Former Vice President Joe Biden hasn’t said much recently about the possibility of running for president in 2020; however, those who are familiar with his plans are certain that he intends to announce his candidacy in the next few days.
Should he do so, it would completely change the playing field as he would not only be one of the few centrist Democrat candidates, but also the best-known by far. In fact, his name recognition has already made him the leading candidate. A recent poll noted that he had the support of nearly one-third of all Democrat voters, a sizeable share compared to the paltry support that left-leaning candidates such as Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have been able to garner thus far.
At the same time, a Joe Biden run would not be without serious challenges. The fact is that the Democratic Party is steadily moving to the far-left, and radical proposals such as the Green New Deal, a Federal Jobs Guarantee for all American workers, Medicare for All, free public college, massive tax hikes on the rich and abolishing ICE are becoming popular among most Democratic presidential candidates — as well as the base.
Many progressive voters would view the former Vice-President as being too centrist for their liking. Furthermore, identity politics is also beginning to play a major role in the party, and many Democrats want a woman or a member of an ethnic minority to represent them. Those who put a premium on gender and ethnicity rather than qualifications would naturally be distraught by the idea of having a white man take the reins of the party once.
In other words, the Democratic Party has drastically changed since the last time Biden held an elected office, and he hasn’t changed with it.
However, it seems that the former vice president’s decision to hold off on announcing a run for the presidency has nothing to do with the above-mentioned challenges. One factor that seems to be delaying his announcement is that he hasn’t fully finished planning his campaign.
At present, Biden is building support from activists and talking to potential donors. He may also be looking for the best time to announce his candidacy, as a couple of competitors have recently done. Kamala Harris, a mixed-race candidate, announced her bid for the presidency on MLK day in January while Cory Booker, who is African-American, announced his bid on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. Unlike the other candidates, Joe Biden doesn’t have to start campaigning right away, as his current favorable poll ratings coupled with the fact he is well-known in all 50 states ensures that he will stand out from the pack almost immediately.
At present, the DNC stars are left-leaning newbies who want to drastically change the way the United States operates. Joe Biden, on the other hand, is not only not a minority, but also carries the baggage of a career in politics. That’s just not cool with the progressive base right now, evidenced by their obsession with newbie Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
It remains to be seen if the Democratic Party, which readily embraced Joe when he was part of the Obama Administration, is ready to treat him as a respectable candidate — or as a relic of the pre-intersectional progressive past.
~ Liberty Planet
