The Joe Biden Run for the Presidency

There's already a thread for The Trump Presidency, and it can include discussion of Trump's campaign for reelection. This thread is for discussion of the Joe Biden election campaign.We already know we're going to get gaffes from Joe Biden. I will take gaffes over venality, malevolence and autocracy any day. The good intentions of Ford are why his gaffes ("Poland is not dominated by the Soviet Union") and bumbles (headline: "President takes fall off floor mat") were preferable to the malignancies of Nixon and the ineffectiveness of Carter. In the 2020 election we face a choice between a flawed goodness and a perfect evil. The choice is simple.In this first post kicking off this thread I offer Joe Biden denounces Trump’s actions and vows to heal racial wounds. Some excerpts:

quote:

---

When peaceful protesters dispersed in order for a president a president from the doorstep of the people’s house, the White House, using tear gas and flash grenades, in order to stage a photo op a photo op at one of the most historic churches in the country, or at least Washington, D.C., we can be forgiven for believing that the president is more interested in power than in principle, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said.

​

Biden added that Trump appears more interested in serving the passions of his base than the needs of the people in his care.

​

For that’s what the presidency is: a duty of care to all of us, not just those who vote for us, but all of us. Not just our donors, but all of us.
...
Look, I look at the presidency as a very big job. And nobody will get it right every time. And I won’t either, he said. But I promise you this. I won’t traffic in fear and division. I won’t fan the flames of hate. I’ll seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country not use them for political gain.

---

I wish he were younger. I wish he didn't misspeak so frequently. I wish he had the gift of oratory. I wish he could think faster on his feet. I wish he weren't going to be turned to mincemeat on the debate stage with Trump. But this year he is by far the best man for the presidency. It isn't even close.--Percy

Big difference. Joe makes gaffes but then says "Yup, that was a dumb thing for me to say. Mea Culpa"The Orange Menace says "That's not what I said."

Joe has always had foot in mouth disease, but he tries to be good natured about it.

I think Joe's age will be the biggest negative in the eyes of the voters. As much as I am a fan; I've always liked Joe Biden. He is definitely showing his age. The gaffes are an issue. But its not new; he has been prone to gaffes over his tenure in the Senate. And its not like Trump doesn't stay stupid shit all the time anyway.From my perspective, I can't think of any other election where the VP pick is so crucial. More often than not, the VP is just the running mate. But in this situation, it is probably the most critical component of Biden's election campaign. So I hope he chooses wisely.

Stacey Abrams.I can see her smiling at Pence and looking him in the eye while quietly saying "If you don't wise up and skedaddle I will walk over there and grab you by the balls and jerk so hard your tongue waggles! And you can tell your slimy little boss that he will be next."Edited by jar, : fix sub-title

The basic formula should work. Joe needs to figure out what his vulnerabilities are and find a running mate that fills those gaps. Trump was vulnerable within the evangelical crowd so he chose Pence. Some may disagree, but I think McCain's choice of running mate was absolutely brilliant. Palin was everything that McCain was not, and it fired up the base.Joe's running mate has to be someone that will excite younger progressives. We could play indentity politics with it, but the absolute one thing his VP choice should have is youth.

Oh I don't know about that. Since my first choice for top billing was Pocahontas I think tapping her for VP would be wonderful. I don't see anyone else on the landscape with the depth of domestic and international experience along with the political chops Liz would bring to the presidency. And if she moves as I expect in her first term then the progressive youth will flock to her and can start to run the departments, run this country and change this country. One can dream.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

Liz would make a great Secretary of State or other top cabinet pick. In fact, she would probably be more effective in those roles than as a VP. We could say that this role would groom her for the next Dem nomination in 8 years (hopefully), but she will be 79 at that point. Too old? I don't know. Depends on the public's mood in 8 years.

She would make an even better Senate Majority Leader.

No, I would want Liz as VP. I think her first term as president would start considerably less than 4 years from now.