closer than I had previously thought he'd go, but I still don't think he'll ultimately take the plunge. This all seems very Romney-esque.

[Progressive]

I've been saying this for months but I'll reiterate. I think the party establishment actually wants him in to avoid Bernie coming in 2nd place, and to have the battle be between to trusted establishment progressive Dems.

This will backfire in one of two ways. Either he gets in the race and doesn't do any actual campaigning, which isn't going to beat back Sanders and would only embarrass him, or he is going to have to go after Clinton, which will damage her. The media has held back on her because they don't want to damage the Democrat's chances in the general. If Biden gets in the race at this point in time, he's going to have to answer lots of questions about Clinton's SoS record, the email stuff, and why he thinks he would be a better president than she would. If he criticizes her then it will hurt her, and if he doesn't then his campaign would appear pointless. His criticism would give the media the free pass to go after her as well.

"The media has held back on her" I beg your pardon?

Fox News and talk radio aren't "the media." Don't be stupid. If this were any one else, sans Obama, she'd be getting thrashed. Instead CNN has wall-to-wall coverage of the Trump show and the networks only want to talk about Cecil the Lion. When it is covered it's framed as a partisan issue (Republicans think this is a big deal, Democrats don't). If Biden got in it would no longer be a partisan issue and the media would have to readjust how they cover it. The only liberal-leaning program that has legitimately criticized her is Morning Joe, and public-access knitting shows draw more viewers.

That's preposterous. The NYT and plenty of the liberal online news blogs have bashed her. She gets it on all ends.

[Simfan34]

If he runs, Biden's campaign will be short and ugly.

[Simfan34]

If he runs, Biden's campaign will be short and ugly.

Nah.

Yes. He'll struggle with working class whites and blacks. The potential base is just not there.

We seem to have forgotten that the man is a walking gaffe machine who couldn't even poll 2% in 2008-- for a reason. Onion Biden wasn't just invented out of thin air.

He'll lay his hands on the wrong woman and it'll all quickly come crashing down for him. Violating consent and sexual assault (even if stretching the definition of such) are potent charges, especially on the left. It seems cute and funny when he's powerless but it'll be conduct unbecoming of the potential  leader of the free world if he runs. As I said, it'll be ugly.

[useful idiot]

I've been saying this for months but I'll reiterate. I think the party establishment actually wants him in to avoid Bernie coming in 2nd place, and to have the battle be between to trusted establishment progressive Dems.

This will backfire in one of two ways. Either he gets in the race and doesn't do any actual campaigning, which isn't going to beat back Sanders and would only embarrass him, or he is going to have to go after Clinton, which will damage her. The media has held back on her because they don't want to damage the Democrat's chances in the general. If Biden gets in the race at this point in time, he's going to have to answer lots of questions about Clinton's SoS record, the email stuff, and why he thinks he would be a better president than she would. If he criticizes her then it will hurt her, and if he doesn't then his campaign would appear pointless. His criticism would give the media the free pass to go after her as well.

"The media has held back on her" I beg your pardon?

Fox News and talk radio aren't "the media." Don't be stupid. If this were any one else, sans Obama, she'd be getting thrashed. Instead CNN has wall-to-wall coverage of the Trump show and the networks only want to talk about Cecil the Lion. When it is covered it's framed as a partisan issue (Republicans think this is a big deal, Democrats don't). If Biden got in it would no longer be a partisan issue and the media would have to readjust how they cover it. The only liberal-leaning program that has legitimately criticized her is Morning Joe, and public-access knitting shows draw more viewers.

That's preposterous. The NYT and plenty of the liberal online news blogs have bashed her. She gets it on all ends.

The NYT has far more pro-Hillary pieces than the few negative they've published, and their readers understand that the criticism they publish is within a context: every op-ed writer at the paper, with the exception of Douthat (and probably including Dowd), and almost every journalist working there, will vote for her and support her if she is the nominee. Blogs, with the possible exception of HuffPo because traditional media will cite it, don't mean jack squat. TV is what counts for swing voters.

Again, the coverage, when it is there, is almost always about the controversy surrounding the issue, not the issue itself. Cable and network news will have a Republican on to criticize her and a Dem to defend her. If Biden runs, you gain a whole new dimension to the story, should he decide to go after her. Notice I didn't say it isn't being talked about, simply that the media have held back, which they certainly have.

What's preposterous is to say that Democrats, or liberals in the mainstream media, are going after her as hard as they would if there was another viable Democratic candidate in the race. This defies common sense.

[DavidB.]

He better. It will be hilarious.

[CatoMinor]

If he can tear into the minority vote from Clinton, even slightly, and Sanders maintains where he is at then the Dem primaries might just be entertaining after all.

[Indy Texas 🇺🇦🇵🇸]

I hope he runs.

I can't vote for Hillary and I won't vote for Bernie. Neither will a lot of other Americans.

[Simfan34]

If he runs, Biden's campaign will be short and ugly.

Nah.

Yes. He'll struggle with working class whites and blacks. The potential base is just not there.

We seem to have forgotten that the man is a walking gaffe machine who couldn't even poll 2% in 2008-- for a reason. Onion Biden wasn't just invented out of thin air.

He'll lay his hands on the wrong woman and it'll all quickly come crashing down for him. Violating consent and sexual assault (even if stretching the definition of such) are potent charges, especially on the left. It seems cute and funny when he's powerless but it'll be conduct unbecoming of the potential  leader of the free world if he runs. As I said, it'll be ugly.

This is trolling and you know it.

Sexual harassment is not taken seriously?

[Simfan34]

If he runs, Biden's campaign will be short and ugly.

Nah.

Yes. He'll struggle with working class whites and blacks. The potential base is just not there.

We seem to have forgotten that the man is a walking gaffe machine who couldn't even poll 2% in 2008-- for a reason. Onion Biden wasn't just invented out of thin air.

He'll lay his hands on the wrong woman and it'll all quickly come crashing down for him. Violating consent and sexual assault (even if stretching the definition of such) are potent charges, especially on the left. It seems cute and funny when he's powerless but it'll be conduct unbecoming of the potential  leader of the free world if he runs. As I said, it'll be ugly.

This is trolling and you know it.

Sexual harassment is not taken seriously?

We both know that's not the part I'm talking about. You just insinuated Biden was going to sexual harass a women. I find that to be quite insulting to him, to be honest.

I was not suggesting that he'd do anything he hasn't done before. One person's affectionate backrub is another person's sexual harassment. Put the Biden we know out on the campaign trail and the potential for a problem is there.

[Simfan34]

What does that have to do with sexual harassment?

And you can't compare Joe Biden's potential base with black voters to that of Hillary and the "first black president". No contest.

[morgieb]

At this stage I actually think he will.

[badgate]

If he runs, Biden's campaign will be short and ugly.

Nah.

Yes. He'll struggle with working class whites and blacks. The potential base is just not there.

We seem to have forgotten that the man is a walking gaffe machine who couldn't even poll 2% in 2008-- for a reason. Onion Biden wasn't just invented out of thin air.

He'll lay his hands on the wrong woman and it'll all quickly come crashing down for him. Violating consent and sexual assault (even if stretching the definition of such) are potent charges, especially on the left. It seems cute and funny when he's powerless but it'll be conduct unbecoming of the potential  leader of the free world if he runs. As I said, it'll be ugly.

This is trolling and you know it.

Sexual harassment is not taken seriously?

moar troll

[Kingpoleon]

Biden would win South Carolina unconditionally.

[The Other Castro]

Biden would win South Carolina unconditionally.

Can you imagine the reaction to Sanders winning Iowa and New Hampshire, and Biden winning South Carolina and Nevada? Clinton would be going into Super Tuesday with no wins.