This is the final straw. First, we had the refusal on the NY Times editors to openly apologize for the grossly inaccurate article about Mrs. Clinton's private email account. Now we have this Maureen Dowd hatchet job on Mrs. Clinton disguised as a pro-Biden article. I am truly disappointed. I will miss the honest, in-depth, accurate reporting that the NY Times once had, but I cannot support what the NY Times has become.
15
Maureen, I know you love to bash the Clintons with your signature humor (I was hoping you'd connect your brilliant travelogue excerpt about wearing a Burkini with the latest Gisele burqa scandal). However, I have to ask, after _The Atlantic_, a very reputable journal, has said NYT has been misstating facts and running false information about Ms. Clinton and her emails- aren't you a bit leery of running more accusations?
13
Run, Joe, run. Please.
43
Not mentioned here is another reason Hillary is diqualified-her Saudi connection between Bill's donors and Houma. Same for Jeb Bush. Obama recognizes Saudis are a terror and security risk and has tried to balance our ties in the Mideast accordingly.
Hilary or Jeb would follow their family ties to the
Saudis. Joe Biden has no such connections. Saudi infiltration of US mosques with radical anti Israel and US rhetoric has cost US lives and will continue to do so. Inhumane bombing and blockade by Saudis is killing thousands of civilians while they are allied with al Queda. Seriously doubt Hillary would stand up to them like Obama has. Obama and Biden realize Iranians need to be brought to the table to get anything constructive accomplished in mideast. Don't see Hillary playing as honest broker in that game.
Hilary or Jeb would follow their family ties to the
Saudis. Joe Biden has no such connections. Saudi infiltration of US mosques with radical anti Israel and US rhetoric has cost US lives and will continue to do so. Inhumane bombing and blockade by Saudis is killing thousands of civilians while they are allied with al Queda. Seriously doubt Hillary would stand up to them like Obama has. Obama and Biden realize Iranians need to be brought to the table to get anything constructive accomplished in mideast. Don't see Hillary playing as honest broker in that game.
25
Please Joe,save us from the Clintons! Hillary punched her dance card through her carpetbagging experience in the Senate. However, she has no major legislation to her credit. Then Hillary spent a term as Secretary of State where she traveled extensively as America's first "Welcome Wagon" meet and greet Secretary of Labor. Once again Hillary has no major foreign policy initiatives to her credit. If anything, she has a major cover-up to account for and seems to be postponing further testimony on Benghazi. Also, many of the major donors to the Clinton Foundation are also the kind of people that should never have any ties to the White House or US political system.
I would love to see the first woman President in my lifetime as much as anyone else. However, I also want that woman to be the best possible person who is highly experienced in both domestic and foreign policy, has an impeccable track record for leadership that is creative,courageous,yet simple and humble, that is, a servant-leader. Hillary is not that woman!
I would love to see the first woman President in my lifetime as much as anyone else. However, I also want that woman to be the best possible person who is highly experienced in both domestic and foreign policy, has an impeccable track record for leadership that is creative,courageous,yet simple and humble, that is, a servant-leader. Hillary is not that woman!
31
Dear Ms. Dowd: You appear to have bought into Mr. Goodell's "destroyed cell phone" diversion. Read the last few days of rebuttals and you will understand that Goodell is the one not telling the truth in the deflategate mess.
You also seem to not comprehend that come next winter Mrs. Clinton may not be taking the oath of office, but Mr. Brady most assuredly will be getting his fifth Super Bowl ring. We New Englanders are starting to feel a bit of sympathy for the rest of the NFL teams. The NFL has inexplicably tried to tarnish its best player and Tom Terrific is going to make them pay.
You also seem to not comprehend that come next winter Mrs. Clinton may not be taking the oath of office, but Mr. Brady most assuredly will be getting his fifth Super Bowl ring. We New Englanders are starting to feel a bit of sympathy for the rest of the NFL teams. The NFL has inexplicably tried to tarnish its best player and Tom Terrific is going to make them pay.
9
Go Mr.Biden for a run to WH,you would make it & can assure you right now 100%.
14
Oh the hypocrisy of Ms. Dowd. It was she who blasted Clinton for even mentioning her dead mother while defending her right to keep private her personal emails. But now Dowd thinks that Biden should run for president exploiting his dead son to garner sympathy and votes. Joe would have a difficult time should he run. He is for TPP and not considered a progressive. So he wouldn't get the vocal progressive vote. HRC polls extremely well with all democrats and in fact Biden only gets about 8% when matched against her and the rest of the field. Biden also has a lot of baggage that will be dredged up such as his habit of plagiarizing. The Democratic Party would be wise to get behind Clinton and show support and unity against the barrage of attacks instead of caving to all of the media propaganda trying to force Clinton out of the race.
36
Maudlin, mawkish and I do believe Joe, himself, would not like this column.
"He gets along with Hillary and has always been respectful of the Democratic Party’s desire to make more history by putting the first woman in the Oval Office."
"He gets along with Hillary and has always been respectful of the Democratic Party’s desire to make more history by putting the first woman in the Oval Office."
13
Well done Maureen.
17
I could campaign for Joe. As for Hillary, everything she's done in the past year reinforces my negative opinion of her. Yea, Joe would be a good choice, if he'll join the fight.
17
As salivating as a Biden run would be for Dowd and the rest of the media world, he does't have a chance at winning the primary or the general election.
8
That's the ticket: the answer to the Democratic party's presidential deep hole is an advocate of the ten-dollar cup of coffee. That will go over great with the farmers and pipe-fitters!
4
Joe is a decent person. Unfortunately, there is no place for a decent person as President of the United States.
7
Sometimes the price of achieving a goal is too high. It the goal of having a woman in the White House worth the hubris, slime and sleaze that a Clinton Presidency would entail? That does not even count what kind of mess Billy would generate when he is turned loose.
Depending on who the Republicans nominate, I may have to sit this one out.
Depending on who the Republicans nominate, I may have to sit this one out.
15
I don't think Biden will run, but if Dems are worried that Hillary won't stay the course, they should look to Bernie Sanders, instead of letting Hillary supporters destroy him with false information. Just now on Meet the Press, Chris Matthews did it again, distorting Bernie's record. Bernie has said repeatedly he is a Democratic Socialist not a Socialist. But there was Matthews fusing Bernie with pure socialism when as he went about defining the term (when Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who on Matthews' show last week said she wouldn't let Bernie give a prime time speech at the convention, ducked even discussing the term). Bernie wants Medicare for everyone, and we have Medicare now. If Medicare is pure socialism (as Matthews is painting Bernie with his broad brush), then we already have socialism and everyone here is apparently content with it. People need to stop distorting what Bernie represents; otherwise the Dems, if they do go down with Hillary, will have brought it on themselves, discarding Bernie (who Matthews last week said he just couldn't see in the White House) when they should be considering Bernie Sanders as a very good candidate and just maybe a much safer bet than Hillary.
43
Joe Biden has the experience, the intellect, and most importantly, the integrity to be our next President.
40
At some point the high wire act becomes stale and the audience hopes it comes crashing down.
3
Joe Biden is much more naturally normally humble empathetic human than most politicians. Neither money nor power nor fame seem to motivate him. Life has taught him many lessons. That may be his primary political problem. Too little wrestler, magician and ring master.
12
I could never vote GOP, however I really do not want Clinton. Another choice who could win would be great
26
Politics is and will always be a circus. It's too bad that it gets us into such serious trouble.
4
When Joe steps into the race, there will be a big sigh of relief from both Democrats and Republicans. He's the midpoint between Trump and Sanders with neither the baggage nor the source of contentiousness of HRC.
If Joe runs, voters on both sides will have the option of voting for someone who has both experience and like-ability. My bet is the Joe the Plumber would vote for Joe for Prez-ler.
If Joe runs, voters on both sides will have the option of voting for someone who has both experience and like-ability. My bet is the Joe the Plumber would vote for Joe for Prez-ler.
26
Somehow I'm dubious that what the country most needs to solve its political and cultural gridlock is a lifelong Washington insider like Joe Biden. People who believe this seem to be the same ones who believe Obama's major problem is that he doesn't socialize enough with Republicans or that the difficulty with Obama/Clinton is that they're not centrist enough.
20
Maureen:
Let me see if I can fathom how the topics of under-inflated footballs and deleted government business emails can be coherently conflated in the same writing.
Nope, can't do it. Just a bit of a stretch this morning, Mo.
I like Hilary Clinton, but she is full of it when she conflates private email accounts with the ease of managing the technology to function as SOS. Anyone with half a brain and a cellphone knows that one can manage any number of email accounts on the device and can view the accounts separately, or not, with incredible ease. So why would she consciously defy the obligation to confine government business to government servers? One can only speculate, but her decision to instruct subordinates and others to use her private account instead of her government email for government business is unconscionable, if not outright illegal.
I don't know. Do Hillary's actions constitute an illegality? Maybe. But deleted texts that may have implicated Tom Brady in deflate-gate? I don't think so.
Next topic, please.
Let me see if I can fathom how the topics of under-inflated footballs and deleted government business emails can be coherently conflated in the same writing.
Nope, can't do it. Just a bit of a stretch this morning, Mo.
I like Hilary Clinton, but she is full of it when she conflates private email accounts with the ease of managing the technology to function as SOS. Anyone with half a brain and a cellphone knows that one can manage any number of email accounts on the device and can view the accounts separately, or not, with incredible ease. So why would she consciously defy the obligation to confine government business to government servers? One can only speculate, but her decision to instruct subordinates and others to use her private account instead of her government email for government business is unconscionable, if not outright illegal.
I don't know. Do Hillary's actions constitute an illegality? Maybe. But deleted texts that may have implicated Tom Brady in deflate-gate? I don't think so.
Next topic, please.
7
Clever, mirroring Tom Brady and Hillary Clinton. I have to take exception to some of the wording (home-brew; melting) that imply a witch quality to Ms. Clinton. I don't know that we have similar terminology for, or see men in, that same light; and that it's an anonymous source snarking about the Clintons' alleged mal-feelings for the President only further minimizes an otherwise intelligent article, the gist of which is that VP Biden make a run for the presidency. Excellent idea, even if Ms. Clinton could have been perceived as always valuing transparency. An excellent idea with no need to resort to old-fashioned jibes that are pulled out solely to attack females. The only kind word noted about a female is that the first Mrs. Biden was beautiful. And that, too, is an old-fashioned valuing of women. I do hope Vice President Biden declares his candidacy. He seems intelligent and honest, and his resume sparkles with relevant experience.
18
With the Clintons, "it's always something" as Gilda Radner would say. Harkening back to their tumultuous eight years in the White House, it was one crisis after another and by the end, the whole country was exhausted from the constant tension and turmoil. Given the current dramas playing out about her emails (she deleted 30,000 of them -- really?), her $35 million speech making income, and murky corporate donations to the Clinton Foundation during her tenure as Secretary of State, I bet we are in for another crisis-driven campaign and even more turmoil, if she wins. It's just who they are...
But things are starting to resemble 2008, with her stilted, entitled and uninspiring campaign loosing momentum, chronic staff in-fighting, and her supporters becoming disillusioned and looking for an alternative. I would take JoeB in a heartbeat!
But things are starting to resemble 2008, with her stilted, entitled and uninspiring campaign loosing momentum, chronic staff in-fighting, and her supporters becoming disillusioned and looking for an alternative. I would take JoeB in a heartbeat!
32
Oh please, Ms. Dowd.
The analogy of an NFL quarterback tossing a ball on a gridiron, as being in the same league with Secretary Clinton is absurd.
He doesn't, to use another sports metaphor, bat in her league. He's bush league. She's in the majors.
But anything to diminish and defame Hillary Clinton, right?
Many of us are extremely tired of Hillary bashing, but this stretch really is a Hail Mary pass.
Rewrite it when Brady is responsible for making laws, or levying taxes, or conducting foreign policy.
The NFL is violent entertainment.
Who occupies the White House in 2017 could mean life or death, not a dumb Super Bowl trophy.
I'll take Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat, over the GOP Buffoon Bus.
You should, too.
The analogy of an NFL quarterback tossing a ball on a gridiron, as being in the same league with Secretary Clinton is absurd.
He doesn't, to use another sports metaphor, bat in her league. He's bush league. She's in the majors.
But anything to diminish and defame Hillary Clinton, right?
Many of us are extremely tired of Hillary bashing, but this stretch really is a Hail Mary pass.
Rewrite it when Brady is responsible for making laws, or levying taxes, or conducting foreign policy.
The NFL is violent entertainment.
Who occupies the White House in 2017 could mean life or death, not a dumb Super Bowl trophy.
I'll take Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat, over the GOP Buffoon Bus.
You should, too.
59
Great column. As much as I would like to see a women in the White House, a President Biden with Sanders as VP and Schultz as an empowered Secretary of Labor and hit the reset button. Biden does not play dirty so perhaps he is overlooked or underappreciated, but a true statesman for the people.
20
Accurate and astute comparison, MD. You're right on when it comes to the Clintons' calculation that the equivalent of that infamous "blue dress" will not show up to end Hillary's run for the the White House. Unfortunately for those of us who share her values we seem stuck with the detritus of her congenital lying, in the words of your former colleague William Safire.
8
As soon as Obama chose Biden as his VP I knew that all that hope and change nonsense was out the window. Has there ever been a more status quo political hack then Joe Biden? There are reasons that most of the major credit cards are domiciled in Delaware JB is one of the big ones.
13
I remember the left/liberal outrage over Reagan's speeches in Japan. They've been strangely silent as Bill and Hill racked enough of the big bucks to make Reagan's take appear paltry.
And Reagan didn't have a shady, political action/campaign funding/aide-operative employment agency/charity machine in the background.
And Reagan didn't have a shady, political action/campaign funding/aide-operative employment agency/charity machine in the background.
8
Biden might not care about money but he didn't have any compunction about taking a sweetheart loan unavailable to the average person to purchase a large home in Delaware when he was a senator. He's too smart to think he received it just because they lender liked him.
As to Hillary, as she doesn't wish to tell us how she would decide on the Keystone pipeline till after she is elected, I guess we should follow her lead and wait to decide whether to vote for her till after the election, too.
As to Hillary, as she doesn't wish to tell us how she would decide on the Keystone pipeline till after she is elected, I guess we should follow her lead and wait to decide whether to vote for her till after the election, too.
12
Says Hillary....prove it!
2
Such a tease, this was, for those of us who are craving reasonable alternatives to the current menu of candidates.
6
I know enough Democrats, former Democrat/non-Republicans, and independents in Virginia who simply will not for for Hillary Clinton (for the obvious reasons set out here and elsewhere) that I seriously question whether she can win Virginia.
If she can't win Virginia, she can't win.
I won't vote for any Republican at this point but I will not vote for her either. That is a problem for her & the Democrats.
Biden is a much better choice.
If she can't win Virginia, she can't win.
I won't vote for any Republican at this point but I will not vote for her either. That is a problem for her & the Democrats.
Biden is a much better choice.
23
Biden is the last politician who is a people person, what a life and career he has had. If the Vice President wants to run to be the President he will be make a great President.
18
Having preferred Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008, I would as well prefer Biden over her.
Yet, once more in her pro-Biden column Ms. Dowd can't help herself from taking a swipe at Obama.
How on earth did President Obama detour from the usual route of supporting his vice president, and basically passing the torch to Hillary, at a time when Biden had not even once declared that he might be running in 2016?
Once Joe Biden announces his candidacy, I am quite sure that Obama will take the 'usual route' of supporting his VP, a man he not only highly respects but is also very close to.
Yet, once more in her pro-Biden column Ms. Dowd can't help herself from taking a swipe at Obama.
How on earth did President Obama detour from the usual route of supporting his vice president, and basically passing the torch to Hillary, at a time when Biden had not even once declared that he might be running in 2016?
Once Joe Biden announces his candidacy, I am quite sure that Obama will take the 'usual route' of supporting his VP, a man he not only highly respects but is also very close to.
13
This is why so many people fail in so many public efforts.
It's not about what Joe Biden wants.
It's not about what his dead son might have wanted.
It's not about you, Joe, or your son.
It's about us.
It's not about what Joe Biden wants.
It's not about what his dead son might have wanted.
It's not about you, Joe, or your son.
It's about us.
5
I still can't get past Hillary's vote to go to war in Iraq. She knew better. She must have known it was gonna be a mess, but she was afraid of looking weak in the 2008 race. I fear she'll send us to war, again, in order for her not to look weak.
21
I think, we had to remove Saddam because we couldn't afford his idea of oil prices, and his actions spoke of what he was willing to do to get the price.
Yes.... I love a man or woman of trust and values. I think Joe has em. :-)
9
The comparison of Hillary to Tom Brady is depressingly apt. If Hillary’s “penalty” were the political equivalent of a four-game suspension, the light at the end of the tunnel might dim, but it wouldn’t go out. My fear is that there be a more damning comparison: That of Hillary to Richard Nixon. Both Nixon and Clinton,, with more-than-almost paranoid reactions to the press and other “enemies,” used extra-legal means to protect themselves from scrutiny and hid behind a phalanx of image-scrubbers to protect them. The White House tapes were a symptom of the disease that derailed a president of considerable talents; Clinton’s email server can be seen as an analogous symptom of a similar disease with, at least so far, an uncertain prognosis.
The candidacy of Bernie Sanders and the potential candidacy of Joe Biden, whether ultimately successful or not, only serve to highlight Hillary’s cringe-worthy weaknesses.
Uh oh.
The candidacy of Bernie Sanders and the potential candidacy of Joe Biden, whether ultimately successful or not, only serve to highlight Hillary’s cringe-worthy weaknesses.
Uh oh.
7
Does anyone really beleive that Biden can trump Hillary?
Never seen so many comments from nyt readers. The press and the rest of the media will cash in on the election by bashing the candidates. Bring them onstage and smear them with whatever sells to whoever pays. It's certainly entertaining. Don't forget we elected George W. Bush twice.
Never seen so many comments from nyt readers. The press and the rest of the media will cash in on the election by bashing the candidates. Bring them onstage and smear them with whatever sells to whoever pays. It's certainly entertaining. Don't forget we elected George W. Bush twice.
5
This is the first Dowd column I didn't like it is just a little bit mean. Besides I am a Brady fan and guilty or not the rule he is accused of breaking is stupid. Stupid laws are broken all the time. Only anal types make and try to enforce these stupid laws and rules.
4
Biden and Schultz, two men of integrity, how's that for a ticket? Both would inspire confidence, and both have the ability to 'tell it like it is' --only with class.
2
Is Tom Brady running for president too? What was the core issue in this piece? The headline said one thing, the piece went somewhere else, then back to the headline. Life is too short to wade through the willy-nilly.
10
Comparing Tom Brady to Hillary is ridiculous. What everyone is missing is that Brady told the NFL from the beginning they could not have access to his phone. He did provide a list of football related phone numbers they could call. The NFL chose not to call them because there were "too many". The number was 28. The NFL has acted egregiously in this whole matter, starting with the first leak that 11 of the 12 balls were under inflated. That turned out to be not true.
8
The misuse of Biden's deceased son's supposed urging of his father to run for POTUS is a disgrace beyond fathoming.
25
These excuciatingly boring and endless presidential campaigns have been reduced to reality show "programming" for the media. It's all a sideshow.
Just as we know how a movie is going to end, we all know how this is going to end: Bush v Clinton. Everything prior is just polit-tainment. Thankfully, football season will soon begin and we'll have something for more entertaining to amuse us.
Just as we know how a movie is going to end, we all know how this is going to end: Bush v Clinton. Everything prior is just polit-tainment. Thankfully, football season will soon begin and we'll have something for more entertaining to amuse us.
4
The Clintons have no honor, and the Bushes by cozying up to Bill and the phony Foundation are no better. Biden and Sanders look better every day. So too does O'Malley, Kasich, and Jerry Brown.
8
Biden is not running. AS VP he makes Dan Quayle look like a MENSA member.
He's a horrible debater (Sarah Palin even beat him in their debate) and his so called "folksy" charm is just an attempt by the media to cover his numerous gaffes the same way that parents try excuse the inappropriate actions of their children by calling them "cute".
But if he does run -then what a gift the Dems will be giving the GOP. A "foot in the mouth" candidate who will make Trump seem immediately Presidential.
He's a horrible debater (Sarah Palin even beat him in their debate) and his so called "folksy" charm is just an attempt by the media to cover his numerous gaffes the same way that parents try excuse the inappropriate actions of their children by calling them "cute".
But if he does run -then what a gift the Dems will be giving the GOP. A "foot in the mouth" candidate who will make Trump seem immediately Presidential.
11
But does Joe lie every time he opens his mouth?
3
Singularly wrong. He's gaffe-prone, but at least he doesn't say things like "Belgium endive."
1
The insult to Brady is eqregious.
Does anyone seriously believe that Brady was the only big name quarterback customizing his footballs? That the NFL is not to blame for the whole ridiculous mess because it handed over control of game balls to each team?
As for Hillita, if only half of what is in the book "Clinton Cash" is true, she's toast. If she was a Republican with that kind of record, she would have been gone months ago.
Does anyone seriously believe that Brady was the only big name quarterback customizing his footballs? That the NFL is not to blame for the whole ridiculous mess because it handed over control of game balls to each team?
As for Hillita, if only half of what is in the book "Clinton Cash" is true, she's toast. If she was a Republican with that kind of record, she would have been gone months ago.
9
" otherwise we are looking at another lost decade."
How could it be put ant other way ? This country will be infinitely better off after this and (Possibly) the next election Cycle. Finally - the Bush / Clinton/ Etc Dynasties will be gone. We may finally get back to the possibility of someone We don't yet know. Some one who is not "Inevitable".
While I have liked Biden for many a year - as President? No Thank You.
How could it be put ant other way ? This country will be infinitely better off after this and (Possibly) the next election Cycle. Finally - the Bush / Clinton/ Etc Dynasties will be gone. We may finally get back to the possibility of someone We don't yet know. Some one who is not "Inevitable".
While I have liked Biden for many a year - as President? No Thank You.
5
I am sort of an Independent. I am socially liberal and financially conservative and have voted for president 1 Democrat, 1 Independent, and 2 Republicans. I supported Mrs. Clinton in 2008 because I thought Mr. Obama was ill qualified to be the chief executive of a company, let alone the U,S.A. I now am as unhappy with the current candidates and I was with the final 2 nominees in 2008.
Because the world today is in turmoil since we have no real leader of the free world, except perhaps Mrs.Merkel, who is more pro-German than pro-international , Joe Biden might be the answer. I shutter at the possibilities of a Clinton administration since I think Mrs.Clinton seems more entitled and insincere than I did in 2008. I think she would lose to Jeb Bush or Scott Walker and I am not pleased with them although I think they would be better than Mrs. Clinton. Joe Biden has the respect of the world, excluding the media of course. He has the experience, friends on both sides of the aisle and love of our country that may stop the disintegration of our politicians' handling of our democratic government.
Because the world today is in turmoil since we have no real leader of the free world, except perhaps Mrs.Merkel, who is more pro-German than pro-international , Joe Biden might be the answer. I shutter at the possibilities of a Clinton administration since I think Mrs.Clinton seems more entitled and insincere than I did in 2008. I think she would lose to Jeb Bush or Scott Walker and I am not pleased with them although I think they would be better than Mrs. Clinton. Joe Biden has the respect of the world, excluding the media of course. He has the experience, friends on both sides of the aisle and love of our country that may stop the disintegration of our politicians' handling of our democratic government.
4
You must not travel about much. Joe Biden is an international fool, going way back to the time he plagiarized the speeches of a Brit politician.................
Heck! Judging from the title of the article I assumed it was about Joe Biden and a potential Presidential run...I guess Maureen was concerned weary readers would forgo another one of her trite essay if aware that she were pedaling another schoolyard rant against her favorite target HRC...
6
This is no accident. That Dowd despises the Clintons we know. That she feels pretty much the same about the Bushes is likely but not so clear. That she comes from the same working class roots as Joe Biden we know.
That she has written this is a telegram from the Naval Observatory.
It says, Hilary failing...stop...We have to keep the White House...stop...Made up my mind...stop..Going to run.
That she has written this is a telegram from the Naval Observatory.
It says, Hilary failing...stop...We have to keep the White House...stop...Made up my mind...stop..Going to run.
4
Fantastic article- Never trusted Hilary from day one. The Daisy and L'il Abner routine is getting very old. Love Bill but his shady dealings just get more and more outrageous.
On the other hand Joed Biden is the real deal. Harry Truman incarnate. His comments on gay marriage and putting Blacks back in chains are the real Joe. A debate of Joe and Trump would be most entertaining and Maureen and SNL would have good copy for a year. He is the only candidate who is 100% qualified to be president. His knowledge of Congress, how government works, and foreign affairs is light years ahead of any other candidate.
He has rough edges that got him in trouble but they are more PR gaffes than character. Probably the best decision Obama ever made was picking Joe. His wife is a model for what a politicians wife should be who continued to work as an educator while Joe was VP.
Do it for Beau , Joe.
On the other hand Joed Biden is the real deal. Harry Truman incarnate. His comments on gay marriage and putting Blacks back in chains are the real Joe. A debate of Joe and Trump would be most entertaining and Maureen and SNL would have good copy for a year. He is the only candidate who is 100% qualified to be president. His knowledge of Congress, how government works, and foreign affairs is light years ahead of any other candidate.
He has rough edges that got him in trouble but they are more PR gaffes than character. Probably the best decision Obama ever made was picking Joe. His wife is a model for what a politicians wife should be who continued to work as an educator while Joe was VP.
Do it for Beau , Joe.
9
Inevitable? If Democrats so badly want Hillary Clinton to be president, why didn't they elect her so in 2008? Why skip over her to pick a neophyte Senator with no experience instead?
Why not Hillary (a national shoo-in in 2008 against McCain/Palin) first while she was in her prime and then Obama second (a shoo-in in 2016) when he had by then a decade of Washington experience? That would have been a near foolproof plan for a solid 16 years of Progressive "wish list" achievements by two very experienced Democrat Presidents in their respective primes.
Instead, Democrats picked the young Senator with no experience, and have relatively little to show for the eight years, and put Hillary out to pasture, and now are dusting her off for a run when she should be headed into the post-Presidential twilight of her years while leaving behind a red carpet for a 55-year old Senator/Vice President Barack Obama from Illinois to take the reins.
By going back and dragging out your Hillary as the "inevitable" one now, should she win the 2016 Democratic primary, it can only be one of two possible explanations, either the Democratic party is completely feckless, or their true motivations for electing Barrack Obama president in 2008 are highly suspect.
Why not Hillary (a national shoo-in in 2008 against McCain/Palin) first while she was in her prime and then Obama second (a shoo-in in 2016) when he had by then a decade of Washington experience? That would have been a near foolproof plan for a solid 16 years of Progressive "wish list" achievements by two very experienced Democrat Presidents in their respective primes.
Instead, Democrats picked the young Senator with no experience, and have relatively little to show for the eight years, and put Hillary out to pasture, and now are dusting her off for a run when she should be headed into the post-Presidential twilight of her years while leaving behind a red carpet for a 55-year old Senator/Vice President Barack Obama from Illinois to take the reins.
By going back and dragging out your Hillary as the "inevitable" one now, should she win the 2016 Democratic primary, it can only be one of two possible explanations, either the Democratic party is completely feckless, or their true motivations for electing Barrack Obama president in 2008 are highly suspect.
4
Thanks Maureen! I had been completely disheartened by the candidates on both sides, but now I know who I want - Joe Biden!
Now I need to find his web page and donate.
Now I need to find his web page and donate.
6
Joe Biden is the only person among all of the candidates who has the capacity to work with both parties and get congress back to work. Iraq, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China are all his. He has offered the best solutions and would be respected around the world. He has been ahead of the curve on immigration, healthcare, women's rights, minority relations, LGBT rights, minimum wages and taxes. Many of us have been waiting for Joe to run. Please run Joe, do it for Beau and for America.
8
During the 2012 campaign, Nasty Joe Biden showed who he really is: Nasty, political, thoughtless, devious, dishonest and incompetent. There is no way he could win in 2016.
4
Brady and Clinton, one throws bullets, the other dodges them.
6
We need another CEO-type running for President, like we need to waste a potential presidential term if he won. Publicity from having campaigned might involve some pay-off, that mostly massages a huge ego. For some that is already enough.
We need Biden to run. One, despite roughness and other flaws, he is no phony.
Two, enough people in government like him to matter. Three, he has real experience, not resume-padding. Four, when he focusses he cuts to the heart of the matter. Five, voters can trust him.
We need Biden to run. One, despite roughness and other flaws, he is no phony.
Two, enough people in government like him to matter. Three, he has real experience, not resume-padding. Four, when he focusses he cuts to the heart of the matter. Five, voters can trust him.
9
One of the great achievements of Obama was to get Biden out of the Senate and send him to the little room vice presidents go to. We haven't had to listen to his latest self aggrandizing statement from committee meetings or floor speeches. Some of his statements are on the level of Virginia's famous senator, William L. Scott. It is frightening to think of him leading our country. If he did become the candidate, We could only hope Christie is the Republican nominee. Then the debate would truely be something to watch
4
Say it is so, Joe.
6
I'm writing in Harry Truman.
3
I would support a Biden run wholeheartedly. He speaks from the heart, he is well versed on the inside workings of the Senate, he understands the art of compromise, he is long on foreign policy experience with personal global relationships and finally, he would appoint a trusted jurist to the Supreme Court.
He understands the middle class. I remember well when he was a Freshman Senator when his office was located in the Russell Senate office building. He was well respected by his staff.
Run Joe Run!
He understands the middle class. I remember well when he was a Freshman Senator when his office was located in the Russell Senate office building. He was well respected by his staff.
Run Joe Run!
10
In order to uplift America we got to Change , time and new ideas of Young Americs dosnt permit us to keep running Dynesty of same people over and over , We are not a Kingdom its Democracy , Minor parties need to be given more advantages than the centuries old republican and democratic parties since they have not had the time or money to establish themselves. If we keep watering and nourishing the old parties and their old ways, there will be no room left for our nation to advance with the times. Minor, new parties bring newer ideologies that fall in line with the changing ways of society.
2
Since this year has become the Year of the Buffoon, why not Biden, the Democrat's plagiarizing court jester of idiocy?
6
Biden would be a great President because he does not have a "sketchy value system". Remember when he was Judiciary Committee chair how he schmoozed the CSPAN folk? That suggested he was a great extemporaneous speaker, but, for some reason, he must have prepared remarks. Bernie Sanders has a moral compass too. And there is the essence of the Clintons, it is that they are cut from that Cole Porter (also a Yalie) song "Anything Goes". The mantra Hillary is riding is that a woman would make a great President; but Elizabeth Warren has the music and the words to that tune, while Hillary has been so stoic. If she becomes more extemporaneous, will that appeal to her voters? By the way, if the gladitorial nature of professional football is a metaphor for the Clintons, what sports metaphors apply to the other candidates? One more thing, regarding those deflated balls, it has always been a no-flier because, at the end of the day, the other team (s) had access to the same equipment.
1
Mr. Biden, please run. We need you.
7
Why bring out the name of the Starbucks owner, Howard Schultz?
This country will not elect a Jewish president, particualry now.
But Biden could win. And it is beginning to look as though Hillary
will be a real question in another 15 months. And who thinks
she could govern with the constant attacks and investigations that
would greet her candidacy? The country would be riven with even
more anger than us safe and workable now.
Not to mention the fact that Biden is a decent and honorable
man and one with great experience. And doesn't carry a big
burden of hate that so paralyzes so much of the electorate now.
This country will not elect a Jewish president, particualry now.
But Biden could win. And it is beginning to look as though Hillary
will be a real question in another 15 months. And who thinks
she could govern with the constant attacks and investigations that
would greet her candidacy? The country would be riven with even
more anger than us safe and workable now.
Not to mention the fact that Biden is a decent and honorable
man and one with great experience. And doesn't carry a big
burden of hate that so paralyzes so much of the electorate now.
6
Schultz? The $10 coffee guy who cheats his workers? Biden may talk the talk of moderation but his record is extremely left wing. Talk is cheap and if politicians or wannabes are talking usually not true. So for The Record: Schultz is a union busting autocratic boss who uses very abusive labor practices and Biden has been voting with the far left of the Democrat Party for decades.
2
Joe Biden brings a calmness to the craziness of the political theater in D.C. In a few months, I suspect many of us will be tired of Hillary and hopeful of Bernie. As for the Republicans? Do we really want another term of Bush? Trump...really?
In just my lifetime we have gone from a democracy to an oligarchy and a quasi corporate police state, thanks to the work of Reagan, Dick Cheney and the last Bush. It would be nice to have a period of tranquillity while the American people decide what they really want for a government ...a corporate congress and president, or a democratic voice "of the people, for the people" without an electoral college. Joe Biden may be our best bet for a bridge to a positive future for America.
I had to quote David Michael here from his comment.
From democracy to oligarchy to corporate police state in my lifetime.
Well put. I weep.
In just my lifetime we have gone from a democracy to an oligarchy and a quasi corporate police state, thanks to the work of Reagan, Dick Cheney and the last Bush. It would be nice to have a period of tranquillity while the American people decide what they really want for a government ...a corporate congress and president, or a democratic voice "of the people, for the people" without an electoral college. Joe Biden may be our best bet for a bridge to a positive future for America.
I had to quote David Michael here from his comment.
From democracy to oligarchy to corporate police state in my lifetime.
Well put. I weep.
8
Your best ever!! You had me on a rollercoaster of emotions, smirking, laughing, tensing, crying, smiling, hopeful. Your lead in making the connection between Brady and Clinton is brilliant, no pair better personifying the despair of a valueless, entitled country. I've met Vice President Biden and will never forget the impression of a warm, caring and passionate man. He gave me a real, genuine hug. He spoke out for gay marriage and incurred President Obama's wrath, but it was the right thing to do; he proposed separate republics for Iraq before the chaos of ISIS and the exposure of Bagdad's corrupt ineptitude; he is honestly for the little guy. May God give him the courage to run. May the media spare him their cruelties of belittlement.
10
"Biden for President,"............please Maureen, stop, belly roll laughter..........my side is splitting, please stop!
4
Think the Brady comparison is a bit stretched.
A common sense, plain spoken,Harry Trumanish candidate
would be refreshing and would probably win .
He has the hearts of the people of this country.
A common sense, plain spoken,Harry Trumanish candidate
would be refreshing and would probably win .
He has the hearts of the people of this country.
4
I have been stunned, as I suspect most Democrats have been, by the Clinton's mystifying stupidity, hubris, whatever one wants to call it, in not only choosing that private server but then locating it in their home and erasing 30,000 messages. I had had enough of Nixon by the time I was eight years old--well before Watergate--and I see another potential president sidling up to the job with an equal total lack of respect for anything but her own ambition. I would love to see us elect a woman president. I am a woman, but electing a real person with tested and proven values would give me so much more pleasure and pride. Go for it, Joe.
16
This is so disingenuous coming from Dowd. She has disdain for the Obama administration. If Biden were to throw his hat in the ring, she would be the first to trash him!
8
The veep is an advisor at most. He almost doesn't count.
Not unsurprisingly, Maureen Dowd uses this column purportedly about Joe Biden to unleash year another barrage of snide negativity towards Hillary Clinton.
36
Please allow a dissent from your Biden LoveFest.
Is not the New York Times, in news and columns, throwing Joe Biden's hat in the ring today?
Bernie Sanders has shown Hillary's vulnerability -- that she is not liked or trusted -- so now Biden is our champion?
Just like the way Eugene McCarthy put Lyndon Johnson out of the race, so suddenly Robert Kennedy was the guy.
Bernie taking on the anointed Ms. Clinton and America's systemic problems proved his character.
Now please remind me of when Joe Biden has ever shown political courage, distinction or results?
You are presenting him as a Mighty Mouse ready to save the day on the basis of personal tragedies.
I am only proud of two politicians from my generation that were schooled by John F. Kennedy. Bill and W always gave me the creeps. But John Kerry had the courage to risk his life in Vietnam and then come home and tell the truth about it. Huge.
And Bernie Sanders has always been himself -- without dodging, weaving, smiling, glad-handing and hair plugs.
And reading his story in the Times, we discover that everyone has always respected him for being exactly who he is.
Which is why his appeal can spread with exposure -- like Mr. Smith's. And if he's up against a right wing R or another Shrub in the final, Sanders has a good chance to become an honest president.
Who better to face the hard truths on the Middle East, Sustainability, Climate Change and the Military Industrial Complex necessary for our survival?
Is not the New York Times, in news and columns, throwing Joe Biden's hat in the ring today?
Bernie Sanders has shown Hillary's vulnerability -- that she is not liked or trusted -- so now Biden is our champion?
Just like the way Eugene McCarthy put Lyndon Johnson out of the race, so suddenly Robert Kennedy was the guy.
Bernie taking on the anointed Ms. Clinton and America's systemic problems proved his character.
Now please remind me of when Joe Biden has ever shown political courage, distinction or results?
You are presenting him as a Mighty Mouse ready to save the day on the basis of personal tragedies.
I am only proud of two politicians from my generation that were schooled by John F. Kennedy. Bill and W always gave me the creeps. But John Kerry had the courage to risk his life in Vietnam and then come home and tell the truth about it. Huge.
And Bernie Sanders has always been himself -- without dodging, weaving, smiling, glad-handing and hair plugs.
And reading his story in the Times, we discover that everyone has always respected him for being exactly who he is.
Which is why his appeal can spread with exposure -- like Mr. Smith's. And if he's up against a right wing R or another Shrub in the final, Sanders has a good chance to become an honest president.
Who better to face the hard truths on the Middle East, Sustainability, Climate Change and the Military Industrial Complex necessary for our survival?
8
Wait, is this the same Maureen Dowd that even recently called Conservatives sexist misogynists for saying that Hillary was "cutting corners", walked around with a "patina of entitlement and inevitability", and "avoided reporters after ...claiming egregious transgressions are a private matter and faux controversy while sending out high-power lawyers and spin doctors to deflect"?
Welcome Maureen. Better late than never to the Hillary Revelations, I suppose. But sadly, like the typical progressive partisan you are, you'd still vote for her...
Welcome Maureen. Better late than never to the Hillary Revelations, I suppose. But sadly, like the typical progressive partisan you are, you'd still vote for her...
1
Or, put another way, with all due respect to Bill Clinton: Jill Biden for first lady!
6
I would vote for Joe Biden in a heartbeat.
8
What scares me, this idiot is a heartbeat away from the presidency.
1
Like it was yesterday, I remember that day in August, 2008, in Springfield, when Obama first introduced Biden in person as his running mate. Up onto the stage Biden bounds, no tie, shirts sleeves rolled up with a huge smile on his face, waving to the crowd.
Like it was yesterday I remember the sense of calm and relief I felt knowing that, no matter what might happen to the nation's first black president, and there were some ugly, vile predictions going around then, the nation would be in safe hands with Joe Biden as the back up.
The sixth youngest man elected to the Senate in history, telling the Senate leadership to go find another senator for Delaware because his injured boys only have one father, Biden family values takes a back seat to no one.
Just one problem.
He can't win. He's tried twice before.
He would make a great Secretary of State in a Hillary administration.
Now, does anyone know (editors?) if Dowd ever wrote column after column blasting the Bush administration for putting government emails on Republican National Committee servers?
Like it was yesterday I remember the sense of calm and relief I felt knowing that, no matter what might happen to the nation's first black president, and there were some ugly, vile predictions going around then, the nation would be in safe hands with Joe Biden as the back up.
The sixth youngest man elected to the Senate in history, telling the Senate leadership to go find another senator for Delaware because his injured boys only have one father, Biden family values takes a back seat to no one.
Just one problem.
He can't win. He's tried twice before.
He would make a great Secretary of State in a Hillary administration.
Now, does anyone know (editors?) if Dowd ever wrote column after column blasting the Bush administration for putting government emails on Republican National Committee servers?
6
I am as excited for Joe Biden to be considering a run for president as Leslie Knope would be! Go for it, Joe!
4
Everyone loves Joe Biden, but the simple fact is that he will lose to the Republican nominee in 2016. Average Joe will be crushed by a Citizens United-funneled Big Money presidential campaign that favors the GOP. That Vermont teddy bear, Bernie Sanders, will suffer a similar fate against the Republican fund-raising juggernaut! Only the Clinton Cash Machine can match the Koch brothers and other GOP Super PACs in raising the boatloads of money that is required to compete in a presidential election in the post-Citizens United era.
Ms. Dowd’s presidential candidacy musings aligning with the Clinton-hating WSJ editorial page could very well torpedo Hillary’s candidacy and put another Bush in the White House. It seems to me that most Times readers would much rather see another Clinton in the White House before they see another Bush in the White House. And, frankly, there are a great many of us who want a woman in the White House and Hillary Clinton is our best hope, otherwise we are looking at another lost decade.
It is way past time for the world’s oldest democracy to do what almost every other democracy in the world has already done – elect a woman as its commander-in-chief! And, we must do so, not because she happens to be a woman, but because she is eminently qualified to be the leader of the free world – Hillary Clinton, warts and all, more than meets the credentials to be one. So, Ms. Dowd, be careful what you wish for.
Ms. Dowd’s presidential candidacy musings aligning with the Clinton-hating WSJ editorial page could very well torpedo Hillary’s candidacy and put another Bush in the White House. It seems to me that most Times readers would much rather see another Clinton in the White House before they see another Bush in the White House. And, frankly, there are a great many of us who want a woman in the White House and Hillary Clinton is our best hope, otherwise we are looking at another lost decade.
It is way past time for the world’s oldest democracy to do what almost every other democracy in the world has already done – elect a woman as its commander-in-chief! And, we must do so, not because she happens to be a woman, but because she is eminently qualified to be the leader of the free world – Hillary Clinton, warts and all, more than meets the credentials to be one. So, Ms. Dowd, be careful what you wish for.
13
"It is way past time for the world’s oldest democracy to do what almost every other democracy in the world has already done – elect a woman as its commander-in-chief!"
Agreed. But it's actually insulting to women to act as if ANY woman will do. We've waited this long, how about we wait until a woman is actually running who might make a GOOD president?
Also, I would rather see a woman elected who rose on her own accomplishments. Hillary, for all her legitimate talents, got where she is because she's married to you-know-who, and we all know it, and because he treated her badly somehow we seem to feel she is OWED something. Well, we don't owe Hillary Clinton anything, she made her bed and has always been welcome to lie in it. We have seen over and over that she and Bill deserve each other - she is just as calculating and self-serving. She voted for the Iraq War - probably not because she thought it was a good idea, but because she does whatever she thinks will further her own interests in the moment.
We should wait to elect a woman who would make a good president. We aren't desperate; there are, or soon will be, plenty of them.
Agreed. But it's actually insulting to women to act as if ANY woman will do. We've waited this long, how about we wait until a woman is actually running who might make a GOOD president?
Also, I would rather see a woman elected who rose on her own accomplishments. Hillary, for all her legitimate talents, got where she is because she's married to you-know-who, and we all know it, and because he treated her badly somehow we seem to feel she is OWED something. Well, we don't owe Hillary Clinton anything, she made her bed and has always been welcome to lie in it. We have seen over and over that she and Bill deserve each other - she is just as calculating and self-serving. She voted for the Iraq War - probably not because she thought it was a good idea, but because she does whatever she thinks will further her own interests in the moment.
We should wait to elect a woman who would make a good president. We aren't desperate; there are, or soon will be, plenty of them.
2
I like him but... Anita Hill. If he apologized to her perhaps it could make a difference.
3
Joe Biden is a great man. Period. Would he make a great president? Possibly. But I'm voting for Hill'n Bill. Because the Republican Party has become a band of gangster-lunatics, holding the country hostage, I want the next Democratic president to be more like Machiavelli, than a favorite uncle. Hill'n Bill will give the Republican Party whiplash.
10
Maureen Dowd cannot abide successful women. "Brady and Hillary," that says it all.
17
Hillary vs Biden: a choice of which is worse in the long run -- chronic shadiness vs chronic foot in mouth.
1
I still support Hillary Clinton. She has a whole year to get her act together. She can do it. Biden should throw his support for Hillary, when the time is right.
United we stand. Divided we fall!
Democrats, get it together can work with Hillary.
Presidents are made, not born... Time will tell.
United we stand. Divided we fall!
Democrats, get it together can work with Hillary.
Presidents are made, not born... Time will tell.
12
If Joe Biden decides to run it will surely mean that he knows that there is news that will come out in a timely fashion that will sink Hillary Clinton. Hillary lies with astonishing ease. There is little difference between the lie she told about Bosnia from the one that Brian Williams told about Iraq with this difference. Brian Williams lie led to his public humiliation and cost him his career.
If the trust he destroyed was enough to disqualify him from being a news anchor, shouldn't it be orders of magnitude greater for a presidential candidate? And that was just one lie, good grief, she lied about her name. She is unfit for the office but for the media to do to her what it did to Williams it is going to take a knock out punch. If Joe Biden enters the race it will be because he knows that Hillary will be out of it.
If the trust he destroyed was enough to disqualify him from being a news anchor, shouldn't it be orders of magnitude greater for a presidential candidate? And that was just one lie, good grief, she lied about her name. She is unfit for the office but for the media to do to her what it did to Williams it is going to take a knock out punch. If Joe Biden enters the race it will be because he knows that Hillary will be out of it.
48
>>aside from the very liberal Bernie Sanders, who could be approaching his ceiling in the early states,>>
Based on what?
He continues to outperform all expectations in a campaign that constantly seems to surprise the pundits and the press. They certainly are not driving his success, but instead repeatedly surprised by it.
Based on what?
He continues to outperform all expectations in a campaign that constantly seems to surprise the pundits and the press. They certainly are not driving his success, but instead repeatedly surprised by it.
6
The parallels between the two couples don't quite work.
Tom, Giselle and Bill have had great success, reached the TOP. Hillary? Um, no.
Tom, Giselle and Bill have had great success, reached the TOP. Hillary? Um, no.
1
watching joe biden clean paul ryan's clock in debate was one of the joys of the 2012 election. i'd love to see more of the same in 2016.
8
There is one person who could scuttle Hillary Clinton’s chances for the 2016 Democratic nomination in two minutes simply by signing his name: President Obama, at the top of his game, could resign.
2
Joe is a good guy. And he would bring some sanity to Washington; a commodity that been all but absent.
4
I love Ms. Dowd's writing. Why is everyone so mad when she points out a few flaws that might characterize HC. Writing critically about a potential future president is wrong???
2
The Hillary haters do induce Biden thought.
And therefore as in any important venture, there has to be plan b.
I hereby confess that I peruse drudgereport.com, and seemingly the default GOP reasoning/strategy hasn't changed about the Clintons since the early 1990s.
Today's it's their usual groundhog day garbage threat.
Smear/ad hominem is reality.
They've underestimated the intelligence of Americans and justly reaped for themselves what they've engaged in themselves.
Nevertheless, I rationally fear for the nation.
Biden is slightly more elderly--me too.
Hillary is my wife's age--same birthday.
We've for HRC, though if it sticks ominously, then rational plan b.
POLITICS, as Aristotle probably doesn't indelicately describe, ..... (5 letter word vulgarity).
And therefore as in any important venture, there has to be plan b.
I hereby confess that I peruse drudgereport.com, and seemingly the default GOP reasoning/strategy hasn't changed about the Clintons since the early 1990s.
Today's it's their usual groundhog day garbage threat.
Smear/ad hominem is reality.
They've underestimated the intelligence of Americans and justly reaped for themselves what they've engaged in themselves.
Nevertheless, I rationally fear for the nation.
Biden is slightly more elderly--me too.
Hillary is my wife's age--same birthday.
We've for HRC, though if it sticks ominously, then rational plan b.
POLITICS, as Aristotle probably doesn't indelicately describe, ..... (5 letter word vulgarity).
3
I want a president who, as a man, can call his son, "Honey." Yes, I do.
Lovin' Bernie an awful lot, but Beau's Daddy, Joe, can make it happen. Go Joe!
Lovin' Bernie an awful lot, but Beau's Daddy, Joe, can make it happen. Go Joe!
7
Only Maureen Dowd could consider being compared to a four time Super Bowl champion and two time NFL MVP a slam. What Tom Brady is is a winner. America could use some more of that. Go Hillary!
9
Judging by all the reader comments, Ms. Dowd has made Joe Biden a natural candidate to oppose any one of those horribly flawed republicans who aspire to lead us.
We have been made aware of the gobs of cash the likes of the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson have already shelled out on negative campaign commercials they plan to unleash the moment Mrs. Clinton is nominated. If Biden gets the nod, think of all that money wasted as Joe is not nearly as juicy a target as Hillary. Crying shame, huh!
We have been made aware of the gobs of cash the likes of the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson have already shelled out on negative campaign commercials they plan to unleash the moment Mrs. Clinton is nominated. If Biden gets the nod, think of all that money wasted as Joe is not nearly as juicy a target as Hillary. Crying shame, huh!
5
For a long time I thought of Joe Biden as a good senator, an able Vice President, but never had I thought of him as the President, I am not sure why that was, or what i was missing, but with 2016 fast approaching I have had a major change of heart, I like Joe Biden, a lot, eight years as the veep, he knows his way around the executive branch, 36 years in the senate, he knows his way around the legislative branch. For me the change of heart came when I looked at Joe Biden the man, the man who had just lost his son, the man who had just gone thru for a second time what no person should ever have to go thru once, I saw a man who handled himself with much class and dignity, a man I admire, a man who has what it takes to lead this country, I don,t want the guy who ran the celebrity apprentice television show, and I do not want the Clinton's back in the White House, I have found my man.....run Joe run
4
I'm usually not like this but I don't believe for a minute that Beau asked his father to run. I liked and admired him, just don't think it happened.
7
Despite emptying her quiver at Hilary, I think Ms. Dowd has written a (partial) column that's causing me to re-think things. Joe Biden is a true liberal. If he decides to seek the nomination, I would give serious thought to voting for him.
3
Whatever Joe Biden decides to do, there's one thing I know he wouldn't approve of - someone describing what happened to his son's face and language ability as he was dying of brain cancer - in a column.
I'm not sure he would approve of using him and his son as a cover for yet another Hillary bashing - in this case at least half the column before the reader encountered even a word about Joe.
I'm not sure he would approve of using him and his son as a cover for yet another Hillary bashing - in this case at least half the column before the reader encountered even a word about Joe.
28
I believe that George Gipp told Knute Rockne to win just one for the Gipper, but I don't know if I believe Dowd about this. One thing I do know is that with the possible exception of Trump the election of any of the Republicans, indeed, any Repiblican, would be disastrous for our country.
4
Wasn't that Pat O'Brian to Ronald Reagen? See, it can happen!
1
I agree with Marc from Dallas. I don't trust the Clintons. I could vote for Biden in a New York Minute.
4
Did no one else watch Joe Biden chair the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings back in 1991? Anita herself blamed him (Huffington Post-2014)for doing a terrible job-never calling 3 other women with complaints, not calling experts, etc. From my point of view he could barely stop talking himself and bears huge responsibility for putting Clarence Thomas on the Court! He wasn't a kid at the time-when he gets center stage, which he has not had for the last 7 years, watch out! I hate to think what he could say or how he mess things up on a worldwide stage, nice man though he might be.
10
Bernie would never have hugged Obama for the Fast Track going through. I rest my case.
2
Twenty some years ago, the NYT columnist William Safire branded Hillary Clinton a "congenital liar". During the intervening years, she has continued to prove his assessment very accurate.
Have we become so cynical and polarized that we really want to elect her President of our country? If so, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are turning over in their graves.
Have we become so cynical and polarized that we really want to elect her President of our country? If so, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are turning over in their graves.
3
I'd be very happy with VP Biden as President Biden.
Then again, I'd be happy with just about anyone who's not a 21st century Republican...
Then again, I'd be happy with just about anyone who's not a 21st century Republican...
7
Run Joe Run. For God's sake; for your son's sake, for the sake of the Country.
5
Biden/Webb 2016 would suit me just fine.
3
Well now Joe has to run. Hillary will be cemented as the villain opposing Beau's dying wish.
4
In her writing in 2007 and 2008 Maureen Dowd often used these terms for Obama "school boy", "Chicago kid" and "wonder boy" to make the point that Obama is not expirienced and mature. Who care what she think about Clinton, Sanders and Biden
22
There's an air of mendacity about Hillary.
4
To find a new way to bash Hillary, Ms. Dowd is now comparing her to Tom Brady? Who's next, Washington baseball player Bryce Harper? I wouldn't be surprised, because Maureen think what happens inside the Beltway is what's happening in the nation.
Wrong! News flash: The hottest Democratic candidate is Bernie Sanders. That's right, the guy who couldn't care less about Beltway insiders and couldn't care more about the 99% is drawing huge crowds in Iowa, and his poll numbers are zooming.
I'm no fan of "The Donald", but I'm glad he's making the man previously known as Bush squirm, despite the fact that he's just in it to boost his brand.
But Bernie is in it for the long haul. The Beltway/NY Times old guard can write him off all they want, but he (not Joe, not Jeb, and no, not Hillary) is truly the man of the people.
www.newyorkgritty.net
Wrong! News flash: The hottest Democratic candidate is Bernie Sanders. That's right, the guy who couldn't care less about Beltway insiders and couldn't care more about the 99% is drawing huge crowds in Iowa, and his poll numbers are zooming.
I'm no fan of "The Donald", but I'm glad he's making the man previously known as Bush squirm, despite the fact that he's just in it to boost his brand.
But Bernie is in it for the long haul. The Beltway/NY Times old guard can write him off all they want, but he (not Joe, not Jeb, and no, not Hillary) is truly the man of the people.
www.newyorkgritty.net
7
What would Beau do? Do we care?
The system and we are sick. Start there.
Sanders and Trump are noise, flotsam, distant barbells indicating our collective insanity.
Can we right the ship of state? Can the uneducated staring at TV learn what needs to be learned.
Will journalists dare to tell, report, declare... and slam the denial.
The 4th estate may be our last hope. Schools need newspapers, not twitter.
Facebook is not a university, and Harvard professors might want to return to the class room.
The Clintons were never honest, and we know this.
The system and we are sick. Start there.
The system and we are sick. Start there.
Sanders and Trump are noise, flotsam, distant barbells indicating our collective insanity.
Can we right the ship of state? Can the uneducated staring at TV learn what needs to be learned.
Will journalists dare to tell, report, declare... and slam the denial.
The 4th estate may be our last hope. Schools need newspapers, not twitter.
Facebook is not a university, and Harvard professors might want to return to the class room.
The Clintons were never honest, and we know this.
The system and we are sick. Start there.
2
First woman president is not a compelling reason for another Clinton in the White House. Right now I'm supporting Sanders but would happy to switch to Biden. Run, Joe, Run!
7
This may be the lowest that Maureen Dowd has ever stooped. Acting as a blatant megaphone for a political candidate with this tear-jerker. The candidate's son, dying of brain cancer, on his deathbed, begging his father to run - right after reminding him that he cares nothing for money. "Dad, I know you love kittens - but you've got to run! You can't leave the country in the hands of the C-C-Clintons...."Who do you suppose was the source of that little nugget? Certainly Maureen wasn't in the room. Beau's tragically departed - leaving only ol' Joe himself to recount the clammy dialogue to the reporter. Dying son begs father to run for president. What should he do? Listen to his dead son - or ignore his dying wish? What, oh what, should he do?
Jeez, Maureen. Yeah, Hillary's a stiff of a candidate. Fingernails on a chalkboard. Possibly the only Democrat so annoying she could lose to Donald Trump.
But, seriously? This is how Joe Biden enters the race? Planting a sob story with a New York Times political gossip columnist? Either run or don't, Joe. But this kid of melodrama is beneath even the daytime soaps.
Jeez, Maureen. Yeah, Hillary's a stiff of a candidate. Fingernails on a chalkboard. Possibly the only Democrat so annoying she could lose to Donald Trump.
But, seriously? This is how Joe Biden enters the race? Planting a sob story with a New York Times political gossip columnist? Either run or don't, Joe. But this kid of melodrama is beneath even the daytime soaps.
28
Both Clinton and Bush feel like paper cut outs from a Cracker Jacks box. That is to say flat... very flat. When you turn them over there is no other side. It's just cardboard.
Joe is most definitely the genuine article (sometimes to a fault). That's always been his strength though. I'd vote for Joe. At the very least, he'd add some much needed shape to the Democratic roster.
Joe is most definitely the genuine article (sometimes to a fault). That's always been his strength though. I'd vote for Joe. At the very least, he'd add some much needed shape to the Democratic roster.
3
We get it. You hate the Clintons and there is nothing you will not stoop to in order to malign them, including dragging a decent man's bereavement through the mud.
39
Joe Biden is ethical, strong, authentic and experienced, and would likely do better against any Republican candidate than would Clinton.
7
Why are only Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders mentioned by the media? I would like to get to know Martin O'Malley and Jim Webb better. There is still a year to go before a Democrat is chosen as the 2016 presidential nominee, so let the public decide who they like and want, not the media.
6
This column explains my love-hate relationship with the left. Too many democrats are intellectually dishonest to the people who support them. And literally have more interest in winning elections than in actually changing the status quo. Both Bill and Hillary fall into that group. Fact is, you have to go back to Carter before you find an honest leader, and Carter was hardly a great president. Say what you will about LBJ and his buildup up the Viet Nam war, but Johnson was a politician who actually tried to do what he preached and got a lot done. Before that you have to go back to FDR. And there is no before that. Go Bernie!!!
5
The riddle is, has Ms. Dowd ever written a column this kind or generous about Bill or Hillary?
13
Joe Biden is a national treasure.
This country needs a smart, compassionate, trustworthy leader.
Frankly I'm sick of hearing him referred to as a gaffe machine.
If that's the standard we use for choosing our next leader, we're in even worse trouble than I thought. Please hold up one foot if you've never stuck it in your mouth!
This country needs a smart, compassionate, trustworthy leader.
Frankly I'm sick of hearing him referred to as a gaffe machine.
If that's the standard we use for choosing our next leader, we're in even worse trouble than I thought. Please hold up one foot if you've never stuck it in your mouth!
10
Maureen you're playing right into the republican playbook. Wound Hillary so bad that she will be bleeding and crippled by the time the general election is held. Perhaps Hillary should follow Mr Trump and give an interview to every Tom Dick and Harry who requests one. The E-mail issue as bogus as Bengazi. Of course the crowd over at Fox news run by Roger Ailes would love to knock Hillary out of the box. You don't think they will come after Mr Biden if he becomes a candidate.
6
So sorry, but VP Biden cannot run for president until he's finished chasing "....ISIS to the gates of Hell!" He promised.
3
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Oh please, sir, please run. Imagine a First Lady with a PhD! A historic first. And a Jewish daughter-in-law.
If the good Veep doesn't seek the Presidency, I hope he would have a very prominent role in the next Democratic Administration. He has never been a creature of the past. He's always forward-looking, and he communicates well.
If Neil Kinnock is available, I hope he would agree with me!
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Oh please, sir, please run. Imagine a First Lady with a PhD! A historic first. And a Jewish daughter-in-law.
If the good Veep doesn't seek the Presidency, I hope he would have a very prominent role in the next Democratic Administration. He has never been a creature of the past. He's always forward-looking, and he communicates well.
If Neil Kinnock is available, I hope he would agree with me!
2
Go Joe, go. You are the solution.
5
You speak the truth, Maureen.
Now let's hope Joe Biden will go out there and do the same.
Now let's hope Joe Biden will go out there and do the same.
1
I like BIden. He reminds me of Truman.
8
Don't listen Joe. You have foot-in-the-mouth disease nearly as terminal as Trump's Dump. You will not be a front runner and will only detract from more deserving candidates, just like the Donald and about 12 other GOP candidates...
4
Biden, Sanders, Schultz, O'Malley, Chaffee, anybody but Hillary.
Please.
Please.
5
Nicely done piece of writing, especially the parallels between Shillary and Brady.
Joe Biden, please. Other than the plagiarism bit decades ago, themann seems most ethical of the bunch.
Be nice to have someone running -- besides Bernie, who really deserves the job -- who is not oozing buckets of entitlement to the WH.
Joe Biden, please. Other than the plagiarism bit decades ago, themann seems most ethical of the bunch.
Be nice to have someone running -- besides Bernie, who really deserves the job -- who is not oozing buckets of entitlement to the WH.
2
ADBC - Any Democrat But Clinton
Run, Joe, run! He would be a welcome relief to the contest.
Run, Joe, run! He would be a welcome relief to the contest.
3
Here in Flyover Country, Joe Biden is seen by many as genuine. Run Joe, run!
5
Mrs. Clinton’s email problem, as well as with that of her primary aides, could be the most dangerous of ALL the issues with which she’s contending. She risks much by having destroyed her 30,000 and her aides can’t just destroy theirs – those emails went to people, and probably not everyone to whom they went can be relied on to destroy their copies. If Huma Abedin or Jake Sullivan were to destroy theirs and copies were to surface, it would be a MONUMENTAL scandal, in no small part because of the likely content that caused the destruction in the first place.
Hence, Philippe Reines turns over his emails only recently, after Hillary’s been two years and more out of office – might have taken that long to track down his correspondents and be sure that what he DIDN’T turn over WOULDN’T re-surface. This all, even more than Hillary’s 300-mile-long baggage train, could derail her more certainly than anything else.
As to Joe Biden, while I’ve always regarded him as a Donald Trump with gravitas (some, anyway), I also was one of the many mainstream Republicans who supported his recommendation to throw a cordon sanitaire around Afghanistan and get our people out YEARS ago. He’s made many very practical recommendations, only to be shot down. If he could package that and tone down the dazzling smile, he could pull some Independents and moderate Republicans (but not me) to his side. He’d be an interesting candidate.
I really couldn’t care less about Tom Brady.
Hence, Philippe Reines turns over his emails only recently, after Hillary’s been two years and more out of office – might have taken that long to track down his correspondents and be sure that what he DIDN’T turn over WOULDN’T re-surface. This all, even more than Hillary’s 300-mile-long baggage train, could derail her more certainly than anything else.
As to Joe Biden, while I’ve always regarded him as a Donald Trump with gravitas (some, anyway), I also was one of the many mainstream Republicans who supported his recommendation to throw a cordon sanitaire around Afghanistan and get our people out YEARS ago. He’s made many very practical recommendations, only to be shot down. If he could package that and tone down the dazzling smile, he could pull some Independents and moderate Republicans (but not me) to his side. He’d be an interesting candidate.
I really couldn’t care less about Tom Brady.
1
Each time I read one of your columns that mentions Hillary, I wonder why you have such hatred for her. She's no angel, but neither is anyone else in politics, and yet you seem to have a special sort of hate for her. Maybe some day you'll tell us why.
26
Biden / Brown.
It's what our country needs.
It's what our country needs.
Please run, Joe. Your country needs you.
4
Howard Shultz is the perfect antidote to El Trumpo. Right now Dems have no Plan B for H-Rod. Biden can't win. Neither can Bernie. So, President Starbucks. Why not?
2
I'm really surprised that the NYT allows Ms Dowd to continue her assault on the Clintons. Her hatred is obvious and personal... What happened she didn't get invited to a White house event when Bill Clinton was President?
25
Dowd won the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the Clinton's. She knows a lot more than she's been able to put on paper. Count on it.
1
When the Democratic Party hits the panic button on the Clinton candidacy by the turn of the coming New Year, there had better be somebody else who could actually win the General in November 2016. That's not Howard Schultz, even though he serves a mean cuppa joe. And at this moment, with all due respect to Bernie Sanders (and much is due), there is nobody else, unless the GOP puts up a blithering maniac as its presidential nominee.
But wait a minute...! Maybe Bernie's and Howie's odds aren't so bad after all. Still, please, "Run Joe. Run! You have the stuff to serve as our Commander-in-Chief."
www.endthemadnessnow.org
But wait a minute...! Maybe Bernie's and Howie's odds aren't so bad after all. Still, please, "Run Joe. Run! You have the stuff to serve as our Commander-in-Chief."
www.endthemadnessnow.org
5
If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, the Republicans will have a field day making the case for why she should NOT be president. And Hillary, seemingly with each passing day, hands over a boatload of ammunition for the Republican artillery. Their big problem with Hillary is the only one of their aspirants who has a reasonable chance against her is another Bush. The others are so off-the-planet she looks almost reasonable.
It would be disingenuous to assume all Republican strategists have put Joe Biden on the back of the shelf as someone to take aim at. But he has given them little reason to spend a lot of money to date trashing him. And if he jumps in, they're going to have to spend a lot of money in an effort to find even a fraction of the trash that Hillary hands over by the bushel.
The guy is human. He is funny. He likes people. He has a back-story that can't be touched by any other candidate, Republican or Democrat, Black or White or Hispanic, male or female. And he's still smiling, and funny, and likes people, even Republicans. The current front runner for the Republicans, and there is good reason to believe he isn't even a Republican, doesn't like anyone who is not white and rich.
Go for it, Joe.
Maybe, just maybe, the world has a chance to be all right come Nov. 9, 2016.
It would be disingenuous to assume all Republican strategists have put Joe Biden on the back of the shelf as someone to take aim at. But he has given them little reason to spend a lot of money to date trashing him. And if he jumps in, they're going to have to spend a lot of money in an effort to find even a fraction of the trash that Hillary hands over by the bushel.
The guy is human. He is funny. He likes people. He has a back-story that can't be touched by any other candidate, Republican or Democrat, Black or White or Hispanic, male or female. And he's still smiling, and funny, and likes people, even Republicans. The current front runner for the Republicans, and there is good reason to believe he isn't even a Republican, doesn't like anyone who is not white and rich.
Go for it, Joe.
Maybe, just maybe, the world has a chance to be all right come Nov. 9, 2016.
1
I get the feeling that Maureen likes Joe Biden (and doesn't care for Hillary). I would love to see Biden as the Democratic nominee, but I found Ms. Dowd's column unseemly ( is that word too old-fashioned?) for a thoughtful commentator. Aside from the vitriol directed at Hillary, there is the TV-movie scripting of scenes from Beau's bedside. Direct quotes--really? I admit to being moved, but I also felt manipulated. That having been said: Go, Joe, go.
5
Biden would make a good Secretary of Sate in the Administration of the President Bernie Sanders.
2
If anyone can unite this country, it is Joe Biden. If he runs, it will be to make the country better, not for personal aggrandizement. Behind his low-key, easy-going manner is a mind and a heart. Would he be a great guy to have a beer with? Sure. Would he be a great President? I think so.
4
I love Joe Biden. For this reason, do I really wish this for him? The strain and the stress? I have mixed feelings. However, if even the prospect of his entering the race pushes Ms. Clinton to be a better and more forthright candidate, the outcome would be positive. The GOP needs to stop being a circus. The Democrats may very well need a Plan...B.
1
We the media create all kinds of stories(news) as needed, whenever. We are the king maker or breaker; the 4th pillar of democracy and American exceptionalism
2
It's not hard to feel that Biden is the real deal, genuine and authentic, while politics is not Hillary Clinton's metier - unlike Bill, she makes it pretty clear that she would always rather be somewhere else. She is the Scarlet Pimpernel of American politics.
2
I would be first in line to vote for Joe Biden in 2016; not because of the current GOP and Democratic candidates vying for the job. I'd vote for Joe because he is the best individual for our nation.
If Mr. Biden runs, we will be very fortunate indeed.
If Mr. Biden runs, we will be very fortunate indeed.
5
Biden 'craziness' surpasses Donald Trump; but consider Mr. Trump is not a fool, quite the opposite - extremely bright. The same cannot be said of Joe Biden.
I also like Bernie but I really hope Biden will enter the race. Ah, hope....
3
YES! Because the Democrats need a Trump of their own. Actually I don't know why Trump isn't their own.
Maureen Dowd here - Amy Chozick there... Biden here, Clinton there... Names.
What happened to Harry S Truman? He is eligible.
The funny season used to start in January.... when previously no campaign was fired till the speech on Labor Day. We let summer go by without all this noise. No more.
The swelling of Elephants, the Seven No Trump Clown, is the lead Donkey in trouble? Donkeys and Elephants are running on known .... forget the man that saved coffee from Seattle. Harold is going nowhere.
Politics and journalism, media and business... we are so far from what once we were... it's about which lies, what liars... what name. What spin.
Those with the truth stand at the end of the line, clean.
Oh well, "he plagiarized parts of a speech and exaggerated his academic record," and she lied for her husband, lies about Benghazi, lies about her email, just lies, and then there is the money....
Maureen Dowd will remember... she did the job on six prep schools and the drug plague. We tried. In 1984.
Is it time? Could we find the courage to reach for an approach never tried? We tried Carter. We tried Obama. Who can save us?
The great, sad Abe Lincoln was a minority president - he was our greatest. He lived a life in agony. He cared so deeply.
Who gives off that certain feeling, today... what quiet man can do it?
One, maybe two... not a liar, not a plagiarist.
Just an honest man with the ability to smile through the tears...
And tell us the truth. About ourselves.
What happened to Harry S Truman? He is eligible.
The funny season used to start in January.... when previously no campaign was fired till the speech on Labor Day. We let summer go by without all this noise. No more.
The swelling of Elephants, the Seven No Trump Clown, is the lead Donkey in trouble? Donkeys and Elephants are running on known .... forget the man that saved coffee from Seattle. Harold is going nowhere.
Politics and journalism, media and business... we are so far from what once we were... it's about which lies, what liars... what name. What spin.
Those with the truth stand at the end of the line, clean.
Oh well, "he plagiarized parts of a speech and exaggerated his academic record," and she lied for her husband, lies about Benghazi, lies about her email, just lies, and then there is the money....
Maureen Dowd will remember... she did the job on six prep schools and the drug plague. We tried. In 1984.
Is it time? Could we find the courage to reach for an approach never tried? We tried Carter. We tried Obama. Who can save us?
The great, sad Abe Lincoln was a minority president - he was our greatest. He lived a life in agony. He cared so deeply.
Who gives off that certain feeling, today... what quiet man can do it?
One, maybe two... not a liar, not a plagiarist.
Just an honest man with the ability to smile through the tears...
And tell us the truth. About ourselves.
Do not always agree with Dowd. But I do want Joe Biden to run. The democratic party needs him. Otherwise it will be the republicans
Let the dead lie. If the Left will leave Beau lie, then moderates will forget Beau Biden's fraudulent-warrant arrest of Larry Sinclair at the Washington Press Club.
Beau got Sinclair out of Obama's way and Obama returned the favor to allow Slow Joe be VP.
What a real true Joe Biden story? Ask about the women Secret Service who have to watch Joe skinny dipping at the Naval Observatory.
Beau got Sinclair out of Obama's way and Obama returned the favor to allow Slow Joe be VP.
What a real true Joe Biden story? Ask about the women Secret Service who have to watch Joe skinny dipping at the Naval Observatory.
Hope Mr. Schultz isn't counting on backing from Seattle liberals who were big Sonics fans. Last I heard, he's a bete noire with the Who lost our NBA team to OKC? crowd. As for the Vice President's possible entry, that's hardly news. It's long been obvious that Mr. Biden is Plan B for the Democratic establishment. As a loyal Democrat, I could live with either Hillary or Joe as the nominee. However, my candidate for the nomination remains Jim Webb!
How many people do you think that honestly includes?
Maureen Dowd would have absolutely nothing to write about if Joe Biden ran in the primaries and actually became the Democratic presidential nominee. Somehow I can't see Maureen Dowd swooning over Joe Biden the way she did over Barack Obama. What would Ms Dowd do without Hillary Clinton to kick around every week??
11
Not sure that I care for a Presidential run kicked off from the graveside.
If Ms. Dowd wants to write summer silliness perhaps she could explore the concept of Donald Trump actually being in the employ of the HRC campaign?
If Ms. Dowd wants to write summer silliness perhaps she could explore the concept of Donald Trump actually being in the employ of the HRC campaign?
6
This is the man who gave us Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court.
6
I'm with Hillary on the "home-brew private server".
Very sensible decision.
Who'd want to put their "stuff" on a government server ?
Haven't we learned anything from the hacking incidents, thus far ?
Very sensible decision.
Who'd want to put their "stuff" on a government server ?
Haven't we learned anything from the hacking incidents, thus far ?
4
I'd like Biden to be the nominee. He's a solid guy, well liked, and trusted. I think he could do a lot to diminish the cancerous cynicism that pervades D.C. and is reflected in Dowd's long-time hatred of Hilary. If she ever says a positive thing about her I might keel over and die.
3
I'd vote for him. He is fun, and very very experienced. I like his occasional gaffes. He is the real deal. Competent. Savvy. Yes, Joe, say it is so.
4
Are we good enough for a Biden presidency? Are we willing to live up to the promise of what we can all be together? Perhaps it's not too late.
1
MD has got something here. Even if one of my Republican favorites didn't make it, I would rest easy w/ Joe, who I honor and respect, and with whom I think I sympathize, but the terrible things that have happened to him are only things I have day-mares about. Joe Biden takes a licking and keeps on ticking. OF course that is a cliche. This isn't: Biden is the sort of public official who can make the republic work, perhaps what the founders had in mind.
3
Do we want 4 or 8 years of another Bush Presidency? More tax breaks for the Rich & super Rich. A more right wing Supreme court. Look the 17 Republican candidates can't compare to Hillary in her breath of service to America. The only serious candidate with Foreign Policy experience + Senator + First Lady.
She can win with of female votes from Independents & some Republicans.
Maureen focus your sharp tongue & pen on the Republican candidates not just on Hillary, whom you dislike. With Obama's ratings only in the low 40s, a Biden nomination would be like 2000, only Bill Clinton had more favorable than Obama today; Gore lost in the electoral vote. Do you want a rerun?
She can win with of female votes from Independents & some Republicans.
Maureen focus your sharp tongue & pen on the Republican candidates not just on Hillary, whom you dislike. With Obama's ratings only in the low 40s, a Biden nomination would be like 2000, only Bill Clinton had more favorable than Obama today; Gore lost in the electoral vote. Do you want a rerun?
4
I'm supporting Trump for the GOP nomination, but if I want someone who tells it like it is, Biden and Bernie have Trump beat hands down. And Hillary is a hundred times more qualified than Jeb Bush.
1
What can Hillary bring to the table other than her gender? Nothing but controversy.
1
Nothing -- well almost nothing -- could make me happier than to have Joe Biden run for president. We don't need another Clinton, and it would be good to have another president I could genuinely and wholeheartedly support. Run Joe, run!
5
Hardly scientific, but the huge number of "likes" on the pro-Biden comments may evidence dissatisfaction with Hillary. Count me among them. I've always been a Biden fan. He's smart and human.
4
I sure hope he runs, how incredible would that be. I know he is a stickler for doing the right thing, his voting record proves that.
To know Joe Biden is to love Joe Biden. I do not mean the caricature so popular among the beltway set or the late night comedians. I am talking about the man who Lindsey Graham spoke of,the same man who stood up to Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas, the same man who worked to help PA and NJ as much as his beloved DE when he was a US Senator. I am talking about the man who loves his family deeply and profoundly and has sustained such loss but kept them all together. Joe Biden is simply one of the nicest, decent most real human beings one could ever hope to know . The Bernie boomlet is as much about Hillary as it is about Bernie. A Biden candidacy would be a chance for a true referendum on this President vs those who have tried to derail his policies from day one. A Biden presidency would allow us to have someone who is respected and admired in both houses by both parties from day one. Hillary's election would be well deserved and historic. However, If Hillary stumbles I would bet on Joe. You want to see how smart and good Biden is; go back an watch him in Judiciary hearings or in the VP debates.
1
Joe Biden would be an excellent, peace-making president, but I don't think he has a chance, so I hope he'll step back and let Bernie Sanders win. Biden's occasional gaffes will haunt him among the ignorant, and Hillary's machine will overrun him. Still, I believe he's a smart, deeply decent man, and I'd vote for him in a minute if I thought he could win.
Joe with Lizzy W. as his running mate. My dream ticket. It's also one that, given its balance in innumerable respects -- including male/female and left-leaning/progressive -- and Joe's vast international experience (I believe he was one of the few who way back when strenuously advocated for partitioning Iraq along Sunni/ Shiite/ Kurdish lines) and ability to deal with the Congress - would win hands down.
2
Biden is a really nice man, with experience. But the GOP will rip his lungs out with the billions they have to spend.
We need a president with Biden's heart, and the ability to tell liars like Romney, etal. to stuff themselves.
We need a president with Biden's heart, and the ability to tell liars like Romney, etal. to stuff themselves.
A Biden vs. Bernie matchup would sure be interesting. Although the age of both men concerns me.
1
Democrats know that if they nominate Biden they are handing the White House to Jeb. I hope they can do what Ms. Dowd doesn't seem to be able to do, i.e., contextualize Hillary's faults and make the politically expedient choice of nominating her. At least then they'll have a chance of holding on to the Presidency.
2
I also believe that Mr. Biden would make an excellent president, and I share the dislike for the Clintons, who embody the worst in politics. However, Ms. Dowd should not use the death of a son and his alleged parting words to make a political point of this nature. This is profoundly unsavory and not so different from the rather sleazy character Ms. Dowd rightly attributes to the Clintons.
5
Why don't you consult a technical adviser before you indict Hillary for the way she handled her emails? Anybody who is tech savvy would tell you that no email protocol could provide the level of transparency you seek. Presumably, you're smart enough not to use the office email server for sensitive personal message, but transmit them in a different manner. So too, anybody who is using a government mail server would probably be savvy enough to transmit secret messages via another route. Using a private mail server is no guarantee that the user has something to hide, any more than using a government mail server indicates that the user is not transmitting secret messages through another means.
12
Sure. But someone with true leadership qualities would also understand that, as regards transparency, the appearance is nearly as important as the real thing. If you want people to trust you, you don't risk even appearing to be doing something of questionable integrity. She demonstrates too much hubris; she makes it airily clear that she thinks the rules don't apply to her because she is who she is. It may be her ultimate undoing. And while I don't personally believe there was anything incriminating in any of those emails - I think she just used her personal email because she wanted to, it was her personal preference, it worked better for her - I also wouldn't be sorry to see her exit as a result of "Email-gate." The whole "I Did It My Way" persona doesn't appeal at all in a world leader.
I truly believe she represents the past. A new generation is not putting up with the old Political Entitlement Establishment. It may be personally very sad for her; she's like the woman who just barely in the nick of time figured out what she had to do to play with the big boys - right at the moment the rest of the world was finally completely sick of the big boys and their macho games, and demanding a more genuine form of leadership.
I truly believe she represents the past. A new generation is not putting up with the old Political Entitlement Establishment. It may be personally very sad for her; she's like the woman who just barely in the nick of time figured out what she had to do to play with the big boys - right at the moment the rest of the world was finally completely sick of the big boys and their macho games, and demanding a more genuine form of leadership.
42
Yeah, because government by appearances and feelings have worked so well for us so far. "That George W. Bush is a guy I could go out and have a beer with" and "I just don't feel that our manufacturing and energy businesses have anything to do with that climate change nonsense." In case you haven't noticed, the next president will have to deal with a crowd of people who base their decisions on feeling and appearances. I'd prefer having somebody with a more autocratic style dealing with them than somebody like Obama, who has no real connection to the old Political Entitlement Establishment, and tries to reason and play nice rather than twisting arms.
2
Maureen, you're scarcely recognizable in these sober, impassioned words. Thanks, particularly now when supporters of Barack Obama are preparing to lose a president who has made us proud once again of being Americans. I can think of no better consolation than having an opportunity to replace him with another giant. So go, Joe! For your family and for all the rest of us - your fellow countrymen!
1
I think Maureen Dowd is underestimating Bernie Sanders. In 2016 the proportion of superdelegates will be lower than at previous conventions.
2
I was with you, Ms. Dowd, until you defamed Tom Brady. Shame!
1
What is it about Hillary that makes Ms Dowd lose her mind and any sense of perspective? She promoted the candidacy of Obama over Clinton like few in the media last time. Now it’s Biden over Clinton? Because Beau would want it? Seriously?
How about some fair coverage of Clinton and the issues, substantive and otherwise? For example, Dowd if she’s so concerned about Clinton’s personal email server, she might mention that Jeb Bush had hundreds of thousands of messages on a personal machine while Gov, and that he erased all of them. Oops!
How about some fair coverage of Clinton and the issues, substantive and otherwise? For example, Dowd if she’s so concerned about Clinton’s personal email server, she might mention that Jeb Bush had hundreds of thousands of messages on a personal machine while Gov, and that he erased all of them. Oops!
13
Biden and Trump. Our rodeo clowns are complete.
1
Well at least the Clintons and I share one sentiment: our eternal loathing of obama.
The Democratic Party can make history by nominating Joe Biden for president and Hillary Clinton for vice-president and winning in 2016. Winning the election is more important than making history. I love Bernie Sanders, despite his silly opposition to nuclear power, GMOs, and a certain pipeline, but I don't think he can win in 2016. Clinton can't win either. Joe Biden must run. With the right nominee for vice-president, he can win. Who has more experience? Who is more likable?
If you reach far enough there are some Hillary/Brady connections, a certain arrogance about them that says they think they're above the standards the hoi-polloi must endure. If Hillary was a Patriots quarterback would she have deflated the ball? Probably. Brady has already proved he'd likely destroy emails and phones as Secretary of State.
Joe Biden seems a decent sort, but then he's a long time politician and I don't know if the two go together. He's been accused of numerous verbal faux pas, but he looks genius compared to any Republican.
It's true that an ordinary run of the mill guy can rise above his own past and do great things. Maybe Joe is one of those guys.
Joe Biden seems a decent sort, but then he's a long time politician and I don't know if the two go together. He's been accused of numerous verbal faux pas, but he looks genius compared to any Republican.
It's true that an ordinary run of the mill guy can rise above his own past and do great things. Maybe Joe is one of those guys.
My take is that Mr. Biden will not run. Insiders have told him he would lose to Hillary Clinton. He would make a good run but a good run is not enough.
Mr, Biden wants to go out on top, he wants his final legacy to be that of a winner, not someone who lost to Hillary Clinton.
Mr, Biden wants to go out on top, he wants his final legacy to be that of a winner, not someone who lost to Hillary Clinton.
4
I will vote for Hillary over any Republican, but I won't work for her or give her money. I'd work for Biden. He would be a truly wonderful president. Beau was right.
2
If Mr. Biden enters the race, he's my back up for Bernie Sanders. Or maybe he can co-opt, hone, expand, bring an alternative voice to the causes Senator Sanders so eloquently illuminates. I guess a Sanders/Biden ticket wouldn't work but maybe it'd take Biden's broader appeal to bring Bernie's ideas across the finish line.
2
Joe Biden has character and strikes the right (or is left) balance between the tainted, tarnished Hillary Clinton and the ultra-far too left Bernie Sanders who also seems to be unable to appeal to the Obama coalition of the young, non-white Americans. VP Biden knows how to pass legislation, how to work with Congress, and what it's like to be in the Oval office. He is an authentic "Joe six pack" who can appeal to "Reagan Democrats" and Obama voters. Nevertheless, he's also gaffe-prone to the point of becoming a self-parody that may undermine his credibility. That notwithstanding, I'd love to see him in the race. The Democrats have placed all their bets on Hillary, but her "negatives" are already so high as to make her electability questionable. VP Biden may turn out to be just the right man for the job.
2
Joe Biden on Iraq in 2010:
I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government,"
"I spent -- I've been there 17 times now. I go about every two months -- three months. I know every one of the major players in all of the segments of that society. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences."
I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government,"
"I spent -- I've been there 17 times now. I go about every two months -- three months. I know every one of the major players in all of the segments of that society. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences."
1
Wonderful column. One of your best. While I respect Hillary as a strong candidate, I am increasingly bewildered at how tone-deaf she is to the aconflict of interest. Just like the Republicans, accepting contributions for favors. No different. She should know better.
2
I was set to hold my nose and vote for Jeb, just because I thought he was most likely to get things done with congress. Now I'm not so sure.
I don't think Biden is the smartest guy in Washington; I didn't think W was either. And they say Kerry was a D student at Harvard (does that equal a C student at Yale?). But I know for sure that they're all smarter and more capable than me. And they're probably smarter than most, if not all, of the commenters on these op-ed pages. Even the ones with green checks.
If Biden gets in, I think that he'll get more done with congress than Bush would. And I think he would pick some good center left nominees for the Supreme Court. So I'll vote for him, and maybe even send him a paltry two digit check if he needs it.
If he could talk Warren into running with him, I think it would help him both with the left and with the other center rights who are really getting fed up with Wall Street. It sounds crazy, but people want somebody they can believe. A lot of people are even willing to listen to Silver-Spoon-Donny, just because he's good at acting like he's saying what he thinks (as if).
Biden's plagiarism is old news. Obama raised him to a level above, by letting him be who he is, and by showing him respect. I think it's time we do the same.
I don't think Biden is the smartest guy in Washington; I didn't think W was either. And they say Kerry was a D student at Harvard (does that equal a C student at Yale?). But I know for sure that they're all smarter and more capable than me. And they're probably smarter than most, if not all, of the commenters on these op-ed pages. Even the ones with green checks.
If Biden gets in, I think that he'll get more done with congress than Bush would. And I think he would pick some good center left nominees for the Supreme Court. So I'll vote for him, and maybe even send him a paltry two digit check if he needs it.
If he could talk Warren into running with him, I think it would help him both with the left and with the other center rights who are really getting fed up with Wall Street. It sounds crazy, but people want somebody they can believe. A lot of people are even willing to listen to Silver-Spoon-Donny, just because he's good at acting like he's saying what he thinks (as if).
Biden's plagiarism is old news. Obama raised him to a level above, by letting him be who he is, and by showing him respect. I think it's time we do the same.
1
As a Republican I hope he does. Not because I think he would win but he would bring instant credibility to the Democratic field. He's a time Senator, VP....he is much more qualified than Hilary.
Biden has his baggage. Neil Kinnock and his many verbal gaffe's. But Biden has never and will never lie about Bengahzi, he didn't have a personal server at his home and refuse to turn it over for inspection, he didn't destroy emails with confidential information over his personal email account that never happened but did. I would think if he does run attacking her credibility would be vital and who better to speak as to her conduct and decision making at State than Biden. He clearly knows more than we will ever know.
As I said I am a Republican and will vote for our candidate. I would rather have Hillary get it than Biden because you can attack her character, her honesty, her integrity. her "I am above the law mentality" and her farcical "I want to be champion of the middle class" when she and her husband made $131 million in 7 years.
Bill would be an albatross around her neck in a general election. Dr Jill Biden is a brilliant woman who you would be a total idiot to question her a person and as a professional. She is a very accomplished woman. You have to honor that.
So Joe, please sit this one out. if you get the nomination we're in trouble. If Hillary get's it I will be making dinner reservations at Morton's to celebrate her defeat.
Biden has his baggage. Neil Kinnock and his many verbal gaffe's. But Biden has never and will never lie about Bengahzi, he didn't have a personal server at his home and refuse to turn it over for inspection, he didn't destroy emails with confidential information over his personal email account that never happened but did. I would think if he does run attacking her credibility would be vital and who better to speak as to her conduct and decision making at State than Biden. He clearly knows more than we will ever know.
As I said I am a Republican and will vote for our candidate. I would rather have Hillary get it than Biden because you can attack her character, her honesty, her integrity. her "I am above the law mentality" and her farcical "I want to be champion of the middle class" when she and her husband made $131 million in 7 years.
Bill would be an albatross around her neck in a general election. Dr Jill Biden is a brilliant woman who you would be a total idiot to question her a person and as a professional. She is a very accomplished woman. You have to honor that.
So Joe, please sit this one out. if you get the nomination we're in trouble. If Hillary get's it I will be making dinner reservations at Morton's to celebrate her defeat.
Unfortunately, at this point, with Bernie Sanders having gotten the support that he has, I believe that if Joe Biden runs, it will almost guarantee a win for Hillary Clinton.
1
How Dowd can make a moral equivalence of Tom Brady to Hillary is beyond comprehension. Tom is an employee and union member and has ZERO obligation to provide his PRIVATE emails, texts, or any other electronic information to his employer. His union legal representative advised him.
Hillary, however, does have a legal obligation to the citizens of the united states to make her non-private email and communication, on behalf of all of us, public.
I will let the individuals reading this article decide for themselves whether they believe her word or not, however, I don't think anyone of us would disagree that her actions open the door to any criticism/skepticism coming her way.
Hillary, however, does have a legal obligation to the citizens of the united states to make her non-private email and communication, on behalf of all of us, public.
I will let the individuals reading this article decide for themselves whether they believe her word or not, however, I don't think anyone of us would disagree that her actions open the door to any criticism/skepticism coming her way.
Joe Biden would be great. My only problem with him is that, like Obama, he would probably try to 'work with' the Republicans who would have no intention of working with him. They would ramp up a Biden Swift Boat version against this decent man. At least Hilary understands that she is running against some nasty people.
2
Biden is positioning himself to be Vice President for another 8 years. There are no term limits on that position. If Hillary dumps him, it may well cost her at the polls. Biden is a sharp politician..
Leaving aside the wisdom of yet another attack on a Clinton by Maureen, I will be truly glad to cast a vote for Joe Biden, should he feel it is the right thing for him to toss his hat in the ring. It will be the closest I can come to voting for Barack Obama for a 3rd term, as the decent and good Mr. Biden is an indelible and inseparable part of what has been the best Presidency of my lifetime.
In our strident media driven society would the electorate really go for a calm voice of reason such as Joe Biden. Joe has his flaws sometimes speaking before he thinks, but in this he resembles most of the Republican field.. The question is Is likeable enough to win the election. Now Bernie Sanders is a lion with teeth despite his age or should we look at it as experience.
1
Just given our currently-recovered unemployment rate coupled with the nitrous oxide of "not enough inflation" from the Fed's Janet Yellin together make a Biden candidacy reasonable, including he knows how to get elected.
Am I the only progressive Dem who worries about how the Republicans will play the age card if the Dem nominee is over 70?
Good analogy, but Hillary and Tom Brady differ in that the latter can give a detailed answer on his record and accomplishments. Hillary has fumbled that answer, deflated ball or deleted emails.
1
Well said. Joe Biden was the first to openly support gay rights. They should thank him to push for gay rights. Moreover, he has both domestic and foreign policy experience. He finished the difficult work. He should run. Democrats need more candidates and there are very good qualified ones.
2
Biden would be a refreshing change from the paranoid Clinton 's and their Nixonian dirty tricks destroy all enimies staff. I hope he takes the leap into the currently vacuous political cauldron.
1
"...They (the Democratic insiders) are increasingly concerned that, aside from the very liberal Bernie Sanders, who could be approaching his ceiling in the early states, there is no backup if something blows up..."
Ms. Dowd is selling Senator Sanders short. He is a serious contender and there is no reason to think that he is "approaching his ceiling."
I like Joe Biden very much, agree that he is a thoroughly decent man, and would prefer him to Clinton. But I am afraid that he would only hurt himself if he ran and also that whereas he would take votes away from Clinton, he would not alienate the affections of Berni'se supporters.
Something else I find interesting: whereas the readers responding to this column seem to favor a run by Vice President Biden, those responding to the currently running news analysis are much less enthusiastic.
Ms. Dowd is selling Senator Sanders short. He is a serious contender and there is no reason to think that he is "approaching his ceiling."
I like Joe Biden very much, agree that he is a thoroughly decent man, and would prefer him to Clinton. But I am afraid that he would only hurt himself if he ran and also that whereas he would take votes away from Clinton, he would not alienate the affections of Berni'se supporters.
Something else I find interesting: whereas the readers responding to this column seem to favor a run by Vice President Biden, those responding to the currently running news analysis are much less enthusiastic.
I'd vote for Joe Biden in a heartbeat. But I don't think he can win - the gaffe-prone, Uncle Joe stuff, which is unfair, will be a problem. Look at all the comments below about his insufficient intellect, as ludicrous a claim as that is. I don't want him to be hurt after losing his son, so I hope he takes a pass.
1
Give it a rest, Maureen. We get it; you don't like Hillary Clinton.
12
Hillary Clinton is the proverbial guest who has overstayed her welcome.Im tired of the sense of entitlement, the van trips to Iowa, the emails, the new grandmother shtick, and the incessant head nodding. She is lucky she is being graded on a curve inhabited by the Republican candidates.
The would be Republican nominees are like Pavlov's dogs salivating every time they see Sheldon Adelson or the Koch brothers. I cringe when ill prepared candidates like Scott Walker are briefed by Republican"foreign policy experts" That is the ultimate oxymoron and absolutely frightening. SNL awaits.
Oh well, the Republic has survived for 228 years.
The would be Republican nominees are like Pavlov's dogs salivating every time they see Sheldon Adelson or the Koch brothers. I cringe when ill prepared candidates like Scott Walker are briefed by Republican"foreign policy experts" That is the ultimate oxymoron and absolutely frightening. SNL awaits.
Oh well, the Republic has survived for 228 years.
3
C'mon Joe, run. It would be nice to have an honest to goodness, real human being -- warts an all but wise and decent as the day is long -- as president.
1
Ah come on - Biden is Hillary's pal. This is all political theather to blunt the unexpected popularity of Sanders and the corresponding weakness of Hillary. I'll be my bottom dollar that Biden we go through the motions but never put too much heat on Hillary and then finally "throw his support behind her". In the processes, Bernie will be marginalized.
As for the story about Beau's dying words, that sounds just too much like Hollywood not to beleive that it also isn't just another part of the script.
As for the story about Beau's dying words, that sounds just too much like Hollywood not to beleive that it also isn't just another part of the script.
1
HRC has ruined her chances with messy controversies we know
all too well - her message for the nation has been tainted.
Biden might be the sane alternative. Don't understand why
the President overlooked his wise and intelligent vice president.
all too well - her message for the nation has been tainted.
Biden might be the sane alternative. Don't understand why
the President overlooked his wise and intelligent vice president.
As Secretary of State and a senator, John Kerry distinguishes himself as the wisest choice for president. Joe Biden would be a solid partner to continue as vice president. What a mature and reasoned team they would present in contrast to any pairing in the "absurdist" Republican field or the accomplished but politically unfired Howard Schultz.
2
Imagine a debate stage.
Hilary makes her case,
"Life in America is not fair and I'll do my best
In asking banks, Wall Street and major corporations to be a little nicer to the rest of us."
Joe makes his case,
"I'm gon'a push hard to get some breaks for ordinary folks but there is no ground swell of public anger that will get us better schools, roads, bridges and an improved social security system---still, I'll do my best."
Bernie makes his case,
"We all sit at the same table and too many of us are getting scraps. The folks I speak for want enough to buy a home and know that the school they are sending their children to is good enough to qualify them for college. The financial priorities of our current form of government do not place our family's at the top of the list. Average Americans
are America and we have to do more for them."
I don't know who is best but the sense of untempered outrage that Bernie projects is
Powerfully appealing.
Hilary makes her case,
"Life in America is not fair and I'll do my best
In asking banks, Wall Street and major corporations to be a little nicer to the rest of us."
Joe makes his case,
"I'm gon'a push hard to get some breaks for ordinary folks but there is no ground swell of public anger that will get us better schools, roads, bridges and an improved social security system---still, I'll do my best."
Bernie makes his case,
"We all sit at the same table and too many of us are getting scraps. The folks I speak for want enough to buy a home and know that the school they are sending their children to is good enough to qualify them for college. The financial priorities of our current form of government do not place our family's at the top of the list. Average Americans
are America and we have to do more for them."
I don't know who is best but the sense of untempered outrage that Bernie projects is
Powerfully appealing.
4
While an adolescent and young adult, I was a parishioner of St. Joseph's on the Brandywine with Joe Biden, who I observed from afar go about attending to his spiritual needs, as did others, like by parents, in a solemn and dignified manner.There was no politicization of religion we see today and no glad-handing from Joe. All I saw was earnestness and kindness.
I also saw Joe attend mass on many occasions after the deaths of his wife, Neilia and daughter, Naomi, and he was both stoic and brave. He may be lampooned by the media, but we know his true worth as a public servant, husband, father, grandfather, and brother.
Through the commitment of his family, spending countless hours convalescing his two injured sons back to health, we saw the true message of his influence in the life of his son, Beau; a person who viewed public service as a sacred trust.
Such is the inspiration left by heroes and heroines. If Joe decides to run it's Biden 2016!
I also saw Joe attend mass on many occasions after the deaths of his wife, Neilia and daughter, Naomi, and he was both stoic and brave. He may be lampooned by the media, but we know his true worth as a public servant, husband, father, grandfather, and brother.
Through the commitment of his family, spending countless hours convalescing his two injured sons back to health, we saw the true message of his influence in the life of his son, Beau; a person who viewed public service as a sacred trust.
Such is the inspiration left by heroes and heroines. If Joe decides to run it's Biden 2016!
146
A kind cheer for your local hero. But who is Joe Biden beyond his faith and his tragedy? A guy with steady character. Though long odds, he would be a steady presence at the helm. But he always seems to need prepared remarks, so be it.
When Obama puts his hand on Biden's back, he's demonstrating he's a mensch. Almost any coworker, especially one who is a parent, would make such a gesture to be supportive after such a loss.
1
I've been telling my friends for months that I will vote for Hillary Clinton if she is the Democratic nominee but that I do not expect that to happen. Too much baggage. For the average American voter, it won't be the emails and certainly not Benghazi. It will be the money that the Clintons have been raking in shamelessly. Those sums of money cannot be justified or rationalized. I have always liked Joe Biden. I was incredibly moved by the Biden family spirit after Beau Biden died. The Bidens are a real American family. I would happily vote for Joe Biden.
1
I have always thought Biden would make a great President. He has such a depth of knowledge about both domestic and foreign matters. He true labor democrat, an effective politician and, most of all, he's an honest man.
3
The 2016 presidential talent pool is tragically shallow. Having Crazy Uncle Joe around to provide verbal belly flops from the high dive would be giggle-rific. Run Joe Run!
1
How about an ex-Senator and war hero (not swiftboatable), also successful writer and businessman for President?
In other words, how about Jim Webb for President?
Dan Kravitz
In other words, how about Jim Webb for President?
Dan Kravitz
1
I suspect the first thing Joe would do is to get his old Lionel set out of the attic and set it up in the Oval Office. Maybe run off a few spur lines to other parts of the White House. Then he'd get down to business. The business of trains. Joe knows that the great majority of cities and towns are not served by Amtrak. Heck, they aren't even close to any tracks! Well Joe would change all that. He'll add a couple million miles of track and put a station in every town over 300 population. That will create all kinds of jobs.
1
I am a very conservative independent who voted for Bush 1, once, sat out the second term and voted for Obama( hope and change)
Given the state of our country, I would vote for Joe just for his integrity and love of our country.
We tried Bush, he failed, we tried Obama and we failed and Clinton is the example of the lack of decency , integrity and leadership our country desperately needs.
I would vote for anyone who runs against her if she is nominated.
Given the state of our country, I would vote for Joe just for his integrity and love of our country.
We tried Bush, he failed, we tried Obama and we failed and Clinton is the example of the lack of decency , integrity and leadership our country desperately needs.
I would vote for anyone who runs against her if she is nominated.
2
It's sad that integrity which should have been the first quality for even a lowly public job, is now a luxury item in the Oval Office--Biden owes it, not to his son, but to the American citizenry to run.
1
What's most reassuring about the prospect of a Biden candidacy is that what you see is what you get. No smoke, no fun house mirrors, no double talk, no artifice, no Kardashianism. And we can live with that.
What's anything but reassuring, though, is the chance of a restoration -- another Clinton co-presidency -- in which what you see is carefully designed to hide what you get.
Granted, it's a bit premature, but the sound of Biden-Warren sounds pretty good right now.
What's anything but reassuring, though, is the chance of a restoration -- another Clinton co-presidency -- in which what you see is carefully designed to hide what you get.
Granted, it's a bit premature, but the sound of Biden-Warren sounds pretty good right now.
2
I guess ND had to do this column so as to keep the NYT campaign to destroy Clinton alive after the fiasco about "criminal investigations" from last week. If anyone were to support Hilary or Obama for the personal reasons that are given in this piece then MD would direct all her venom them for using the death of a loved one. In her addled football, family tragedy, and the fate of a nation all role into one. I trust that YP Biden will find a dignified way to renounce this idiocy very soon.
Ms. Dowd, Biden will never win. You know that. The real question for you is do you support Bernie Sanders, or not? Are his ideas and his words, words you can actually trust, unlike those of Obama or Clinton, in synch with your own? Do you believe the country needs an intelligent progressive with integrity in the White House and will you throw your support behind him now? Now is the time. Not after it has become safe to take an unprincipled stand. Bernie needs and deserves highly-respected media personalities to say, once, and for all, integrity matters. He has raised tons of money and none of it has corrupted him. Hillary is as corrupt as the day is long. When is that going to matter to members of the political news media?
2
Biden's not intellectually qualified to be President. We've been lucky Obama's remained in good health thus far.
Who cares what Beau Biden thought? He was just another opportunist with a front row seat on the Nepotism Express. Yes, just another Tagg Romney. This long period of national grieving over a nobody is getting uncomfortable.
Who cares what Beau Biden thought? He was just another opportunist with a front row seat on the Nepotism Express. Yes, just another Tagg Romney. This long period of national grieving over a nobody is getting uncomfortable.
2
Joe Biden would be a very welcome addition to the field. I fear more bad news will be coming out re: Hillary Clinton, Huma Abedin and the gang. The intrepid (and liberal) Associated Press has been waiting almost three years for emails from Huma Abedin. This past week a federal judge yelled at the State Department attorneys for not fulfilling the request.
1
I think the UBS revelation in Maureen's column is the most startling. That's a big Swiss bank cutting a deal with a high American official to get a bunch of wealthy American citizens off the hook for possible criminal tax evasion. Who were these wealthy Americans? Do any of them contribute to PACS?
And then the soft payoffs to the Clintons. This is the type of public behavior which defines the term "Clintonesque" to most Americans.
And then the soft payoffs to the Clintons. This is the type of public behavior which defines the term "Clintonesque" to most Americans.
1
It appears that Donald Trump taking her spotlight and now a criminal email investigation has made Hillary Clinton a bit defensive. According to a report this afternoon, Hillary lost her cool with reporters outside an Iowa diner this morning shouting “This was supposed to be the summer of Hillary!” Biden getting into the race is not going to make her happy. http://bit.ly/1TWW7XK
2
Maureen,
The royal Clintons "disclosed" today they collected-never earned- 140 mil in 8 short years. Madam neo-con collected a whopping 10 mil in 2013 alone giving- get this- speeches! What exactly did she say to get paid this obscene money? Does anyone know what the Clintons do for living? What trade/profession they are in to have this kind of wealth? These are the same Clintons that claimed to be penniless-dead broke in 2000!
We- taxpayers- have been footing the bill for the Clintons illegal shenanigans since their days in ARK 35 years ago. Costly investigations into: White Water land deals, overnight stay @ HW /AF1 seats for highest bidders, Monica's debacle, presidential pardons for sale, and now her private e-mail systems as SoS. Cutting corners, manipulations, deceptions, lies, shadowy deal, not only are their trademarks,it's in their DNA. Everywhere they went (governor mansion, WH, DoS), the masquerading Clintons bring their distasteful scandalous behavior with them.
The royal Clintons "disclosed" today they collected-never earned- 140 mil in 8 short years. Madam neo-con collected a whopping 10 mil in 2013 alone giving- get this- speeches! What exactly did she say to get paid this obscene money? Does anyone know what the Clintons do for living? What trade/profession they are in to have this kind of wealth? These are the same Clintons that claimed to be penniless-dead broke in 2000!
We- taxpayers- have been footing the bill for the Clintons illegal shenanigans since their days in ARK 35 years ago. Costly investigations into: White Water land deals, overnight stay @ HW /AF1 seats for highest bidders, Monica's debacle, presidential pardons for sale, and now her private e-mail systems as SoS. Cutting corners, manipulations, deceptions, lies, shadowy deal, not only are their trademarks,it's in their DNA. Everywhere they went (governor mansion, WH, DoS), the masquerading Clintons bring their distasteful scandalous behavior with them.
1
Ms. Dowd, perhaps you can step back and lay off. Mr. Biden does not need your advice or pressure. Certainly your intense and far too obvious dislike of the Clintons is a weak rationale for him to run. The only adequate reason is known to Mr. Biden. My view is that he will do good no matter where he ends up. Much like Pres. Carter, the whole world is open to him as a free-agent and he could be so effective as an independent voice. Mr. Biden has so much to offer and can make change without the drag of political office.
1
Though I have long since given up on Maureen Dowd adding anything of substance to the conversation, a column ostensibly about Joe Biden (but actually a chance for Dowd to launch an ad hominem attack on people she doesn't like), does bring up the possibility of a Biden candidacy.
Joe Biden and Jim Webb.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden and Jon Huntsman.
I'd go for any of those, though Huntsman might be the complementary best.
Though Bill Clinton was astute as a campaigner with his "It's the economy, stupid!" slogan, America in 2016 will very much need a President well versed in foreign affairs. A complex world mandates a President with experience.
Of course if anyone other than Hillary Clinton is nominated, the Republicans will be hiring a million trolls to claim online they're Democrats who are staying home on Election Day, because the Democrats turned their backs on a woman.
Actually, it would be appropriate for the Republicans to nominate a woman, Carly Fiorina. Best I can tell she is an excellent example of the Republicans' claim of what you get with affirmative action: unqualified people holding jobs. The Democrats campaign would likely put up billboards with her name on it over a share of Hewlett Packard stock up in flames.
I must admit, though, that I admire her chutzpah, running as the experienced and knowledgeable business candidate. Kind of like the kid who kills his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.
Joe Biden and Jim Webb.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden and Jon Huntsman.
I'd go for any of those, though Huntsman might be the complementary best.
Though Bill Clinton was astute as a campaigner with his "It's the economy, stupid!" slogan, America in 2016 will very much need a President well versed in foreign affairs. A complex world mandates a President with experience.
Of course if anyone other than Hillary Clinton is nominated, the Republicans will be hiring a million trolls to claim online they're Democrats who are staying home on Election Day, because the Democrats turned their backs on a woman.
Actually, it would be appropriate for the Republicans to nominate a woman, Carly Fiorina. Best I can tell she is an excellent example of the Republicans' claim of what you get with affirmative action: unqualified people holding jobs. The Democrats campaign would likely put up billboards with her name on it over a share of Hewlett Packard stock up in flames.
I must admit, though, that I admire her chutzpah, running as the experienced and knowledgeable business candidate. Kind of like the kid who kills his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.
1
Oh please Boy Blunder Biden run run run! America needs a laugh.
1
Joe Biden.
Anita Hill.
Some of us haven't forgotten the way she was openly lynched during the Thomas hearings. Incredibly, Thomas was confirmed.
Both of those political facts are on Biden.
WWBHD? He wouldn't have tolerated the way Hill was treated, and he would have made sure Thomas didn't get confirmed.
Anita Hill.
Some of us haven't forgotten the way she was openly lynched during the Thomas hearings. Incredibly, Thomas was confirmed.
Both of those political facts are on Biden.
WWBHD? He wouldn't have tolerated the way Hill was treated, and he would have made sure Thomas didn't get confirmed.
2
I wanted Biden in '08. I still want Biden. The man has more class than any of the current candidates. He is a foreign policy marvel. He could be a great president.
Somehow one feels among the Clintonians being a good honest person is not a necessary quality for the nation's highest office with a finger on the red button, but being super ambitious is.
If Biden is who he thinks he is, a honest public servant above anything else, he not only should run but is obligated to run. Other wise what's the difference between this country and all the countries she supposed to bring "democracy" to?
If Biden is who he thinks he is, a honest public servant above anything else, he not only should run but is obligated to run. Other wise what's the difference between this country and all the countries she supposed to bring "democracy" to?
1
I would so, so welcome a Joe Biden candidacy. He is everything that Hillary is not. Ethical. Sincere. Authentic. Anti-elitist. In touch with working class, middle class folks and their needs. Free of the baggage. And a good speaker who can actually persuade independent minded voters like me to move a tad to the left.
I encourage him to make the sacrifice and run.
I encourage him to make the sacrifice and run.
1
Biden of all the politicians I can think of is clearly the most likeable of the lot. He is who he is, a genuinely fine human being. The absolute antithesis of The Donald.
I would vote (with no enthusiasm) for Hillary. I would enjoy pulling the lever for Joe.
I would vote (with no enthusiasm) for Hillary. I would enjoy pulling the lever for Joe.
Mo, you must be pretty desperate about Hillary Clinton becoming President to exploit Joe Biden's recent tragedy as a way of guilt-tripping him into running for the job himself. Americans have looked Joe over twice, and twice rejected him as a candidate for President, in 1988, and in 2008. Do you really think that they will vote for him a 3rd time out of sympathy for the fact that his son, Beau, recently died of cancer at a young age? This seems highly unlikely. Biden is a good man, but his time has come and gone to be elected to the highest office of the land.
As for Howard Schultz, I'm guessing he is too smart to run for the Presidency, especially this time around, with Hillary's people foaming at the mouth to get her elected. One way, or another, they could offer a series of carrots to Mr. Schultz to convince him not to attempt such a foolish thing at this time, and if those didn't work, they could promise to beat him with a few metaphorical sticks. He might even make a good running mate for her. You know the old adage about a man becoming Vice President, and never being heard from again. They could bury Howard with offers of office.
As it is now, former Maryland governor, Martin O'Malley is Plan B for the Democrats if, God forbid, Hillary or her family members become sick, or die, before she gets elected. From the look of things, she will beat Jeb Bush by a narrow margin, and we will have our first female President of the United States. Then the fun starts.
so another old white progressive wants to get in the race and is going to use the death of his son as a pretext to run for president. i can see the slogan now, vote for me that's what beau would want. that is about as low as any politician can sink even this clueless clown.
2
Joe Biden was my number-one choice in 2008 until the tide turned decidedly toward Obama. I felt good about that and delighted that Obama selected Biden as VP. I've been tepid in my support of Hillary and would still support her but would roundly welcome Biden into the race -- if he so desires. I think he is the man who could heal this country.
Suppose Hillary Clinton were one of the Republican 2016 presidential candidates. Given her noncommitment to restoring Glass-Steagall, the TPP, and a variety of corporate issues, she resembles more the old-fashioned moderate Republican than a progressive Democrat
Clinton's stand on issues aside, what would Democrats be saying about her character, lapses in judgment, personality, and the possibility of her being elected as a Republican to be President of the United States? Who would the Democrats want to run against her, and why?
Hillary is not pulling in the swing states, and both Republican and Democratic candidates need the Independent vote to win. I think this is where Joe Biden could be stronger than Hillary in swing states, among Independents, and perhaps gain some cross-over votes from Republicans (as several comments here and in the other NYT article on Biden indicate). Also, Joe has the likability factor, which should make the Republicans look especially mean-spirited if they try to trash him--particularly after all he has been through and given to this country (without being money grabbing or mean himself).
Democrats cannot afford to lose in 2016, or if they do, away goes the U.S. down the right-wing, corporatist, religious fundamentalist, social and economic injustice Republican drain
Hillary, Biden, Bernie, O'Malley, Chafee, and Webb all deserve to be heard and to debate each other for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. A deep bench will help the Dems
Clinton's stand on issues aside, what would Democrats be saying about her character, lapses in judgment, personality, and the possibility of her being elected as a Republican to be President of the United States? Who would the Democrats want to run against her, and why?
Hillary is not pulling in the swing states, and both Republican and Democratic candidates need the Independent vote to win. I think this is where Joe Biden could be stronger than Hillary in swing states, among Independents, and perhaps gain some cross-over votes from Republicans (as several comments here and in the other NYT article on Biden indicate). Also, Joe has the likability factor, which should make the Republicans look especially mean-spirited if they try to trash him--particularly after all he has been through and given to this country (without being money grabbing or mean himself).
Democrats cannot afford to lose in 2016, or if they do, away goes the U.S. down the right-wing, corporatist, religious fundamentalist, social and economic injustice Republican drain
Hillary, Biden, Bernie, O'Malley, Chafee, and Webb all deserve to be heard and to debate each other for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. A deep bench will help the Dems
1
It is in a very, very poor taste where this article writes about the deep personal tragedies in the life of Joe Biden.
Being neither a Republican nor Democrat, I view the current lists of candidates as made of insignificant entities, while I fear a repeat of another unknown, like Carter or Clinton, winning the party nomination and being elected. As to Hillary Clinton, her email messages are nothing but a storm in a tea pot. A much more serious issue for someone who wishes to be the Commander in Chief, is her lack of warrior's spirit, à la Madeleine Albright, and submissiveness to the amorous indiscretions of her husband while President.
Being neither a Republican nor Democrat, I view the current lists of candidates as made of insignificant entities, while I fear a repeat of another unknown, like Carter or Clinton, winning the party nomination and being elected. As to Hillary Clinton, her email messages are nothing but a storm in a tea pot. A much more serious issue for someone who wishes to be the Commander in Chief, is her lack of warrior's spirit, à la Madeleine Albright, and submissiveness to the amorous indiscretions of her husband while President.
I would support Biden. We need a capable president with charm and grace and humor and especially one who is real as represented--also a President we can trust. I think Biden fits that description. Hillary does not
5
If we ever decide to pick a common person, someone like ourselves, it would be a candidate like Vice President Biden. I hope he does decide to run, the country and the Democratic party needs as many good alternatives as possible.
Powerful and convincing. Do we want those who feel entitled and pursuing what they believe is best for them or those considering what might be best for their country?
1
Joe has proven himself over the years to be a decent man and would pull the country back to a more stable place. The other Democrat candidates (current) are either too extreme or too interested in building a fortune regardless of the favors owed.
I think it was the private server that Hillary set up that just has me shaking my head in disbelief. I probably would have held my nose and voted for her just because the Republican picks are so god awful, but now I just will not vote for her. Period. I will write in someone I like if I make it to the polls. She is fake, conniving, indecisive, unable to formulate an opinion on basic topics. She waits to see which way the political winds are blowing before she takes a stand. She is not a leader. I just voted two times for a lead-from-behind politician, and have had 7 years of apoplectically pulling my hair out as my 'change' guy became a progressive Democrat in name only. I will not ever make that mistake again, and I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. Period.
2
It's not my family, so I feel hesitant commenting, yet I do find the "Do it for Beau" idea exploitative. If Joe Biden chooses to run, that's his choice. If I choose to vote for him, that's mine. Let's let the deceased rest in peace.
146
Bernie Sanders "could be approaching his ceiling in the early primary states"? Really Maureen, what proof do you have of that? His crowds keep getting larger and larger.
1
Zogby, the pollster, albeit with a conservative bent, says that Hillary Clinton is falling like a rock. Politico reports that 30 lawsuits in several courts now exist regarding her e-mails and other records. And the campaigning is just starting to warm up! What lies in wait? Whatever negatives Mrs. Clinton has these days, she's brought upon herself. Maureen Dowd's criticisms of Clinton are not responsible for Jeb Bush catching up to her poll numbers in a most recent poll. Time is passing. Joe Biden is unannounced; speculation about him is indeed just that. Yet there's always been a wish for an alternative to Clinton, a wish likely to strengthen. Biden carries a broader acceptance than Sanders; for starters, people know him. After several of his prior attempts, the country may be finally ready for Joe Biden.
2
Well, we have zipped past Pluto and took some amazing pictures, and more good information will be coming. A bonus for us and for the human race in this raging era of greed.
If Biden zips past Hillary another bonus for us and the world.
I have always admired and trusted Biden. Not only would he make a good president, he might bring out our better selves and instead of greed winning all the time, decency and honor might prevail.
If Biden zips past Hillary another bonus for us and the world.
I have always admired and trusted Biden. Not only would he make a good president, he might bring out our better selves and instead of greed winning all the time, decency and honor might prevail.
Come November 2016, it will be BIDEN against JEB BUSH. I'll most probably vote for BIDEN but I will be comfortable with either. I have problems with both parties but we should be voting for people, not for parties.
1
Joe Biden is a great guy, who has suffered a terrible loss this year. Joan Didion described the impact of that type of loss in her book, "A Year of Magical Thinking" It would be unwise for him to make this decision but I can't imagine the pressure his staff is giving him to make the run. I have seen it before with Mario Cuomo, when so many sycophants wanted him to run, in part because they saw themselves in the West Wing or in a cabinet position. Mario had the courage to make his own correct decision, and I hope Joe will too. I hope he will see that his favorability rankings are at their peek as a non candidate and that they will drop ten points as soon as his hat hits the ring.
Say it ain't so Joe.
Say it ain't so Joe.
2
The same press that is building Biden up while he remains on the sidelines would rip him to shreds as a candidate, just like it did in 1987 and 2007. If he doesn't know that, he's a bigger buffoon than most people think.
3
John Connelly! Anybody remember his Presidential campaign? He had the money, the looks, the connections, resume, and was a great speaker. And, he had been shot in Dallas, at the same time as John Kennedy. And...Connelly lived!
But Connelly didn't resonate with the American voters. Despite spending LOTS of money he received very few votes in New Hampshire.
I am reasonably sure Jeb Bush will meet the same fate. His campaign will vacation by June. And, I wonder about Hilary Clinton's campaign. Money, fame, and tenacity are sometimes not enough. She will trudge on regardless, so, if she stumbles early the quality of her challenger's campaign will matter more in the end than how strong he or she might appear in the beginning.
Can Joe Biden (or Bernie Sanders) build an organization capable of taking on the Clintons? Barak Obama did.
One would have to say the odds are thin...and Biden has his own closet full of faux pas and mixed history. Frankly, I don't see Joe getting elected. But...I can see Hillary stumbling, reinventing herself--again, and again--and possibly losing her temper in a distasteful way. Then Joe would look pretty good to democrats.
And, remember, the Republicans will not present a strong candidate despite what must be considered a golden Republican opportunity.
Joe in '16? Why Not? Count me in!
But Connelly didn't resonate with the American voters. Despite spending LOTS of money he received very few votes in New Hampshire.
I am reasonably sure Jeb Bush will meet the same fate. His campaign will vacation by June. And, I wonder about Hilary Clinton's campaign. Money, fame, and tenacity are sometimes not enough. She will trudge on regardless, so, if she stumbles early the quality of her challenger's campaign will matter more in the end than how strong he or she might appear in the beginning.
Can Joe Biden (or Bernie Sanders) build an organization capable of taking on the Clintons? Barak Obama did.
One would have to say the odds are thin...and Biden has his own closet full of faux pas and mixed history. Frankly, I don't see Joe getting elected. But...I can see Hillary stumbling, reinventing herself--again, and again--and possibly losing her temper in a distasteful way. Then Joe would look pretty good to democrats.
And, remember, the Republicans will not present a strong candidate despite what must be considered a golden Republican opportunity.
Joe in '16? Why Not? Count me in!
I have always liked and respected Joe Biden. Also being in my 70's and who, like Vice President Biden, frequently lacks a filter between my brain ad my mouth, I have always appreciated his honesty and forthright opinions. How refreshing that would be in comparison to the scheming Hilary and outrageously ignorant and evil Republicans. Give it a shot Joe - you are part of a very successful administration and that record should continue.
1
Not getting support for your 2016 presidential run? Well just use your dead veteran son for the sympathy vote! Low. Classless. Disgraceful. Shame on you Joe Biden.
1
Joe Biden was my choice to follow Obama from early on. I think Hillary would have been a better president than Obama eight years ago and the country would be in better shape if she had been elected. She's now eight years older, and the press, particularly the NYTs, has had eight additional years to slime her. I believe I saw the Times own Paul Krugman refer to the Clinton rules a few days ago. Criminal referrals anyone? The problem is that while the media have been presenting the Clintons as sleazy since the '90s, more recently they have bee presenting Biden as goofy. I happen to think he is an authentic human being who lets his honest reactions show, as opposed to the scripted politicians we have come to expect, but my opinion does not matter. The question is whether the press has already destroyed him as a credible candidate.
No one in the GOP field has distinguished himself (or herself, in Fiorina's case) in a positive way. Neither has Hillary Clinton. They all act like they are in a race to the bottom. America deserves better than them.
While I will withhold judgment on a possible Biden candidacy until he actually decides to run and gives us a chance to judge him, for now I think Biden would be a breath of fresh air after weeks and months of shenanigans from Trump, Clinton, Bush, Rubio and all the rest of the no-name wannabes.
While I will withhold judgment on a possible Biden candidacy until he actually decides to run and gives us a chance to judge him, for now I think Biden would be a breath of fresh air after weeks and months of shenanigans from Trump, Clinton, Bush, Rubio and all the rest of the no-name wannabes.
2
Why bother with Joe?
Why not go right to his brain trust and nominate Neil Kinnock.
Kinnock might be able to squeeze a campaign into his so busy schedule these days.
Why not go right to his brain trust and nominate Neil Kinnock.
Kinnock might be able to squeeze a campaign into his so busy schedule these days.
1
To paraphrase Shakespeare, it's not that I love Hillary less but I love Joe more.
1
Anyone But Hillary Clinton. This country can do better. FAR better.
2
I wait with bated breath to see how the Hillary haters contort themselves to support Biden. He voted for NATFA, DADT, and DOMA. He largely authored the Patriot Act, it was Biden responsible for it, not Bush. He also voted for the war in Iraq and the troop surges in Afghanistan. He and Obama support the TPP. He is to the RIGHT of Hillary, and for those who say Hillary is too old - Biden is older. As for those who say Hillary can't change Washington, Biden has been in Washington twice as long. This ought to be interesting. And then those environmentalists concerned with alternative fuels should check out Joe in his anti-green convertible Corvette! No Prius for our beloved Joe! Maybe that is why he hasn't decided on the Keystone Pipeline?
4
Joe Biden is the Democrats answer to Donald Trump, just missing a few billion dollars. I have never back away from saying the reason i voted for Obama/Biden was Joe Biden. Besides Joe Biden was President in 2008, for like 1 minute!
Joe Biden is a decent man but not the brightest crayon in the box, with a weakness for embellishing on the facts of his life. In Robert M. Gates’s unsparing account of his days as defense secretary, Hillary fared a lot better than either Biden or Obama, for that matter:
"While Mr. Gates wrote that ...Mr. Biden had an unerring capacity to be wrong on big issues, Mrs. Clinton was, in his words, “smart, idealistic but pragmatic, tough-minded, indefatigable, a very valuable colleague, and a superb representative of the United States all over the world."
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/us/politics/gates-memoir-portrays-w...
"While Mr. Gates wrote that ...Mr. Biden had an unerring capacity to be wrong on big issues, Mrs. Clinton was, in his words, “smart, idealistic but pragmatic, tough-minded, indefatigable, a very valuable colleague, and a superb representative of the United States all over the world."
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/us/politics/gates-memoir-portrays-w...
2
The 2016 presidential talent pool is so disappointingly shallow that having Crazy Uncle Joe around to perform belly flops off the high dive would certainly add some much needed giggles. Run Joe Run!
Biden makes Sarah Palin sound like a genius.
I would be thrilled if Joe Biden makes a run for the nomination. He has been in politics for a huge portion of his life, but he has remained a real human beiing and has not become an overproduced product rattling off appropriate sound bites for every occasion. He has a deep understanding of the foreign policy challenges facing the United States. This progressive Democrat would support him wholeheartedly.
Too bad Beau Biden isn't with us.
We've probably never had a case where a father-and-son team actually were, at least superficially, qualified to run as president and vice-president, respectively.
Actually Beau, in spite of his political and military service, probably wouldn't really be vice-president and, thus, president.
But Beau Biden is more qualified to be president than all of the current GOP crowd.
We've probably never had a case where a father-and-son team actually were, at least superficially, qualified to run as president and vice-president, respectively.
Actually Beau, in spite of his political and military service, probably wouldn't really be vice-president and, thus, president.
But Beau Biden is more qualified to be president than all of the current GOP crowd.
If elected, Biden would become president at 74, four years older than Reagan when he took office. My guess is he would be a one-term president. Not knocking older candidates and the experience they bring, but the rigors of the office are a factor to consider. If only he were a decade younger.
1
Before any one supports Biden, they should remember that, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he is totally responsible for allowing Clarence Thomas, that Scalia me too-er, on the Supreme Court. Rather than go through chapter and verse here, I'd suggest the movie "Anita," it on one of the major streaming services. He could have stopped a major force of evil and failed to. For me, that's a fatal error.
1
VP Biden would make a more effective president than anyone running, Republican or Democrat. I'm no political pollster, but I think he has a real shot at the nomination and the Presidency. We could use a guy that has the experience, the relationships, and the depth of understanding of what the country needs. These are perilous times. I hope he runs.
Hillary is a contrived candidate. Joe Biden's entrance into the mix would proffer the promise of real choice, not just a chance that we can actually elect a woman candidate.
These times require more than a misguided sexist mission. Bush or Biden could work well with Congress to get things done. But with the possibility of 3 supreme court nominations in the offing, I would favor a centrist like Bush over the continued left-leaning course the court and the country have taken.
These times require more than a misguided sexist mission. Bush or Biden could work well with Congress to get things done. But with the possibility of 3 supreme court nominations in the offing, I would favor a centrist like Bush over the continued left-leaning course the court and the country have taken.
V. P. Joe Biden should run for President.
Our government's politicians need to stand down from their blind opposition to virtually anything offered by 'the other side'. We need a peacemaker, a schmoozer, to bridge the political voids so governing for long term goals can resume and three week highway bills and repeated continuing resolutions are no more. The latter being first hand proof of Congressional incompetence.
Another Clinton, especially Hillary, will deliver evasiveness and confrontation -- the last thing we need.
So Mr Biden, how about running?
We need you.
Our government's politicians need to stand down from their blind opposition to virtually anything offered by 'the other side'. We need a peacemaker, a schmoozer, to bridge the political voids so governing for long term goals can resume and three week highway bills and repeated continuing resolutions are no more. The latter being first hand proof of Congressional incompetence.
Another Clinton, especially Hillary, will deliver evasiveness and confrontation -- the last thing we need.
So Mr Biden, how about running?
We need you.
2
I remember Vice President Biden in the Congress during the horror of the Vietnam Police Action. (war). Biden was a clear voice opposed to that unnecessary carnage.
His ability to express himself has been criticized by repressed people who want all politicians to be quiet and mouse like.
Once upon a time, it would have been unthinkable for a VP not to run for the #1 office; with Cheney that became a no brainer. His age and his poor health made him an unlikely choice. Al Gore ran, and won the popular vote and the Supreme Court handed the election to the loser of all time, G.W. "Bushwhacker". Bush's going along with the Saudis, invaded Iraq after mostly Saudi pilots brought us 9-11.
Hillary showed a scorn for the nation setting up a private email account as Secretary of State, and that was insane, and may well be her Achilles Heel. I am for Biden, should he decide to run.
His ability to express himself has been criticized by repressed people who want all politicians to be quiet and mouse like.
Once upon a time, it would have been unthinkable for a VP not to run for the #1 office; with Cheney that became a no brainer. His age and his poor health made him an unlikely choice. Al Gore ran, and won the popular vote and the Supreme Court handed the election to the loser of all time, G.W. "Bushwhacker". Bush's going along with the Saudis, invaded Iraq after mostly Saudi pilots brought us 9-11.
Hillary showed a scorn for the nation setting up a private email account as Secretary of State, and that was insane, and may well be her Achilles Heel. I am for Biden, should he decide to run.
1
This piece was a little omniscient for my taste, from Dowd's characterization that Biden lost "his beautiful first wife" in 1973 to almost telepathic communications between the VP and his late son.
As far as HRC, I have to wonder if anything on the internet can truly be "deleted" or erased forever. If a hacker group should claim to have recovered the missing emails, that would surely derail what's left of her campaign. Even if they simply fabricated some outrageous phantom missives, if it were a sophisticated job her denials would force the voters to decide who they trusted more, wouldn't it? And unless you can put a crazy face to the other side, she's bound to lose that this early on.
Her campaign should just go ahead and release some obviously forged "recoveries" under such a premise to sabotage any subsequent attempt in advance.
But in any case, the phrase "missing emails" is so reminiscent of "missing tapes" that she can't help but draw parallels to Mr. Nixon no matter what.
As far as HRC, I have to wonder if anything on the internet can truly be "deleted" or erased forever. If a hacker group should claim to have recovered the missing emails, that would surely derail what's left of her campaign. Even if they simply fabricated some outrageous phantom missives, if it were a sophisticated job her denials would force the voters to decide who they trusted more, wouldn't it? And unless you can put a crazy face to the other side, she's bound to lose that this early on.
Her campaign should just go ahead and release some obviously forged "recoveries" under such a premise to sabotage any subsequent attempt in advance.
But in any case, the phrase "missing emails" is so reminiscent of "missing tapes" that she can't help but draw parallels to Mr. Nixon no matter what.
I like this. While I have a lot of respect for Bernie Sanders and am glad he's joined the conversation, recent appearances have indicated that his repertoire is limited, and he's not quite ready for a national stage: his reducing everything to economics makes him not different enough from the Republican candidates who substitute ideology for governance. If we're going to have a quirky old white man join the race, I'd rather have Jerry Brown, but since he's wise enough to sit this one out, I'll go with the guy who I think may be the greatest vice-president of my lifetime. Go Biden!
I agree completely with the portrayal of Vice President Biden. A class act, in every respect and a true credit to our country in every respect.
However, I think the use of his son's loss, and the" bedside urging description" by his son Beau as grotesque and intentionally sensational, using this unimagineable loss as a kind of "sympathy" card for people at large to consider Mr. Biden.
Wose is , the usual hatred of the Clintons which Ms. Dowd continually hones and I find increasingly objectionable. The seed of dislike for the Clinton's is beginning to take root and bloom like a skunk cabbage. The idea that Tom Brady and Hillary Clinton are somehow comparable because of their email issues is absurd. Increasingly Ms. Dowd is fanning the flames of her own flamboyant writing style, like a kid who is throwing sticks on a bonfire, and it makes me sick. If she wants to make a case for this honorable and thoroughly decent and loved public servant, why use such theatrics to get your point across. She displays scant sensitivity for decency in her article, why should we take her suggestions for president with any more than a grain of salt.
However, I think the use of his son's loss, and the" bedside urging description" by his son Beau as grotesque and intentionally sensational, using this unimagineable loss as a kind of "sympathy" card for people at large to consider Mr. Biden.
Wose is , the usual hatred of the Clintons which Ms. Dowd continually hones and I find increasingly objectionable. The seed of dislike for the Clinton's is beginning to take root and bloom like a skunk cabbage. The idea that Tom Brady and Hillary Clinton are somehow comparable because of their email issues is absurd. Increasingly Ms. Dowd is fanning the flames of her own flamboyant writing style, like a kid who is throwing sticks on a bonfire, and it makes me sick. If she wants to make a case for this honorable and thoroughly decent and loved public servant, why use such theatrics to get your point across. She displays scant sensitivity for decency in her article, why should we take her suggestions for president with any more than a grain of salt.
5
I believe the Clintons are hucksters and under no circumstances will I vote for her. Easy to say for her underhanded dealings, the money laundering Clinton Foundation, will be her undoing. In Roget's Thesaurus Clinton and Nixon will be synonyms.
1
When then Senator Biden closed the Senate hearings on Justice Thomas before the anti Thomas folks had a fair hearing he made a grievous error! The country has suffered as a result.
I find that Vice President Biden has been a fine human being and has given
our country great service with honor and grace.
His so called gaffes add to his charm, but the error made in the Thomas hearings lives on to the detriment of all.
Leonard Cohen
I find that Vice President Biden has been a fine human being and has given
our country great service with honor and grace.
His so called gaffes add to his charm, but the error made in the Thomas hearings lives on to the detriment of all.
Leonard Cohen
2
The prospect of voting for Hillary Clinton is a disturbing one. There is too much to distrust, too much to cringe at. Biden would be a much better choice. I won't vote Republican, but if Hillary Clinton is the nominee I may not mark a vote for the position of President.
2
It seems Democrats only love Hillary until another viable Democrat enters the race. It also seems that this love for Hillary is based primarily on hers and Bill's ability to raise money.
And is not that not the reason why the media gives scant credence to Sanders is his commitment to small donations (and the silly Socialist label; before calling Sanders a socialist, the media should explain that Medicare and Social Security are Socialist). Biden, also, was seen as unelectable because he could not raise vast sums.
The number of dollars should not determine the viability of candidate, but the number of votes. We know money is the root of all evil; it's also destroying whatever little democracy we have.
And is not that not the reason why the media gives scant credence to Sanders is his commitment to small donations (and the silly Socialist label; before calling Sanders a socialist, the media should explain that Medicare and Social Security are Socialist). Biden, also, was seen as unelectable because he could not raise vast sums.
The number of dollars should not determine the viability of candidate, but the number of votes. We know money is the root of all evil; it's also destroying whatever little democracy we have.
2
Robert Gates had the judgment that Joe Biden is a nice man who was wrong about every major policy initiative. Joe Biden is too old and filled with bad ideas. We need more than amiability, and I'm not sure that he truly has that. The Clintons are power-hungry narcissists. If they could be honest and forthright, I would love to read any insights they could provide about successful marriage, with examples drawn from their own. Bush 43 seems a decent man but ruined the franchise for his family. If Bill Gates, Robert Gates, George Shultz, William Perry, Steven Chu, John Roberts and Elena Kagan would have, say, a three day conference for the purpose of making a presidential nominee recommendation, I would vote for their choice. Let's get brains with integrity involved. I'm joking but I'm not.
Well that was certainly annoying. There is, after all, an experienced, knowledgable candidate in the Democratic field named Jim Webb who gets no mention here. Like the Starbucks leader, Webb's not a political lifer, but he's had experience as a leader in the Pentagon in a Republican administration in the '80s and as a Democratic senator more more recently. While others, like Clinton and Biden, have spent there lives in DC, he's been a journalist and fiction writer in between stints of public service. Oh yeah, and then there's decorated Vietnam combat leader part that none of the other candidates can even fathom. And he refuses any PAC contributions and bases his campaign on individual donors. Yet he merits zero mention here. What's up with that?
1
It is somewhat amazing, although not unanticipated, that another Times reporter can come up with a sentence like, "Bernie Sanders, already approaching his ceiling in early states," while offering no evidence this is the case. I like Joe Biden and I think, for Democrats, he will be an excellent alternative to Hillary Clinton. However many of us are as upset with the political duopoly as we are with the candidates they try to force feed us. For the primaries I have registered as a Democrat to vote for Bernie Sanders.
4
I'd love to see the VP or Howard Schultz run. Biden has always seemed to be a man of integrity, and Schultz's concerns about American decline are authentic. Sadly, I don't see either scenario happening. The electoral machine is gearing up, and the big money is betting on Hillary - we've become such an oligarchy that it's pretty much a given (and I'm willing to bet the farm on this) that we're getting Clinton v Bush again. It's what the establishment dictates.
If Hillary doesn't have a good answer by now about why she used a private server and why she deleted thousands of e mails, she doesn't have a good answer. I can't believe there were thousands of emails of wedding preparation, or that any would have been as embarrassing as the thought she is doing a massive cover up.
It would also be good if she had an insightful answer for why people don't trust her. She says a right wing conspiracy, again, and it was wrong the first time.
I'm not a Republican, I'm beyond a Democrat and would call myself a progressive. If I have these thoughts, it's a very big problem.
Run, Joe, run.
It would also be good if she had an insightful answer for why people don't trust her. She says a right wing conspiracy, again, and it was wrong the first time.
I'm not a Republican, I'm beyond a Democrat and would call myself a progressive. If I have these thoughts, it's a very big problem.
Run, Joe, run.
I'm with you, Maureen. We need a real Democrat! Joe in 2016!
Biden was my first choice last election. I do think character is the most important quality in a president.
This ideas that presidents have to be smart is wrong. They can't be dumb of course, but super smart is probably a negative. They have to relate to people and smart can get in the way, of course. Washington was of moderate intellect. Probably the smartest president we've had is Clinton. I don't see that it their mental ability helped Clinton much or hurt Washington at all!
This ideas that presidents have to be smart is wrong. They can't be dumb of course, but super smart is probably a negative. They have to relate to people and smart can get in the way, of course. Washington was of moderate intellect. Probably the smartest president we've had is Clinton. I don't see that it their mental ability helped Clinton much or hurt Washington at all!
Joe Biden's integrity, humor and frankness is precisely what America needs. We are on the edge of a new unsettled global reality born of climate change, resource depletion and reactionary movements. We're facing it with aged and eroding material infrastructure, a sclerotic economy and a rudderless bipartisan political establishment.
Regurgitating yesterday's corrupt and failed leadership be it Bush or Clinton is hardly the answer. What's needed today is a progressive and inclusive vision of America's future in this new reality and someone who can clearly articulate the way forward. We haven't had that since the JFK/LBJ years. Joe Biden offers our best hope for the kind of transformational leadership many of us expected after 2008.
Regurgitating yesterday's corrupt and failed leadership be it Bush or Clinton is hardly the answer. What's needed today is a progressive and inclusive vision of America's future in this new reality and someone who can clearly articulate the way forward. We haven't had that since the JFK/LBJ years. Joe Biden offers our best hope for the kind of transformational leadership many of us expected after 2008.
2
"As a little boy, Beau helped get his father through the tragedy of losing his beautiful first wife ... in the car crash that injured Beau and his brother, Hunter."
I guess if his wife hadn't been beautiful the tragedy would have been less.
When are journalists going to stop categorizing women by their looks?
I guess if his wife hadn't been beautiful the tragedy would have been less.
When are journalists going to stop categorizing women by their looks?
4
Joe Biden is authentic, genuine, and represents working class middle America better that any of the announced candidates in either party. His foreign policy and domestic policy experience is superior and uniquely qualifies him for the position. He can be trusted to say what he means and mean what he says.
2
After putting all eggs in the Hillary for president basket, there's a feeling of desperation now that her passion for the office, our passion for her and star are seeming to fade. Or is that only my interpretation. And although Joe Biden is highly experienced and a good decent man, it's hard to imagine him, even in the mind's eye, as our leader and leader of the free world. He's got "stuff" but is it "the right stuff?" Coming to these conclusions about both Hillary and Joe leaves a scary unacceptable void making denial an attractive defense mechanism. Thus I would vote for giving President Obama more terms. After all what other job lets go the most experienced. That's absurd. Of course keeping him is fantasy. So to whom do we turn. Bernie? Someone else? Yet, there's essentially no one inspirational whose interested and whose experience and policies and personality and qualifications make them head and shoulders above the rest. Help!
1
Even at this early stage of the campaign, it is possible to see Bernie Sanders exposing a major weakness in the Clinton campaign during the early primaries. All Sandeers has to do is remain very competive against the Clinton juggernaut.
The media concludes that suddenly Hilary is a hugely vulnerable candidate, if she cannot even handily defeat an upstart Sanders campaign.
The result is the party turning to Vice President Biden to save the 2016 Democratic presedential campaign.
The media concludes that suddenly Hilary is a hugely vulnerable candidate, if she cannot even handily defeat an upstart Sanders campaign.
The result is the party turning to Vice President Biden to save the 2016 Democratic presedential campaign.
There are a couple of things that, taken together, set the Vice President apart from all the other candidates. The first is the depth of both his legislative and executive experience. The second is his dedication to the democracy, which is at risk of becoming so befouled by money in government that it hardly seems to include "the people" anymore. He was used poorly by the President for most of his presidency, but he served the President well. That speaks to character.
We all watch the surveys that show the U.S. falling behind other first world nations in healthcare, education, vacation benefits, childcare, etc. We aren't keeping up with the infrastructure repairs. We let the few walk off with all the wealth and not pay in commensurately to the system that supports them. Hillary does not seem to have the vision that is necessary to address what is a developing crisis in this regard. The money and deal-making within the network of donors to the Clinton Foundation will likely destroy her candidacy at some point anyway.
If he runs or if he doesn't, Joe Biden's going to say something unscripted, like a real human being. He's exactly the person we need.
We all watch the surveys that show the U.S. falling behind other first world nations in healthcare, education, vacation benefits, childcare, etc. We aren't keeping up with the infrastructure repairs. We let the few walk off with all the wealth and not pay in commensurately to the system that supports them. Hillary does not seem to have the vision that is necessary to address what is a developing crisis in this regard. The money and deal-making within the network of donors to the Clinton Foundation will likely destroy her candidacy at some point anyway.
If he runs or if he doesn't, Joe Biden's going to say something unscripted, like a real human being. He's exactly the person we need.
This fuss about Hillary's e-mail server is very tiresome.
The fact is: Hillary did not break any rules in using a private e-mail account to conduct government business.
Maybe there should have been such rules in place sooner. And, if there had been such rules in place, maybe the State Department and the White House should have told her that she was required to use an official government e-mail account. This would be a very different "scandal" if government officials had told Hillary that the rules required her to use a government e-mail account, and she ignored them. But that never happened, did it?
The media and Hillary's irrational critics (one and the same in Maureen Dowd's case) are retroactively applying rules that took effect in 2014, long after Hillary left the State Department. This "scandal" is a very artificial concoction, and it reeks of a double standard.
The fact is: Hillary did not break any rules in using a private e-mail account to conduct government business.
Maybe there should have been such rules in place sooner. And, if there had been such rules in place, maybe the State Department and the White House should have told her that she was required to use an official government e-mail account. This would be a very different "scandal" if government officials had told Hillary that the rules required her to use a government e-mail account, and she ignored them. But that never happened, did it?
The media and Hillary's irrational critics (one and the same in Maureen Dowd's case) are retroactively applying rules that took effect in 2014, long after Hillary left the State Department. This "scandal" is a very artificial concoction, and it reeks of a double standard.
4
While I have a great deal of respect for Joe Biden, I have two problems with his possible presidential bid.
Joe Biden would be 74 years old when he took office, in January 2017. And, 78 years old when he left office, if he only served one term. I am not an ageist, however as I approach 70, I know my limitations, both intellectually, and physically, because of my age.
We need someone in the Whitehouse with vigor and stamina. Joe Biden has also had health problems in the past that could affect his ability to govern.
This country cannot afford a president who is in any way incapacitated.
The other problem I have with Joe Biden is his apparent inability to control his "impulsive utterances'.
It is essential that a president speaks thoughtfully, and diplomatically.
Joe Biden would be 74 years old when he took office, in January 2017. And, 78 years old when he left office, if he only served one term. I am not an ageist, however as I approach 70, I know my limitations, both intellectually, and physically, because of my age.
We need someone in the Whitehouse with vigor and stamina. Joe Biden has also had health problems in the past that could affect his ability to govern.
This country cannot afford a president who is in any way incapacitated.
The other problem I have with Joe Biden is his apparent inability to control his "impulsive utterances'.
It is essential that a president speaks thoughtfully, and diplomatically.
A Republican president with a Republican Congress would potentially mean:
Repeal of the ACA
A solidly ideologically right-wing, nativist, theocratic and rigid Supreme Court
Loss of contraceptive and abortion rights nationwide
Further restrictions on voting rights
Cuts in Social Security funding and eligibility disproportionately affecting the less affluent
Further regressiveness of the tax system
Cuts to federal subsidy of bridges, roads and other infrastructure and public education funding
Increased availability of guns
I don't think I will accept all this because of Dowd's psychologically interesting personal hatred of the Clintons
Repeal of the ACA
A solidly ideologically right-wing, nativist, theocratic and rigid Supreme Court
Loss of contraceptive and abortion rights nationwide
Further restrictions on voting rights
Cuts in Social Security funding and eligibility disproportionately affecting the less affluent
Further regressiveness of the tax system
Cuts to federal subsidy of bridges, roads and other infrastructure and public education funding
Increased availability of guns
I don't think I will accept all this because of Dowd's psychologically interesting personal hatred of the Clintons
5
The dysfunctional Congress hampering President Obama is unlikely to reverse course should any of the currently-known Democratic candidates win the presidency.
With neither a background in government machinery nor in foreign affairs, Howard Schultz is unprepared to lead the country. Business leaders with neither an education nor an experience in government policy and who subsequently presided over the country or held a Cabinet portfolio such as the Treasury (e.g. Hank Paulson) learned on the job at an exorbitant cost to the Nation.
On SALT II Treaty, the young Senator Joe Biden single-handedly committed veteran Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko to more concessions than President Jimmy Carter and his Secretary of State thought possible. His diplomatic achievements are case studies in diplomacy and strategic negotiation in several countries. Joe Biden has also a track record in trade negotiation, defense, healthcare and social justice. With an impeccable character and an unwavering commitment to the country, its people and a better world, Vice-President Biden instills pride, confidence and accountability and inspires trust and greatness as did Lincoln.
With neither a background in government machinery nor in foreign affairs, Howard Schultz is unprepared to lead the country. Business leaders with neither an education nor an experience in government policy and who subsequently presided over the country or held a Cabinet portfolio such as the Treasury (e.g. Hank Paulson) learned on the job at an exorbitant cost to the Nation.
On SALT II Treaty, the young Senator Joe Biden single-handedly committed veteran Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko to more concessions than President Jimmy Carter and his Secretary of State thought possible. His diplomatic achievements are case studies in diplomacy and strategic negotiation in several countries. Joe Biden has also a track record in trade negotiation, defense, healthcare and social justice. With an impeccable character and an unwavering commitment to the country, its people and a better world, Vice-President Biden instills pride, confidence and accountability and inspires trust and greatness as did Lincoln.
My dream ticket for 2016 is Biden for president and Obama for vice president. I believe that the Constitution would permit that.
But I also live in the real world. In politics as in the rest of life, one must frequently opt for the best possible imperfect action. So I will enthusiastically support Hillary Clinton. The Republicans are simply too dangerous to the nation and the world, and too despicable in every way to be permitted to win the presidency.
But I also live in the real world. In politics as in the rest of life, one must frequently opt for the best possible imperfect action. So I will enthusiastically support Hillary Clinton. The Republicans are simply too dangerous to the nation and the world, and too despicable in every way to be permitted to win the presidency.
1
Leaving aside for the moment any comments on Maureen Dowd, there is one big problem with Dowd's case for a Biden presidency. It's the magical thinking that one man's election could solve what is wrong with this country.
America is a country in serious denial about itself. Electing a decent human being is not enough to deal with a country that has built a huge security apparatus that answers to no one, a country with massive inequality, a country with one of only two major parties that has become functionally insane, a country where billionaires are buying up our government, a country where the media remains oblivious to it all - and we can't even begin to deal with climate change or crumbling infrastructure because that's too 'political ',
America doesn't deserve a Joe Biden. I'm afraid what we need is going to have to be a lot more gut-wrenching because business as usual isn't going to cut it.
We pray for mercy because we would all be fools to pray for justice.
America is a country in serious denial about itself. Electing a decent human being is not enough to deal with a country that has built a huge security apparatus that answers to no one, a country with massive inequality, a country with one of only two major parties that has become functionally insane, a country where billionaires are buying up our government, a country where the media remains oblivious to it all - and we can't even begin to deal with climate change or crumbling infrastructure because that's too 'political ',
America doesn't deserve a Joe Biden. I'm afraid what we need is going to have to be a lot more gut-wrenching because business as usual isn't going to cut it.
We pray for mercy because we would all be fools to pray for justice.
1
The most important question, as we all learned from the debacle of the Bush presidency (instead of the Gore presidency) is whether a Democrat or a Republican is going to become the next President of the United States. Yes, the Vice President is a very good man, and could make a good president. But for the sake of the nation, it would make sense for Biden to keep his powder dry, and enter the primaries race only if Hillary stumbles badly, and it looks as if she cannot recover.
1
I empathize with the personal traumas Biden has been through and wish for him to continue to find the strength to persevere. However poignant his personal narrative is, we are electing the President of the United States. My most distinct memory of Joe Biden-the politician - is his major role, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in facilitating the appointment of Clarence Thomas to a seat on the Supreme Court. This is in addition to his reputation as suffering from "foot in mouth" disease.
1
Ms D,
Beautifully written. It was tough making it through Hunter's sick bed scene.
I am over the emotion a lttle and hope I can write rationally about what Joe Biden should do. What I suggest has nothing to do with HRC, she is a wonderful woman and a great public servant.
However, the US is at a point that we need for the President to not break stride with the Obama initiatives. We are making progress and stand a good chance of making the World a better place. BUT we cannot break our gait or stumble on the most important challenges of our time.
The US needs to get its economic mojo working for the benefit of most Americans, not the few. It can be done with Joe Biden at the helm using his enormous respect of the Congress.
Clearly, the huge challenge of shifting away from a dwindling supply of hydrocarbons to protect the World from the test of a warming planet will require the greatest political skill to arrive at a acceptable solution.
I know Biden from his Senate days and know that he is a great persuader. Much more than the touted talents of LBJ.
We need to invest wisely and he is the person to put an action plan together in the tradition of Lincoln, Teddy and Franklin, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Barack Obama.
He is incomparable as an internationalist and has the greatest possible potential for getting a handle on the military industrial complex and the medical industrial complex.
Of greatest importance is he has the heart to lead us.
Beautifully written. It was tough making it through Hunter's sick bed scene.
I am over the emotion a lttle and hope I can write rationally about what Joe Biden should do. What I suggest has nothing to do with HRC, she is a wonderful woman and a great public servant.
However, the US is at a point that we need for the President to not break stride with the Obama initiatives. We are making progress and stand a good chance of making the World a better place. BUT we cannot break our gait or stumble on the most important challenges of our time.
The US needs to get its economic mojo working for the benefit of most Americans, not the few. It can be done with Joe Biden at the helm using his enormous respect of the Congress.
Clearly, the huge challenge of shifting away from a dwindling supply of hydrocarbons to protect the World from the test of a warming planet will require the greatest political skill to arrive at a acceptable solution.
I know Biden from his Senate days and know that he is a great persuader. Much more than the touted talents of LBJ.
We need to invest wisely and he is the person to put an action plan together in the tradition of Lincoln, Teddy and Franklin, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Barack Obama.
He is incomparable as an internationalist and has the greatest possible potential for getting a handle on the military industrial complex and the medical industrial complex.
Of greatest importance is he has the heart to lead us.
Anyone but Clinton. This country can do without a Clinton dynasty.
The issue with Hill isn't about likeability or personality. It's not an "exaggerated favorability problem." It's an exaggerated "believability" problem. There's an absence of honesty with her that people (at least those who aren't wearing rose-colored glasses) just see right through. She is seen for what she is, an opportunist who consistently speaks with forked tongue; who will say whatever she has to say to get elected (just like Bill.) If she takes a stand it's backed by polls and demographics and strategically advantageous to her (and Bill's) agenda.
There are many of us who are not impressed in the least with Clinton or her "message" (whatever that happens to be at any given moment) and are so tired of the "inevitability" because, despite all the campaign rhetoric, this is one candidate who does not represent the middle class, the working class or has a genuine progressive bone in her body. (Anyone looking for those attributes ought to look elsewhere.)
As for the throngs of Hillary's faithful supporters, fantasy and the "will to believe" continue, as always, to trump facts and inconvenient truths.
http://billmoyers.com/2014/11/12/hillary-clinton-wall-streets-pick-2016/
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/05/40-years-democratic-presid...
The issue with Hill isn't about likeability or personality. It's not an "exaggerated favorability problem." It's an exaggerated "believability" problem. There's an absence of honesty with her that people (at least those who aren't wearing rose-colored glasses) just see right through. She is seen for what she is, an opportunist who consistently speaks with forked tongue; who will say whatever she has to say to get elected (just like Bill.) If she takes a stand it's backed by polls and demographics and strategically advantageous to her (and Bill's) agenda.
There are many of us who are not impressed in the least with Clinton or her "message" (whatever that happens to be at any given moment) and are so tired of the "inevitability" because, despite all the campaign rhetoric, this is one candidate who does not represent the middle class, the working class or has a genuine progressive bone in her body. (Anyone looking for those attributes ought to look elsewhere.)
As for the throngs of Hillary's faithful supporters, fantasy and the "will to believe" continue, as always, to trump facts and inconvenient truths.
http://billmoyers.com/2014/11/12/hillary-clinton-wall-streets-pick-2016/
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/05/40-years-democratic-presid...
1
I see that several commenters express disdain because Ms. Dowd speaks the truth shout the Clintons. I couldn't agree with her more. Hillary Clinton inspires nothing in me, although I feel great passion for the issues that our country faces, and want to see a progressive, experienced Democrat in the Oval Office. That person should not be Hillary. She and Bill treated then Senator Obama so disrespectfully during the 2008 campaign that I cannot forgive her. She lies, equivocates, evades, and has until recently demanded obscene speaking fees. Sure, it would be great to have a woman in the Oval Office, but I would much rather see Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders as leader of the free world than the entitled, untrustworthy Hillary Clinton. Run Joe, run! Do it for Beau, who wanted you to do it for us!
Soon after Joe Biden took office, I sent him an e-mail expressing support for his ability and values based on his congressional record.
I encouraged him to seek the presidency if the opportunity presented itself.
Someone in America with the right values has to steer the ship of state in the direction of decency and shared responsibility for America's future. That someone needs to be a Joe Biden who "doesn't care about the money" the same as Beau Biden expressed.
Unless America is redirected toward unselfish decency, the country will continue its cultural decline into mediocrity.
I encouraged him to seek the presidency if the opportunity presented itself.
Someone in America with the right values has to steer the ship of state in the direction of decency and shared responsibility for America's future. That someone needs to be a Joe Biden who "doesn't care about the money" the same as Beau Biden expressed.
Unless America is redirected toward unselfish decency, the country will continue its cultural decline into mediocrity.
2
This is a thought-provoking piece, with a touching and powerfully persuasive closing argument.
Those who hold public office -- or pursue the political path -- should simply abide by the same ethical principles they seek to follow in their private lives.
Identical rules should apply to any individual in the spotlight, for she/he has a moral responsibility to those they inspire.
It thus follows that any person who indulges in deception at home, is bound to do the same in the public arena. They are the individuals we do not need in positions of leadership.
Conversely, a committed father inspired by his late son´s love and resilience immediately stands out as a competent leader. Nurtured with love and pain, he is bound to do his job with the dignity politicians and public figures often lack.
Those who hold public office -- or pursue the political path -- should simply abide by the same ethical principles they seek to follow in their private lives.
Identical rules should apply to any individual in the spotlight, for she/he has a moral responsibility to those they inspire.
It thus follows that any person who indulges in deception at home, is bound to do the same in the public arena. They are the individuals we do not need in positions of leadership.
Conversely, a committed father inspired by his late son´s love and resilience immediately stands out as a competent leader. Nurtured with love and pain, he is bound to do his job with the dignity politicians and public figures often lack.
The winning candidate will be determine by leadership style : "not Obama." With echoes of George the First, "No new nuance." The Repubs and their donors are banking on the American voter, ever ready for a globally destabilizing, amero-centric bully who will develop an entire foreign policy on a five to ten world sentence... subtext being "You're either for us or against us...( viz:"No new diplomacy)" He'll be a domestic policy bullying with equally "hammer ready" statements by driving home the anger and resentment directed at "one size fits all" domestic policies ("Government is the problem"), and attack government non-military pensions that provide for technocrats ("They regulate our lives."). Obama has set the tone for the selection of the next president, so if hard-nosed Hil has to compete with kindly Joe, we've all but guaranteed a Republican presidency.
1
Biden would be a better President substantively than Mrs. Clinton and far more likely to win a general election, given the ever-lengthening trail of scandals (or at least poor judgment) which have led the polls to indicate that 57 percent of the American people do not trust Hillary. And that's only the beginning. There will be more "drip, drip, drips" of scandal as Congressional hearings get underway and as Republican "opposition research" delves further into her past.
Most important, Biden has shown that with his Senate and cross-aisle experience, he can get deals done with Congress, and since any post-2016 Democratic President is going to face one or both houses of Congress controlled by Republicans, that skill and that credibility will be crucial if this government is going to get beyond the partisan stalemate which is killing the nation.
Most important, Biden has shown that with his Senate and cross-aisle experience, he can get deals done with Congress, and since any post-2016 Democratic President is going to face one or both houses of Congress controlled by Republicans, that skill and that credibility will be crucial if this government is going to get beyond the partisan stalemate which is killing the nation.
Another excellent essay from Ms. Dowd.
Who says that she is only at her best when being sarcastic and satirical?
Good analysis and a relevant comparison of the Patriots' football fiasco and the Hillary Clinton/Clintonism as the always in-waiting royalty to be crowned regina of the USA.
I would support Mr. Biden should he decide to run for the USA presidency. He is far savvier in most ways, certainly politically and policy-wise, than many people contend. He is no intellectual like Mr. Obama, so he can have an influential, intellectual Vice-President.
Does the USA Constitution permit a President and Vice-President to switch roles as running mates, by the way? Mr. Biden would have his intellectual number one advisor/Vice-President already at hand and well-known to him, Mr. Obama.
As I have noted before, there is a strong argument to be made to have a philosopher-prince as regent of a country, with a loyal Falstaff at his side in one role or another.
Who says that she is only at her best when being sarcastic and satirical?
Good analysis and a relevant comparison of the Patriots' football fiasco and the Hillary Clinton/Clintonism as the always in-waiting royalty to be crowned regina of the USA.
I would support Mr. Biden should he decide to run for the USA presidency. He is far savvier in most ways, certainly politically and policy-wise, than many people contend. He is no intellectual like Mr. Obama, so he can have an influential, intellectual Vice-President.
Does the USA Constitution permit a President and Vice-President to switch roles as running mates, by the way? Mr. Biden would have his intellectual number one advisor/Vice-President already at hand and well-known to him, Mr. Obama.
As I have noted before, there is a strong argument to be made to have a philosopher-prince as regent of a country, with a loyal Falstaff at his side in one role or another.
"He tried to make his father promise to run, arguing that the White House should not revert to the Clintons and that the country would be better off with Biden values." Biden's values are the Catholic's values of forgiveness, compassion, honesty, sharing and commitment; with a little bit of martyrdom mixed in too.
And that's what Joe has been this past years - a martyr - a sacrifice as the essential foil of Democrats who must win at all human costs. That creed - win at all costs - is also the only excuse for a Hillary candidacy. If the country wants, instead, an unassuming leader in the vein of Pope Francis who is a regular, straight-shooter, tad loosse in the lips type of leader, then Joe Biden fits the bill - in a manner that queen Hillary never, in a million years, ever could.
And that's what Joe has been this past years - a martyr - a sacrifice as the essential foil of Democrats who must win at all human costs. That creed - win at all costs - is also the only excuse for a Hillary candidacy. If the country wants, instead, an unassuming leader in the vein of Pope Francis who is a regular, straight-shooter, tad loosse in the lips type of leader, then Joe Biden fits the bill - in a manner that queen Hillary never, in a million years, ever could.
1
Bernie Sanders is my first choice for president. Biden is a close second. I hope they don't both run in the primaries. That would assure a Clinton victory.
What a shock! Maureen Dowd writing something nasty about Hillary Clinton. I've never seen THAT before.
3
I have said all along, do not to dismiss Joe Biden. He knows DC and will be able to work with what most likely will be a Republican legislature. His strong Democrat credentials, misguided in some respects, have never cast doubt that his first allegiance will be for the best interest of the United States. He nailed the division of Iraq as being the best solution. too. It's a long time before the action gets hot and heavy. Maybe Barry, Inc is biding its time letting Clinton, Inc twist in the wind and stumble on it own coattails. In the mean time, the Republican 'Clown Car' continues careening down the road without anyone at the wheel.
And Dr. Jill Biden would be an outstanding First Lady - just like Michelle Obama before her.
Two words on Joe Biden: Anita Hill.
Biden could have called the other women waiting in the hall to testify as to their treatment by Clarence Thomas, but he didn't. Instead of a hearing we were treated to the male gaze from across the expanse of the all male Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms. Hill was violated by questions from men bent on keeping the institutionalized sexism alive and unchallenged. She looked alone and less credible than in the company of other witnesses. Biden could have managed the committee and made a difference. He didn't. If he can't lead from that chairmanship can he lead the nation from the Oval Office? If he runs, he will run into questions that went unasked and unanswered about that messy confirmation of Clarence Thomas. The next president will name at least three and possibly four justices. Biden had the opportunity to make a difference and he didn't take it. If he wants to answer those questions about why by running now, we are still listening and waiting.
Biden could have called the other women waiting in the hall to testify as to their treatment by Clarence Thomas, but he didn't. Instead of a hearing we were treated to the male gaze from across the expanse of the all male Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms. Hill was violated by questions from men bent on keeping the institutionalized sexism alive and unchallenged. She looked alone and less credible than in the company of other witnesses. Biden could have managed the committee and made a difference. He didn't. If he can't lead from that chairmanship can he lead the nation from the Oval Office? If he runs, he will run into questions that went unasked and unanswered about that messy confirmation of Clarence Thomas. The next president will name at least three and possibly four justices. Biden had the opportunity to make a difference and he didn't take it. If he wants to answer those questions about why by running now, we are still listening and waiting.
5
I like and respect Joe Biden, Lincoln Chafee, Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb.
The Democratic party, unlike the Republican party, is blessed with sensible, intelligent leaders who could run the nation well.
But Democrats need to coalesce behind Senator Hillary Clinton.
She is an accomplished, powerful, tested and intelligent leader ready to build on the progress this nation has made under President Obama.
She has the resources and the political structure to win the election.
The thought of a Republican president appointing more Supreme Court justices that have already legalized political bribery, elevated the religious rights of a company owner above those of its workers, and eviscerated the Voting Rights Act is too much risk to take.
Hillary is ethical and trustworthy, the counter being a relentless Republican denigration.
The Clintons have been scrutinized probably more than any two people alive.
A special prosecutor, Ken Starr, spent $70 million of US taxpayer money to investigate every rumor, every insinuation thrown at the Clintons and found absolutely nothing to any of the charges.
They only found on an extramarital affair that just happened to be recorded by a Republican political operative Linda Tripp.
Hillary Clinton has been accused of everything by her foes and found guilty of nothing.
Only gullible, feeble-minded and inclined conservative cranks buy into such baseless accusations.
The Democratic party, unlike the Republican party, is blessed with sensible, intelligent leaders who could run the nation well.
But Democrats need to coalesce behind Senator Hillary Clinton.
She is an accomplished, powerful, tested and intelligent leader ready to build on the progress this nation has made under President Obama.
She has the resources and the political structure to win the election.
The thought of a Republican president appointing more Supreme Court justices that have already legalized political bribery, elevated the religious rights of a company owner above those of its workers, and eviscerated the Voting Rights Act is too much risk to take.
Hillary is ethical and trustworthy, the counter being a relentless Republican denigration.
The Clintons have been scrutinized probably more than any two people alive.
A special prosecutor, Ken Starr, spent $70 million of US taxpayer money to investigate every rumor, every insinuation thrown at the Clintons and found absolutely nothing to any of the charges.
They only found on an extramarital affair that just happened to be recorded by a Republican political operative Linda Tripp.
Hillary Clinton has been accused of everything by her foes and found guilty of nothing.
Only gullible, feeble-minded and inclined conservative cranks buy into such baseless accusations.
5
As a long-time reader and fan I think I understand your Clinton thing, but given the sources and quality of the supposed evidence against him I believe you have added to the smearing of Tom Brady.
There is a solution to the Hillary Clinton problem and it is NOT, decidedly, a stop Clinton Movement.
We need a brokered national convention whereby none of the Democrats in the running is able to get enough votes on the first ballot to win. This could be achieved by having popular candidates run for the nomination in most of the states holding primaries. Voters would understand that these candidates were not, themselves, seeking the nomination, but rather running to stop a robotic process that nominates candidates who do not represent them and who are afraid to put forth the bold new ideas we need to make a better, growing and cooperative nation. We need a new consensus and this process could be a big start.
A brokered convention could result in nominating a candidate who was able to outline a clear set of goals and articulate the means to reach them. Here at last would be a candidate who had gotten strong support in the primaries and from issues oriented activists fully engaged in helping pick the nominee.
The primary system hasn't worked the way it was outlined. It has turned into a mess, a marathon of money grubbing with candidates merely hoping to not make too many mistakes.
The probable nominee of this process would still be Mrs. Clinton because she has the highest profile and the strongest claim. But, she would be transformed and the nation would be energized and, with the active engagement of millions of new voters, she, or the nominee, would win.
39
OK.
But the NFL had race reasons for not rescinding Brady's suspension--even without proof of guilt--which, so far, no one has. If the courts rescind, it's a win win--even if suspicions linger about message content. But having/destroying a cell phone is not illegal.
HC's "servergate", on the other hand, was itself a policy violation--regardless of the content--about which suspicions linger--as they do about her and her husband being for sale.
But as for Obama kindness/charity (the relevant sense of "love" in this case) to those who hate him--well--he's a model even for us ordinary folk. And doubly so for first class politicians--who need elephant hides just be keep their sanity.
The thin skinned--regardless of color--cause untold trouble--death, destruction, grief and wasted trillions--just for cheap vengeance. Some say W. Bush was avenging Saddam's slight to his father--so he killed millions, just as surely as if he pulled the trigger.
But the NFL had race reasons for not rescinding Brady's suspension--even without proof of guilt--which, so far, no one has. If the courts rescind, it's a win win--even if suspicions linger about message content. But having/destroying a cell phone is not illegal.
HC's "servergate", on the other hand, was itself a policy violation--regardless of the content--about which suspicions linger--as they do about her and her husband being for sale.
But as for Obama kindness/charity (the relevant sense of "love" in this case) to those who hate him--well--he's a model even for us ordinary folk. And doubly so for first class politicians--who need elephant hides just be keep their sanity.
The thin skinned--regardless of color--cause untold trouble--death, destruction, grief and wasted trillions--just for cheap vengeance. Some say W. Bush was avenging Saddam's slight to his father--so he killed millions, just as surely as if he pulled the trigger.
2
Beau is of the same generation of my son. His children are the age of my grandchildren. I am in Biden's generation. I am worried about the future for my children and my grandchildren. Whomever leads this country after Obama's term ends will have great impact on what will happen over the next 20-25 years. The acts that occur in a Presidential term extend far beyond the 4 or 8 years. We are still in very difficult times that go back to the 2 Bush Presidencies and Clinton in between. Beau is a member of as special a family as any other public servant whose life has been dedicated to helping people; in turn, those efforts have helped families, communities and the nation. Look at the havoc just one person can bring on a community-- the world. One person can also lead people and a nation out of difficulty. Beau lived the experiences of his father; he was much like his Dad, it seems from reports I have read. Biden may make gaffes, but he is authentic; a natural. I think he has demonstrated good judgement and he has represented this nation well. He has been a companion, even keeled and loyal vice-president to Obama. He's had a first-hand, up close and personal experience knowing what the Presidency requires. I trust him more than any other Democrat in the field currently. I believe the nation needs leadership that can be trusted; that people know. The Democratic party should wise up: the trust factor around HRC will continue to sink. Biden will not be viewed as disloyal to the party.
3
Thank you for the recognition here that the ultimate support for an overly corrupt candidate does the Democratic party no favors. It has begun to look as if the Democrats wholeheartedly accept corporate oligarchy....financial and fossil fuel oligarchy-- with a few programmatic and not terribly meaningful social policy exceptions.
Hillary and Jeb are twins, bearing different party labels, and taking artificial jabs at each other, while ignoring the profound differences within their parties and our society. Both are supported by insider money...that has done this country great harm.
Given what recent government policy has brought us.....a dying, rebellious and threatening environment, and an economy so financialized that there is no support for infrastructure let alone less dangerous energy alternatives....a good portion of the public sees the need for something different. Bernie Sanders seems to me an honest and thoughtful candidate for the purpose of saving our society.
So, Maureen, while I completely agree that saving grace for the Democratic Party -- both its core, and its appearance --lies in support for new candidates, I wonder why you can't see that the required change in direction requires some support for more diverse, less corporate points of view.
Hillary and Jeb are twins, bearing different party labels, and taking artificial jabs at each other, while ignoring the profound differences within their parties and our society. Both are supported by insider money...that has done this country great harm.
Given what recent government policy has brought us.....a dying, rebellious and threatening environment, and an economy so financialized that there is no support for infrastructure let alone less dangerous energy alternatives....a good portion of the public sees the need for something different. Bernie Sanders seems to me an honest and thoughtful candidate for the purpose of saving our society.
So, Maureen, while I completely agree that saving grace for the Democratic Party -- both its core, and its appearance --lies in support for new candidates, I wonder why you can't see that the required change in direction requires some support for more diverse, less corporate points of view.
2
What, exactly, is it that Hillary has done that is so wrong?
Everything seems to be speculation snd insinuation, without evidence, in Hillary"s career. She made a valiant attempt to provide health care to everyone years ago. Her effort was shot down by the other party, mainly because "It was too complicated." As if health care is a simple matter. She turned out to be a good Representative while in the Senate. She was well thought of as Secretary of State by both parties, until it was perceived she'd be running for president and needed to have her character assassinated. Then it became Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi, with millions spent in a witch hunt and no proof of any wrong doing.
What is it that people are expecting to find in the emails? It's simply wishful thinking on the part of her opponents that something damning will show up. So far, they have nothing, but they and the media have subliminally convinced people that there's something nefarious there and she can't be trusted. How many of those accusing her could withstand such scrutiny? And why are they not subject to the same scrutiny? What a can of worms that might turn out to be. Let's give her a break, people.
On the other hand, having watched Joe Biden for years, I consider him very bright, with his heart in the right place. I would be delighted to have him be our president. Lots hope truth will win out in all cases.
Everything seems to be speculation snd insinuation, without evidence, in Hillary"s career. She made a valiant attempt to provide health care to everyone years ago. Her effort was shot down by the other party, mainly because "It was too complicated." As if health care is a simple matter. She turned out to be a good Representative while in the Senate. She was well thought of as Secretary of State by both parties, until it was perceived she'd be running for president and needed to have her character assassinated. Then it became Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi, with millions spent in a witch hunt and no proof of any wrong doing.
What is it that people are expecting to find in the emails? It's simply wishful thinking on the part of her opponents that something damning will show up. So far, they have nothing, but they and the media have subliminally convinced people that there's something nefarious there and she can't be trusted. How many of those accusing her could withstand such scrutiny? And why are they not subject to the same scrutiny? What a can of worms that might turn out to be. Let's give her a break, people.
On the other hand, having watched Joe Biden for years, I consider him very bright, with his heart in the right place. I would be delighted to have him be our president. Lots hope truth will win out in all cases.
3
joe would be the only "happy warrior" in the race (ala hubert humphrey"). he's the only candidate (perhaps other than kasich) that i could support.
3
The talking heads are saying it's too late for Joe to get in. Says who? If the Republicans are smart enough to nominate Jeb, Hillary is going to be in a world of trouble this time next year as voters remember what Clinton exhaustion felt like all through his second term. Joe is left as the happy warrior with the real creds. Obama is as tone-deaf as ever giving that woman the nod.
2
That would be interesting. Since Joe and Mr. Obama have the same sophomoric view of the world, a run by Joe would test Obama's claim the other day that Americans would elect him to a third term.
I guess he has forgotten about the 2014 midterms.
I guess he has forgotten about the 2014 midterms.
1
You mean the election where Obama wasn't on the ticket?
HRC believes she is entitled to be President as payment for living with Bill Clinton. Sorry, but I never signed on to that deal.
I would much rather see Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate. I am convinced that having a rational, low maintenance, centrist Democrat in the race would even draw votes from some Republicans, who are embarrassed at the herd of wackos they have asked to select from.
I would much rather see Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate. I am convinced that having a rational, low maintenance, centrist Democrat in the race would even draw votes from some Republicans, who are embarrassed at the herd of wackos they have asked to select from.
4
I could very happily live with VP Biden as President Biden.
Then again, regarding the 21st century's Republicans, I could probably live with any Democrat as president...
Then again, regarding the 21st century's Republicans, I could probably live with any Democrat as president...
3
The Democrats -- and I'm one -- don't need a traveling circus when primary
time rolls around. Biden would just make another voice, and in spite of the
purring sounds of the Republicans (who might love to see him run) Biden
is not a winner. He hasn't been in all the times he's run for the nomination.
He's a good man who comes off as a cartoon. Maureen Dowd pushes his
button because she's always been gnashing her teeth that Clinton might win anything. Maybe it's envy, who knows? But this time around, the Democrats
really need a winner to keep the other side from totally dominating the next four years, and undoing all that Obama has accomplished. Who has the
most appeal and the most strength? Not Bernie Sanders. Not the Maryland ex-governor. Not the former Senator from Virginia, whom I do admire. The strongest nominee will be Hillary Clinton.
time rolls around. Biden would just make another voice, and in spite of the
purring sounds of the Republicans (who might love to see him run) Biden
is not a winner. He hasn't been in all the times he's run for the nomination.
He's a good man who comes off as a cartoon. Maureen Dowd pushes his
button because she's always been gnashing her teeth that Clinton might win anything. Maybe it's envy, who knows? But this time around, the Democrats
really need a winner to keep the other side from totally dominating the next four years, and undoing all that Obama has accomplished. Who has the
most appeal and the most strength? Not Bernie Sanders. Not the Maryland ex-governor. Not the former Senator from Virginia, whom I do admire. The strongest nominee will be Hillary Clinton.
3
The parallels between Hillary and Tom Brady are as ridiculous as the idea of an at times wacky 73-year old VP seeking the Presidency.
4
Sorry, I do not like career politicians, including uncle Joe. Any member who serves more than 2 terms is a career politician. They are the true FREELOADERS of government spending. They are the ones responsible for America's demise. 75% of the senate are over 65 and have served over 20 years! Fire 'em all!
I don't have a strong opinion on a Biden candidacy, but the mention of Howard Schultz as a credible contender to run for the most powerful office in the country gave me an extreme degree of apprehension.
Schultz is persona non grata in Seattle, largely because of his petulance and egregious mishandling of his ownership of the Seattle Supersonics. When his team did not have immediate success, he alienated and cut out two of the greatest players of all time in Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Numerous reports from the clubhouse during that period spoke of an owner that was simultaneously too meddlesome and also insistent on treating professional athletes like minimum wage baristas, and when confronted with adversity and a long road to rebuilding, Schultz chose the most cowardly exit and sold off the team to the first buyer that came along, one that transparently intended to move it away.
This is not a leadership style that should be anywhere near the Oval Office. It is not a leadership style that should be in the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company. It is not a leadership style that is welcome in Seattle any longer. Do not let this man become a national figure, unless it's to discuss his extreme failure to protect a civic institution.
Schultz is persona non grata in Seattle, largely because of his petulance and egregious mishandling of his ownership of the Seattle Supersonics. When his team did not have immediate success, he alienated and cut out two of the greatest players of all time in Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Numerous reports from the clubhouse during that period spoke of an owner that was simultaneously too meddlesome and also insistent on treating professional athletes like minimum wage baristas, and when confronted with adversity and a long road to rebuilding, Schultz chose the most cowardly exit and sold off the team to the first buyer that came along, one that transparently intended to move it away.
This is not a leadership style that should be anywhere near the Oval Office. It is not a leadership style that should be in the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company. It is not a leadership style that is welcome in Seattle any longer. Do not let this man become a national figure, unless it's to discuss his extreme failure to protect a civic institution.
4
Look, I like Biden and would be happy to have him run. And I realize that Dowd is a columnist, not a reporter of hard news. But Dowd is practicing yellow journalism at its most inflammatory. The invectives hurled here are something that I expect from the old days of William Randolph Hearst or the new days of Rupert Murdoch. And Biden internal monologue? Just weird and, I suggest, irresponsible; this is not the space for some Tom Wolfe "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" imitation. Dowd has been practicing this kind of sensationalist style for some time, and the NYT is obviously happy to publish it. But this just plain unbecoming of one of the few papers left that aspire to journalism's traditionally best role.
5
Biden has had the great bad luck to be stuck behind amateurish, narcissistic anti-leader Obama. While Biden can be a buffoon, he is an honest man who has had some genuinely excellent ideas (such as creating 3 autonomous regions in Iraq after we got rid of Saddam for Kurds, Shia and Sunni). Hillary is neither honest nor does she have any good ideas. There are 5-6 Republicans who would make much better LEADERS, but if forced to choose on the democratic side, an honest buffoon (Biden) beats a paranoiac crook (Clinton) and a loony from the 60's (Sanders).
Such a column. Naturally, a lot of it riled me, but also, much of it made me admit that Maureen does indeed have a point. The Democrats are running out of time to run up points before the entire campaign gets into crash and burn mode. Right now, it's the silly season, as 16 candidates try their best to circle Trump and remain standing. Sanders has little traction, even his most ardent supporters need a dose of realpolitik to admit that to themselves.
And the other democratic candidates are hardly much better.
Without a Warren to run, there's only Biden and some deus ex macchina to pop up. I rather thought that Biden was in mourning for good (please, I'm NOT being mean here, I mean, the man was literally brought to his knees in the last months).
But should he evince interest, wow, would I be interested. More than interested since I'm lukewarm on everyone else. Joe is everything Hillary is not: deeply authentic, totally unscripted, refreshingly candid, and someone who can really take a joke on himself. The man is human, and while led by his God, he is also fiercely knowledgeable about the role of religion in our secular state. His finest hour, in my view, was answering the abortion question in the Ryan debate in 2012.
He's also passionate in every sense of the word. Sure, that can lead to gaffes, but it also leads to firing up a crowd--something that Hillary is increasingly failing to do.
Whatever Biden decides, I hope he does it out of passion, not duty,
And the other democratic candidates are hardly much better.
Without a Warren to run, there's only Biden and some deus ex macchina to pop up. I rather thought that Biden was in mourning for good (please, I'm NOT being mean here, I mean, the man was literally brought to his knees in the last months).
But should he evince interest, wow, would I be interested. More than interested since I'm lukewarm on everyone else. Joe is everything Hillary is not: deeply authentic, totally unscripted, refreshingly candid, and someone who can really take a joke on himself. The man is human, and while led by his God, he is also fiercely knowledgeable about the role of religion in our secular state. His finest hour, in my view, was answering the abortion question in the Ryan debate in 2012.
He's also passionate in every sense of the word. Sure, that can lead to gaffes, but it also leads to firing up a crowd--something that Hillary is increasingly failing to do.
Whatever Biden decides, I hope he does it out of passion, not duty,
5
Two words: Neil Kinnock.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/2607505/Joe-Biden-...
Plagiarist in Chief?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/2607505/Joe-Biden-...
Plagiarist in Chief?
A couple of sentences? Hardly makes one a plagiarist at all, much less plagiarist in chief.
2
Joe Biden is a mediocre politician whose was a strange pick for VP in my opinion, while Obama is busy attempting to repeal mandatory minimums & making social change Biden is rather affectionate of his prison industry pal's & had a different vision for Iraq than Obama altogether, He's another dinosaur that's posing as a populist politician, when in reality he's just popular & on the take.
The oligarchical rule supplanting rational democracy can only ever have a violent end, American's deserve better.
The oligarchical rule supplanting rational democracy can only ever have a violent end, American's deserve better.
Is it a coincidence that all the NYTimes picks are the comments supporting the idea that Joe Biden put his hat in the ring against Hillary? I think not.
This is an example of why many believe that the NYTimes is biased against her. The erroneous story last week, and failure for adequately correcting the story, is another one.
This is an example of why many believe that the NYTimes is biased against her. The erroneous story last week, and failure for adequately correcting the story, is another one.
9
It's as simple as ABC, Anybody But Clinton.
Joe? Bernie? Schultz? Webb? Gillibrand? McCaskill? ABC.
Joe? Bernie? Schultz? Webb? Gillibrand? McCaskill? ABC.
2
Memo to all those who want to see a Democrat as President: Hillary is your worst choice by far. It is far from clear she can beat anyone and, if by some miracle she wins it, look what you will have to put up with for 4/8 years. You are facing pure misery. Find an alternative.
1
I know what this buffon will do. Same as always... Open mouth, insert foot...
I have, quite frankly, mixed feelings about your column today but I get you don't care for Hillary and there is a long history there. I try to look at her CV and separate it from the hype that the right wing has put into the national consciousness and what is likely true from the history of the Clintons. The only thing I can conclude is that she is eminently qualified to be president but what would her presidency be like. It is something to ponder because in the post Obama world I doubt there would be much integrity in government with all the baggage brought by all the announced candidates. And then I think, is integrity part of political life anymore or expected?
And then there is Joe Biden.
And then my affection for him and his family as truly principled people wishes he would run. My heartbreak for him and the loss of Beau stops me from feeling 'selfish' to expect him to run, and then there's his age and the idea that there has been so much of him in public life that he now deserves to enjoy his family and his dotage to write that book.
And then I think how nice it would be to have a man of compassion with all his CV has to offer to succeed Obama and that gives me hope. All that is good would continue without the bashing and obstruction. Beau was right.
And then there is Joe Biden.
And then my affection for him and his family as truly principled people wishes he would run. My heartbreak for him and the loss of Beau stops me from feeling 'selfish' to expect him to run, and then there's his age and the idea that there has been so much of him in public life that he now deserves to enjoy his family and his dotage to write that book.
And then I think how nice it would be to have a man of compassion with all his CV has to offer to succeed Obama and that gives me hope. All that is good would continue without the bashing and obstruction. Beau was right.
3
To restore the American dream, there needs to be leadership that's genuinely committed to values that are working-class, not royalist. Mr. Biden is down to earth, the opposite of Mrs. Clinton, and his commitment to family -- and families -- has always been authentic rather than opportunistic. Listen to Beau, Joe.
4
How can you compare Brady and Hillary? Hillary doesn't have even one SuperBowl win under her belt. You must be a J-E-T-S fan. Pity.
1
Reading the comments, I'm (pleasantly) surprised to see a dwindling number of posts taking Ms. Dowd to task for criticizing Hillary. At last, even the reliably Democratic readers of the NY Times seem to have had their fill of the Clinton Cabal. In any event, let's all remember that we're still six months away from Iowa. Much can happen in the meantime. I can't help but compare the present drama in both Parties to reality TV, most notably the first episode of American Idol every year--not really a competition yet, but a compendium of unintentionally hilarious performances.
Hillary's every step is a disgrace to the prospect of
a first female president.
Everybody has both flaws and strengths.
Joe Biden's strengths outweigh his flaws.
Biden's candidacy would enhance the choice.
a first female president.
Everybody has both flaws and strengths.
Joe Biden's strengths outweigh his flaws.
Biden's candidacy would enhance the choice.
1
This is a wonderful, powerful, and insightful column. Not too many of Ms. Dowd's columns have touched my heart or given me a new level of realization and a willingness to take a truly fresh look at something. Joe Biden, his son's father, may very well be the man for this season in our nation's life. He is good, genuine, caring man who has spent his life championing working families. Given the alternatives I hope he throws his hat in the ring. Perhaps the rest of us should come to know the same man his sons know and revere.
2
If elected, Vice President Biden would be the people's president. He is very sincere about the fate of the American people especially the hard working Americans and, unlike Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and few others, he is not a sell-out to big money. I would vote for him. If he decides not run and Hillary Clinton is the nominee, I will not vote for her or the Republican nominee. I'll vote for the liberal third party candidate.
3
I think it's a damn shame the author so easily writes off Sanders. "Who could be approach his ceiling in early states". Where is the indication of that? He is the ONLY candidate officially running who has a net positive favorability in early states (HRC has a negative favorability). He has appeal to independents and conservatives tired of establishment candidates. HRC does not have this appeal. He continues to draw the largest crowds of any candidate, including in red states. He can win and beat any of the Republicans.
The little hit by the author aside, I would support Biden over Hillary. He is far more honest and true to himself as a politician than she is, and has a better resume than she does with 7 terms as a legislator and two terms as VP. In a general election I would vote for Bernie with a smile while actively campaigning for him. In a general I would happily vote for Biden, but would not campaign for him. In a general I would begrudgingly vote for HRC if only to secure the SCOTUS.
The little hit by the author aside, I would support Biden over Hillary. He is far more honest and true to himself as a politician than she is, and has a better resume than she does with 7 terms as a legislator and two terms as VP. In a general election I would vote for Bernie with a smile while actively campaigning for him. In a general I would happily vote for Biden, but would not campaign for him. In a general I would begrudgingly vote for HRC if only to secure the SCOTUS.
2
Did Dowd even try to talk to Joe Biden? He's been know to return calls to reporters and columnists. He even returns calls from Republican Senators.
Less than a third of this column titled "Joe Biden in 2016" is about Joe Biden. Does anybody at the NYT edit Maureen Dowd?
Less than a third of this column titled "Joe Biden in 2016" is about Joe Biden. Does anybody at the NYT edit Maureen Dowd?
6
Maureen, where have you been? This is the best and most passionate column I have read by you in years.
Sanders is a nice man, but he is Nader redux; he is a nightmare version of McGovern, for whom I voted, twice as unelectable. He can be a wheel in the Senate now, where he can be an important voice. Right now, he's a gift to the right. Apologies to my fellow lefties.
Biden is seasoned, smart and he can beat Jeb Bush. He can embrace Obama, and leave the Clinton baggage behind. I have ALWAYS liked Joe Biden.
Whose for Veep?
Sanders is a nice man, but he is Nader redux; he is a nightmare version of McGovern, for whom I voted, twice as unelectable. He can be a wheel in the Senate now, where he can be an important voice. Right now, he's a gift to the right. Apologies to my fellow lefties.
Biden is seasoned, smart and he can beat Jeb Bush. He can embrace Obama, and leave the Clinton baggage behind. I have ALWAYS liked Joe Biden.
Whose for Veep?
2
Susan Rice.... enough said!!
1
If you are looking for something absurdest, the Brady v. Hillary comparison is absurdest, if only because Tom is competent while Clinton is not.
Just one word. Wow!
It sounds like the Biden team has been leaking to Maureen.
If Biden jumps in, all bets on Hillary are off.
It sounds like the Biden team has been leaking to Maureen.
If Biden jumps in, all bets on Hillary are off.
1
Dowd, don''t you know that by challenging the Clintons you become a member of the Vast Right-wing Cospiracy? The only way to avoid this label is to give them a pass, again (and again, and again, ad infinitum)
Finally the mist is clearing from the eyes of the Liberal Opinion section. It has been difficult for me a center right/left voter to understand all the passes given to those special people who consider themselves above the rules the rest of us must follow.
The star power needs to fade and real examination as to behavior applied across the board.
The star power needs to fade and real examination as to behavior applied across the board.
There is nothing wrong with Joe except that he cannot win the nomination let alone the presidency. He is included in all the polls and currently gets about 8 percent of the vote from democratic voters. Has anybody but me ever reframed the lens in which HRC's strength as a candidate is viewed? Name one politician running today that could withstand the withering attacks and still poll even or bette with the republicans? The media drives much of the negative narrative on Clinton and still she is the democratic front runner. I give her kiddos for being tough and a survivor. Somebody less formidable would have withered on the vine.
3
I've voted for most Republicans starting with Eisenhower, but I'm glad and relieved to read this column which echos what I've said to friends for some months: Joe Biden has deep authenticity, has been vetted for decades, has a firm bipartisan track record of governmental experience, and would be a relief from the massaging of messages that almost all the other candidates show every day. As with Al Galli in another comment here I'd rather see a good Republican as President because I have policy differences with Biden's liberality. But I have to respect Joe Biden and I'd have to consider voting for him since John Kasich (Ohio governor for those who don't know him) is unlikely to be the Republican candidate.
1
I think Joe Biden is a good man.
He knows the issues and would be a good president.
He also looks presidential.
But he can't seem to keep his foot out of his mouth or make blaring word mistakes.
Meaning "no war" but saying "war" is a big problem.
I think his fumbling word smithing is what sunk him the last round.
He knows the issues and would be a good president.
He also looks presidential.
But he can't seem to keep his foot out of his mouth or make blaring word mistakes.
Meaning "no war" but saying "war" is a big problem.
I think his fumbling word smithing is what sunk him the last round.
Joe Biden for President
Michael Bloomberg for Vice President
Let's Do It!
Michael Bloomberg for Vice President
Let's Do It!
2
This may be Joe's time. He would have his detractors, of course, but I challenge Republicans to find a lot wrong with Joe Biden running for president. And the American people would know exactly who they were voting for. It would be a big #$%^&* deal, Mr. Vice President. You have endeared yourself to women, young people, minorities, gays, educators, mothers and fathers, and senior citizens. Please run.
6
The analogy might make sense, but the comparison is absolutely mendacious. In Brady's case, we're talking about a wholly inconsequential game. In Hillary's case, we're talking about nothing less than the future of the republic.
I am an Independent who tends to vote Republican, but I would vote for Joe in a heartbeat. He's a good, decent, and honest man, whose only flaw is an occasional bout of foot in mouth disease. But look back, even then his comments have never been mean spirited or aimed to hurt anyone - in fact the only one they have ever hurt was himself. He has a record of excellent relations on the Hill, on both sides, and a very strong understanding of foreign affairs - he was the ONLY one speaking about an Iran solution that had the country splitting up into their ethnic factions. He was pooh poohed then, but if he'd been listened to I'm thinking we would not be dealing with the current situation in Iran. This is a man who would care for this country the way he has his family - I truly believe he is the very, very, best out there, and is probably the only one who can even begin to heal everything that is broken about our government
4
Joe Biden: decency, integrity, experience.He epitomizes those same family values that the GOP crows about but doesn't live up to. Joe is the real deal. I hope he decides to run.
OK, he's 72 - and I hope he is healthier than Hillary (I worry about her being on coumedin to lower the risk of blood clots). I trust Joe more than I trust Hillary.
Joe is not in the pocket of sleazy special interests. He is incorruptible.
Run, Joe, run!
OK, he's 72 - and I hope he is healthier than Hillary (I worry about her being on coumedin to lower the risk of blood clots). I trust Joe more than I trust Hillary.
Joe is not in the pocket of sleazy special interests. He is incorruptible.
Run, Joe, run!
4
Run, Joe, run!
Please. Please. Please.
Please. Please. Please.
5
I am not a Democrat by I think Joe Biden cares deeply for his family and the loss of his son was devestating. The warmth and love for Beau was an inctredible display of what a father son relationship should be.
Biden's has had his gaffe's to be surebut he does intentionally try to hurt anyone.I believe he would runs clean and honest campaign and he is universally respected around the world and would conmmand respect
Hillary on the other ha and is a liar who thinks she is above the law. She kept the server at home, she transferred confindential oved her private email account and she destroyed emails. She lied about Benghazi and she failed to turn over files to the National archives She has no credibility She will lie steal mislead and manipulate She has. No right to be president Biden is at least a seasoned member of Congress. Hillary is qualified because of her name and nothing more
Biden's has had his gaffe's to be surebut he does intentionally try to hurt anyone.I believe he would runs clean and honest campaign and he is universally respected around the world and would conmmand respect
Hillary on the other ha and is a liar who thinks she is above the law. She kept the server at home, she transferred confindential oved her private email account and she destroyed emails. She lied about Benghazi and she failed to turn over files to the National archives She has no credibility She will lie steal mislead and manipulate She has. No right to be president Biden is at least a seasoned member of Congress. Hillary is qualified because of her name and nothing more
1
Finally Maureen Dowd writes something interesting. In fact one could consider this best column ever given that it sounds logical, practical and compassionate, and for once non ideological.
From cattlegate to travelgate and finally to servergate it is finally too much for even staunch liberals to support this very dishonest woman of very poor character
From cattlegate to travelgate and finally to servergate it is finally too much for even staunch liberals to support this very dishonest woman of very poor character
1
I'm a Trump supporter. But I think Biden would represent the democrats honorably and the race could become about honest differences, instead of an endless parade of scandals, influence peddling, and other inappropriate behavior.
Hillary is not good for the country. The example that she and Bill set is a horrible one. The Clintons need to ride off into the sunset and be done. Then we can have a real election with an honest dialog about the issues.
Biden would be a formidable candidate. I think we will see him enter the race soon. Hillary's candidacy is doomed.
Hillary is not good for the country. The example that she and Bill set is a horrible one. The Clintons need to ride off into the sunset and be done. Then we can have a real election with an honest dialog about the issues.
Biden would be a formidable candidate. I think we will see him enter the race soon. Hillary's candidacy is doomed.
1
Some folks think Joe Biden is a "foot in the mouth" clown. They just don't understand that he is one of the most loved public servants this nation has ever seen. He has all the necessary acumen and understanding of world politics and human nature that would make him a great President. Whether he chooses to jump in the race or not, I will always have the greatest respect for him.
4
If I remember correctly, Senator Biden, as head of the Judiciary Committee, refused to permit witnesses corroborating Anita Hill's accusations about Clarence Thomas to speak. It could therefore be argued Clarence Thomas' position on the Supremer Court is because of Biden's inaction. No go, Joe!
The two best things going for Uncle Joe is that he is neither a Hillary or an Obama. I think he would make a better President than either one. That being said, I must say that Maureen has it all wrong about Barack not knowing how much he is hated by the Clintons. He knows and he isn't too fond of them. As a matter of fact, Barack would come out and endorse Biden if only he would get into the race. I think the Democrat nomination is his for the taking.
1
ADBH: Any Democrat but Hillary! Enough with the "first woman president" argument. That is not sufficient reason to support a candidate. I don't dislike HRC but the Republicans hate her even more than President Obama. Yes, It's unfair but this country just can't take any more deep divisiveness. I hope the Democrats wake up and choose someone like Martin O'Malley because Hillary is very far from a sure bet. I live in Iowa and will do my part to make sure Mrs. Clinton is not the candidate. Remember Iowa's crucial role in nominating Obama?
Both Clinton and Brady have gambling at their center.
I've never lost a nickel to either of them.
I've never lost a nickel to either of them.
My question is this- Was Maureen Dowd in the room when Beau and Joe sat down to talk? Is there any difference between this article and a Joe Klein NY Post piece that replicates conversations between the Clintons?
4
Hillary Clinton and Tom Brady have as much in common as chalk and cheese. Subterfuge and an uncomfortably apparent lack of integrity. Forget about Brady - just a ball-player maybe running for respect, but not for POTUS. Ready to rise to the Presidency, Hillary Clinton pancaked in 2008 while Barack Obama zoomed ahead like the Road Runner to the Presidency. Joe Biden, his Vice-President for two terms, helped Obama navigate the nasty narrows of an obstructionist Republican Congress whose only platform and desire was to remove Obama from office. Now all the 17-odd wannabe Republican contenders for POTUS are aboil with their plans for day one of their myriad GOP administrations - to roll back Obamacare, to roll back Same-Sex Marriage, to send Roe v. Wade packing, and so on. Beau Biden's untimely and horrifying death crippled Joe Biden, as he had been crippled in 1972 by the deaths of his first wife Nielie and baby daughter Naomi. With Beau's help, he survived that worst of tragedies until the recent death of his beloved 46 year old son, who was the image of his younger Dad. If Beau Biden would want Joe Robinette Biden to run for the 2016 Presidency, then it's a good bet that Biden will gird himself and run and win, foiling HIllary's entitled destiny. Joe Biden is a man in full who would be an outstanding President. With an able VEEP candidate on his ticket (who?) Joe Biden, our beloved Senator and leader for decades, would win in a heartbeat. In Beau's blessed heartbeat.
7
Hillary has all the paranoia of Dick Nixon, but none of the class.
Class? More like a paranoid personality disorder with just a touch of sociopathy. Nixon ca me from a poor home. and needed to play poker to earn enough for college.
His rictus grin was his version of a poker face.
His rictus grin was his version of a poker face.
1
First off I am a Republican, But Joe Biden always has called like he see's it. He has always been loyal or keeps his mouth shut (which for him is hard to do). Yes he has gaffes, have you listened to '57 states' gaffes? There are way more than any other presidents. Joe Biden can be reasoned with, he doesn't antagonize those that disagree with him. And Joe Biden has some real thoughts on how to make America great again. You may not agree with him, but I think he do what is right for America. He certainly could fix race relations, without continuing to support those on the plantation. A choice between Clinton and Biden? Biden hands down. A choice between a Republican and Clinton, REPUBLICAN all the way. A choice between Biden and a Republican, it depends on the Republican.
2
Joe Biden is without a doubt, a good man, a good father, husband, senator and VP but it doesn't mean he could win in 2016 or be a good president,
Maureen Dowd has a tendency of putting personality above policy, when it comes to writing about politicians and this column is no different. She hated the good man, Al Gore an devise rated him in 2000 and is clearly dissatisfied with Obama, another good man, even though he may be the most honest president we've had in a long time. Maureen loathes Hillary but never gets around to analyzing what would happen to this country if Jeb Bush or Scott Walker were elected.
Maureen, who's always looking for The One never seems to understand that ideas are what makes a country great or turns it into something resembling China, with a few oligarchs at the top that are focused entirely on making the middle class and poor bear all the burdens, while the fat cats lap up the cream. While Hillary is no Bernie Sanders, she has the best shot at beating a formidable right wing money machine.
Maureen Dowd has a tendency of putting personality above policy, when it comes to writing about politicians and this column is no different. She hated the good man, Al Gore an devise rated him in 2000 and is clearly dissatisfied with Obama, another good man, even though he may be the most honest president we've had in a long time. Maureen loathes Hillary but never gets around to analyzing what would happen to this country if Jeb Bush or Scott Walker were elected.
Maureen, who's always looking for The One never seems to understand that ideas are what makes a country great or turns it into something resembling China, with a few oligarchs at the top that are focused entirely on making the middle class and poor bear all the burdens, while the fat cats lap up the cream. While Hillary is no Bernie Sanders, she has the best shot at beating a formidable right wing money machine.
3
Joe Biden for sure! Hillary sure! Any democrat with more ideas to create an improved civil atmosphere for our country. Howard Schultz- sounds ok- but I would never vote for anyone who hasn't bothered to run for any public office before. Public office is about serving the people. You should know how to do that and want to do that, before running for anything. Pleasing corporate stockholders is not the same thing at all.
1
Joseph Biden always stands out for his warmth and genuine "every-day Joe" way of speaking. Sure, that means some gaffes and explitives being dropped here and there. But this summer, when the Vice President, newly mourning for Beau, went to South Carolina to embrace the bereft loved ones of the church massacre and join them in grief, I was sold that he is needed in our government beyond Obama's presidency. Joe Biden is a leader and man of the people.
6
How disgusting to pimp the death of a son as a pretext for entering the race. That soppy story at the end about Beau's alleged deathbed plea to his dad. People are gullible enough to well up and be moved by that nonsense too, I suppose. This is what too much reality TV and too many bought and paid for cynical politicians have done to our culture. Nothing is sacred or too private not to use to one's advantage when it comes to seeking power. Ugh. Despicable.
9
Like Sanders, Biden is an elderly white man. This is not Reagan-time. If Hillary Clinton implodes (and recognizes it), there will be a rush to compete (for instance, Senators Brown, Kaine, Warren). Any viable governors? Probably not Cuomo. Or the amazing Governor Brown.
The best M Dowd I have ever read! JB for president!
4
Your jealousy of Hillary apparently has no bounds. Accusations do not make convictions. You should be happy that a woman can stand up and defend herself. She never says anything stupid.
7
Why shouldn't they jump in? Every other loser has. It's a circus.
Interesting transformation of Maureen Dowd. Once an avid Clinton supporter, now criticizes them almost every chance she gets, especially Hillary.
1
this isn't the hillary i see. i see a woman seriously discussing policies that can advance social justice, economic fairness, and the environment, and she's bringing real passion to the fight. i have not been a hillary supporter in the past, but she has grown, learned, and earned my respect.
8
Joe is a forward thinker - let's remember who pushed the President into supporting gay marriage. Joe did it because it was the right thing, not the most politically expedient.
If he runs, I will volunteer with his organization.
If he runs, I will volunteer with his organization.
4
Biden can bide his time. No need to jump in until the last minute, no earlier than the filing deadline for first early primary that truly matters?
Should Hillary face criminal charges you will see Joe jump in.
And so, the question then becomes:
What do you have against Tim Tebow?
What do you have against Tim Tebow?
1
Dowd's use of a dying son is emotionally manipulative and downright low. I like Joe Biden, but at 72? I like Bernie, too, but he's what...74? Unless, when we're in an age (no pun intended) where 70 is the new 60, I just don't these two getting elected. As for Hillary, she is not perfect, but the media is treating her like a wet dog at a wedding. Hey media, why weren't you on Bush's case?
12
Hillary is not significantly younger.
Run, Joe, run! Joe Biden is a candidate with integrity, and someone who can actually work with congress.
4
Joe Biden is honest. And he has a great ability to get along with people. He is the sort of person you say that "What you see is what you get" about. I would like so much to have a woman president. But I am getting so tired of Hillary. If only Senator Warren would toss her pillbox into the ring. (Not that I can see her wearing a Jackie pillbox!) But apparently that isn't going to happen. And unfortunately Bernie--my favorie senator (I am originally from Vermont)--cannot get elecgted.
2
You have reminded me that President Truman couldn't get elected.
Maureen, thank you for pointing out that Hillary Clinton is not Presidential material. But, I wonder at the ease with which you move from Clinton's lies (which are crimes) to "who will we get to replace her?" Aren't you missing a step between? Like, when do we cooperate with the people who are working desperately to bring this woman to Justice?
I am wondering when Democrats will say to themselves, my God, Dear God, what have we done?
A very short list. You've elevated people who protect one another from their crimes. You've created a media echo chamber that out and out lies to protect them. You've circled your wagons to protect an industry that profits from dismembering tiny humans, selling their parts piecemeal. You celebrate our Supreme Court writing laws. You ignore an Executive Branch that has made the worst Treaty in the history of the world.
Joe Biden doesn't care about money? That's his qualification? He seems perfectly happy to use it to further ALL of what I outlined above? Steep price indeed.
So, please left, for the love of all that is Crying From the Wilderness, tell us.
What is your threshold? When do you say to yourselves, My Dear God, what have I done? A declaration of your line in the sand would be ever so helpful.
I am wondering when Democrats will say to themselves, my God, Dear God, what have we done?
A very short list. You've elevated people who protect one another from their crimes. You've created a media echo chamber that out and out lies to protect them. You've circled your wagons to protect an industry that profits from dismembering tiny humans, selling their parts piecemeal. You celebrate our Supreme Court writing laws. You ignore an Executive Branch that has made the worst Treaty in the history of the world.
Joe Biden doesn't care about money? That's his qualification? He seems perfectly happy to use it to further ALL of what I outlined above? Steep price indeed.
So, please left, for the love of all that is Crying From the Wilderness, tell us.
What is your threshold? When do you say to yourselves, My Dear God, what have I done? A declaration of your line in the sand would be ever so helpful.
If I didn't know better I would swear that Ms. Dowd has a peculiar symbiotic relationship with Starbuck's billionaire CEO Howard Schultz. She repeatedly writes fawningly of his commitment to just causes like veterans health care & now a sweet as molasses story with a hashtag slogan, "WWBD." Dowd must have devoted more columns to buttering up her anti-union friend, Mr. Schultz, than tangentially scrutinizing his products including overcharging caffeine junkies for sugary coffee drinks like Frappucino & Caramel Machiattos.
By smearing the Deflate Gate or "Ballghazi" scandal & Tom Brady's seemingly criminal erasure of incriminating phone messages with Hillary Clinton's e-mail server, Dowd attempts to compel readers to believe that Clinton is hiding something just as criminal as Brady. This assumes there was an act that Clinton orchestrated similar in magnitude to ordering the deflation of footballs before a Super Bowl game which Dowd imagines through innuendo although fails to make a solid criminal case of. Unless, she is suggesting that Clinton is responsible for masterminding the Benghazi riots. Further, the suggestion that Clinton accepted USB donations to her Foundation as bribes in order to arrange for IRS lenience in '09 is pure slander. In '09, UBS paid $780 million to settle charges that it helped wealthy Americans evade taxes even though the Swiss Parliament had strict bank-secrecy laws that prohibited banks from providing names of depositors.
By smearing the Deflate Gate or "Ballghazi" scandal & Tom Brady's seemingly criminal erasure of incriminating phone messages with Hillary Clinton's e-mail server, Dowd attempts to compel readers to believe that Clinton is hiding something just as criminal as Brady. This assumes there was an act that Clinton orchestrated similar in magnitude to ordering the deflation of footballs before a Super Bowl game which Dowd imagines through innuendo although fails to make a solid criminal case of. Unless, she is suggesting that Clinton is responsible for masterminding the Benghazi riots. Further, the suggestion that Clinton accepted USB donations to her Foundation as bribes in order to arrange for IRS lenience in '09 is pure slander. In '09, UBS paid $780 million to settle charges that it helped wealthy Americans evade taxes even though the Swiss Parliament had strict bank-secrecy laws that prohibited banks from providing names of depositors.
4
It can't just be a straight up tribute to Biden. It has to be yet another Hillary Clinton slam. A shame. I'm seriously considering ending my NY Times subscription at this point.
23
Hillary is done, Obama will make sure of it. It may be crazy but I look for him to put his wife in to run. The left will love it. That way he can stay in power without having to shred what's left of the Constitution. That comes in terms 3 & 4.
His wife is not going to run.
Janet, what makes you say so? By the way, I grew up in Chicago near Midway and left in 68 what part are you from?
I really hope Joe runs. He's a walking gaffe machine who would bring some levity to the race since he doesn't fully grasp reality. It would be fun to see he and Hillary go at each other. Joe knows a lot of things about her that she doesn't want to be shared publicly, and she would point out what a dim bulb he is. What more could you ask for?
1
Biden is a clown who would come across as disgusting if he used his son's death to launch his bid for a higher office.
2
My friend, he is more experienced than any GOP candidate among the 16 or is it 17 running.
It's common sense: Joe Biden would be the best president of the plausible candidates. Think about it: do you want to hear and see Hillary for four or eight years? Ms. Authenticity herself? At least Nixon pulled off some good moves, foreign and domestic.
1
Very interesting piece. I conclude that there are two possibilities here. 1. This father and son conversation, replete with verbatim quotes, never occurred and is a fabrication by Ms. Dowd. Not very likely. 2. The conversation did happen and must have therefore been reported to Dowd by Joe Biden himself. Why would he do this? Can't imagine. Go Joe!
All Hillary Clinton needs to do is keep her mouth shut, keep the press in actual bondage and play the fuzzy grandmother. She is a sure winner as a historic glass ceiling breaker.
Come on run, save us from Hillary, Beau would want it. Plus you bumbling old fool we need a laugh or two.
Am I missing something? How does Dowd know what Beau Biden said to his Dad? What was her source?
6
WWOD- What would Obama do? At Beau's funeral, he called Biden "my brother". Who wouldn't support a brother running for President. I hope he runs....for his son, for himself. And to really see the loyalty Obama professes to have for "his brother".
Joe Biden, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2003, controlled debate about whether to go to war in Iraq. I don't mind that he made what he later admitted was a mistake in voting for the AUMF against Saddam Hussein, but I find it unconscionable on his part that he blocked testimony to his committee by opponents of starting that war.
15
Yes. A lot of what I've read about Biden in recent years portrays him as a decent sort, and my first reaction in hearing he might run was positive; Hillary, after all, was a craven enabler of the Iraq war via her vote for the AUMF. But then I remembered that he voted the same way--and he did far more to aid the USA's greatest foreign-policy atrocity of our generation through his orchestration of testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee.
1
He was on the Judiciary Committee when Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill testified before it. Not covered with glory there, either.
1
If Biden were a repubican, all his gaffes would have landed him in the clown car by now.
I like Biden, personally, but I thought he put his foot in his mouth too many times to be a serious contender for president. Assume this was the reason why he has never been taken seriously before.
Between him and Kasich, another unscripted type, the things we'd hear during the campaign would be completely unpredictable. Even Sanders, for all his "truthfulness", sticks pretty carefully to his scripted complaints.
I like Biden, personally, but I thought he put his foot in his mouth too many times to be a serious contender for president. Assume this was the reason why he has never been taken seriously before.
Between him and Kasich, another unscripted type, the things we'd hear during the campaign would be completely unpredictable. Even Sanders, for all his "truthfulness", sticks pretty carefully to his scripted complaints.
10
He is not smart enough to be president. Decent yes. in a story book movie, he could be president. In this world, no.
6
I'm pretty sure the same things were said about Franklin Roosevelt.
When Beau was dying, the family got rubber bracelets in blue — his favorite color — that said “WWBD,"
"WWJD" or What Will Joe Do? If history is any precedent, Joe Biden will show "amazing grace' as he has modeled for his family, for the country and for the President. Joe will and apparently is giving serious consideration to always putting his country first, along side of family.
Whatever Joe Biden decides I will support him.
But, Maureen Dowd, you were a bit dismissive of Senator Sanders who is bringing authentic voice to the needs of American middle class.
Not so fast, Ms. Dowd, Bernie, in his own words, '"don't underestimate him"
Lastly, this column is yet another really low way to attack Ms. Clinton by preying upon s son's deathbed conversation with his much cherished father.
Yes, through it all the Biden's have shown 'Amazing Grace:
I wish you had as well.
"WWJD" or What Will Joe Do? If history is any precedent, Joe Biden will show "amazing grace' as he has modeled for his family, for the country and for the President. Joe will and apparently is giving serious consideration to always putting his country first, along side of family.
Whatever Joe Biden decides I will support him.
But, Maureen Dowd, you were a bit dismissive of Senator Sanders who is bringing authentic voice to the needs of American middle class.
Not so fast, Ms. Dowd, Bernie, in his own words, '"don't underestimate him"
Lastly, this column is yet another really low way to attack Ms. Clinton by preying upon s son's deathbed conversation with his much cherished father.
Yes, through it all the Biden's have shown 'Amazing Grace:
I wish you had as well.
82
NYT is quite dismissive of Senator Sanders, yet he is enjoying a lot of support, and he is highlighting issues that other candidates won't touch. He is the real. He is who I am supporting. VP Biden is a nice man, but I don't plan to vote for him. I want someone who has an anti-war, pro-environment, pro-worker platform~that is Bernie Sanders. NYT chooses to marginalize him, but he IS the real deal!
1
The email scandal is not a product of Hillary's character, but of her relationships. Bringing the correspondence to light would clearly show that State's decisions in the Middle East are cleared with the fossil fuel companies that got us mixed up there in the first place. Mrs. Clinton's character and personality are secondary.
As for the Republican opposition, they all openly work for the oil companies and banks, but Hillary, incredibly, hopes to keep similar relationships among corporate Democrats a secret. Otherwise, a populist candidate like Bernie or Warren would bury her in the primaries, no matter how much money the Clintons raise.
As for Brady, he and his coach are psychopathic. The New England cold weather fumble rate dropped like a stone when Belicheck started letting the air out of the footballs. Brady was complicit, but for some reason has decided he'll take the fall, making it less likely they both would be banned for life, which is what they deserve.
The Clintons, Bushes, and all current Republican candidates should also be banned for life. They are shameless crooks, and Bernie Sanders can defeat the whole bunch. If the New York Times and people like yourself stick to the issues, that is.
As for the Republican opposition, they all openly work for the oil companies and banks, but Hillary, incredibly, hopes to keep similar relationships among corporate Democrats a secret. Otherwise, a populist candidate like Bernie or Warren would bury her in the primaries, no matter how much money the Clintons raise.
As for Brady, he and his coach are psychopathic. The New England cold weather fumble rate dropped like a stone when Belicheck started letting the air out of the footballs. Brady was complicit, but for some reason has decided he'll take the fall, making it less likely they both would be banned for life, which is what they deserve.
The Clintons, Bushes, and all current Republican candidates should also be banned for life. They are shameless crooks, and Bernie Sanders can defeat the whole bunch. If the New York Times and people like yourself stick to the issues, that is.
27
If Joe Biden enters the race over the next few days, I am in his camp. Simply put, Biden is the best-qualified person to become president. He is a master of the legislative process and has participated extensively in the conduct of foreign policy. With the right Veep (Elizabeth Warren?) he'd be a formidable candidate who is prepared to immediately take up the reins of power immediately.
But Biden's window of opportunity is limited. The Democratic race has evolved considerably, and Biden will be unable to attract funding and volunteers if he continues to delay. For my part, every passing day increases my interest in Bernie Sanders. I'm looking for a candidate to support, not a possibility.
To Joe Biden and his team I implore: come to a decision now-- in days, not weeks. If you delay, you are lost.
But Biden's window of opportunity is limited. The Democratic race has evolved considerably, and Biden will be unable to attract funding and volunteers if he continues to delay. For my part, every passing day increases my interest in Bernie Sanders. I'm looking for a candidate to support, not a possibility.
To Joe Biden and his team I implore: come to a decision now-- in days, not weeks. If you delay, you are lost.
32
Oops-- poor proofing on my part. Strike the first "immediately" in the sentence at the end of the first para. I hit "submit" too soon.
4
Dowd wants Biden to run.
Hillary showed me all I ever want to see of her when an aide "found" her "lost" Rose Law Firm billing records in her bedroom closet at the White House. There was nothing worth seeing in those records. That isn't the point. The point is that she has always been this way, and it isn't going to change.
Biden being ahead of Bush while Hillary is behind is just one poll, and being ahead of Bush is also where The Donald is just now.
What is more telling is that Biden is ahead of both even without running, even without gathering campaign money from wealthy donors. Maybe even because of those things.
The story of Beau is touching, but it isn't the reason to run.
The voter rejection of both of the big money candidates of both parties is a reason to run. That is what The Donald really means -- it is a big "no thanks." That is what the lack of enthusiasm means for Hillary after all the money and all the hype. It is an invitation for someone new.
It isn't the nature of the Republican Establishment to provide someone new, but the Democrats can.
Hillary showed me all I ever want to see of her when an aide "found" her "lost" Rose Law Firm billing records in her bedroom closet at the White House. There was nothing worth seeing in those records. That isn't the point. The point is that she has always been this way, and it isn't going to change.
Biden being ahead of Bush while Hillary is behind is just one poll, and being ahead of Bush is also where The Donald is just now.
What is more telling is that Biden is ahead of both even without running, even without gathering campaign money from wealthy donors. Maybe even because of those things.
The story of Beau is touching, but it isn't the reason to run.
The voter rejection of both of the big money candidates of both parties is a reason to run. That is what The Donald really means -- it is a big "no thanks." That is what the lack of enthusiasm means for Hillary after all the money and all the hype. It is an invitation for someone new.
It isn't the nature of the Republican Establishment to provide someone new, but the Democrats can.
38
No, Dowd doesn't necessarily want Biden to run. Her opinion piece is about Sec. Clinton. All her opinion pieces are about Sec. Clinton.
The last three presidents, Clinton, Bush and Obama all have one thing in a common; a Narcissus complex. It was always about them. It was always about who can give them the most money to get elected. It was about placating oligarchs. It was about selling America out to the highest bidder. All three took this country in the wrong direction.
Hillary Clinton will be a continuation of this line. As will virtually every GOP candidate. All they care about is themselves, getting elected and placating the oligarchs.
So, Joe Biden entering the race, will certainly turn this line of privilege on its ear. For whatever reason he has not be corrupted by Washington politics. He speaks his mind. Sometimes he stumbles, but he has shown his human side. He has a long record in the Senate. He comes from a true humble background. While in the Senate, he chose to ride the train to Washington, not take a private jet. He has overcome tragedy to be a better person for it.
A ticket of Joe Biden/Bernie Sanders would send this nation back into a different direction. A direction that 320 million Americans matter, not those who run the PACs. Mr. Biiden and Mr. Sanders have nothing to hide, but all the rest do. America needs Joe Biden, like they needed Lincoln, FDR and Truman.
Hillary Clinton will be a continuation of this line. As will virtually every GOP candidate. All they care about is themselves, getting elected and placating the oligarchs.
So, Joe Biden entering the race, will certainly turn this line of privilege on its ear. For whatever reason he has not be corrupted by Washington politics. He speaks his mind. Sometimes he stumbles, but he has shown his human side. He has a long record in the Senate. He comes from a true humble background. While in the Senate, he chose to ride the train to Washington, not take a private jet. He has overcome tragedy to be a better person for it.
A ticket of Joe Biden/Bernie Sanders would send this nation back into a different direction. A direction that 320 million Americans matter, not those who run the PACs. Mr. Biiden and Mr. Sanders have nothing to hide, but all the rest do. America needs Joe Biden, like they needed Lincoln, FDR and Truman.
66
Obama - it was all about him? Have you looked at the list of things he has accomplished for all of us, all Americans? Please look again.
There's nothing more to say. You've hit the proverbial nail on the head. Maybe you should have written the column.
Poor doomed Maureen Dowd! When Hillary ascends, the Times will serve her head up on a platter as a peace offering to the Oval Office. No wonder she is desperate for anybody to stop Hillary's march to power.
I don't see what's in it for Biden. It would do the Democratic party good to have a sparring partner for Hillary who could get her into fighting form. However, he will basically be a sacrificial lamb for Hillary to sharpen her sword on. Not much fun for the lamb!
I don't see what's in it for Biden. It would do the Democratic party good to have a sparring partner for Hillary who could get her into fighting form. However, he will basically be a sacrificial lamb for Hillary to sharpen her sword on. Not much fun for the lamb!
36
"It could be awkward for President Obama..."
Or it could be exactly what the president is hoping for. The president knows exactly how much he is disliked, and he dislikes the Clintons in return.
Can we expect more leaks from "highly placed government sources" sticking the knife in Hillary's back? Obama is from Chicago, after all.
Or it could be exactly what the president is hoping for. The president knows exactly how much he is disliked, and he dislikes the Clintons in return.
Can we expect more leaks from "highly placed government sources" sticking the knife in Hillary's back? Obama is from Chicago, after all.
19
"Obama is from Chicago, after all."
Yes, and Bush is from the family of Willie Horton ads, ads accusing McCain of fathering a black child, and JEB! himself calling a Swift-Boat operative with thanks.
Yes, and Bush is from the family of Willie Horton ads, ads accusing McCain of fathering a black child, and JEB! himself calling a Swift-Boat operative with thanks.
91
"Obama is from Chicago, after all."
Your animus for Barack Obama is clouding your judgment. These days, bare-knuckle politics is practiced from coast to coast, and by the bluest of the blue bloods.
The president probably does know how much the Clintons dislike him. He just has no reason to care.
Your animus for Barack Obama is clouding your judgment. These days, bare-knuckle politics is practiced from coast to coast, and by the bluest of the blue bloods.
The president probably does know how much the Clintons dislike him. He just has no reason to care.
54
He's "from Chicago"? This silly canard still works in right-wing circles? Sigh. There are times when I really miss men like William F. Buckley, who--though racist and anti-Semitic and wrong-headed on a million dimensions--could at least be insulting in a complicated, amusing, and often quite interesting way.
In any case, if you're going to go the "he's from Chicago" route you should be mindful that no American city is immune from stereotype. I'm currently reading Christopher Dickey's remarkable "Our Man In Charleston," which describes the feverish, cruel, and sometimes violent pro-slavery culture that animated Charleston, South Carolina in the years leading up to insurrection, treason, and civil war.
Charleston was, of course, the epicenter of the vile pro-slavery movement in the South.
I must admit reading the horrifying history of the place makes me want to avoid the South forever. The brutality and fanaticism of Charleston's leading citizens is absolutely chilling to contemplate: Dickey describes a city that is more like a fascist police state (complete with spies and strange "disappearances") than the genteel and stately old city so beloved by its residents today.
Of course, in the case of Charleston, recent tragic events suggest that little has changed on that side of the Mason Dixon line. Is that a fair judgment?
No, not really. There may even be decent, creative, patriotic people who were born and bred in Charleston.
There certainly are plenty in Chicago.
In any case, if you're going to go the "he's from Chicago" route you should be mindful that no American city is immune from stereotype. I'm currently reading Christopher Dickey's remarkable "Our Man In Charleston," which describes the feverish, cruel, and sometimes violent pro-slavery culture that animated Charleston, South Carolina in the years leading up to insurrection, treason, and civil war.
Charleston was, of course, the epicenter of the vile pro-slavery movement in the South.
I must admit reading the horrifying history of the place makes me want to avoid the South forever. The brutality and fanaticism of Charleston's leading citizens is absolutely chilling to contemplate: Dickey describes a city that is more like a fascist police state (complete with spies and strange "disappearances") than the genteel and stately old city so beloved by its residents today.
Of course, in the case of Charleston, recent tragic events suggest that little has changed on that side of the Mason Dixon line. Is that a fair judgment?
No, not really. There may even be decent, creative, patriotic people who were born and bred in Charleston.
There certainly are plenty in Chicago.
4
So Bernie Sanders is too "liberal" for Ms. Dowd?
Is that the best that the columnist can do?
How about being honest and admit that the positions Bernie takes are more in-line with the wishes of tens of millions of voters?
Granted, compared to the candidates from the GOTPFOX side, Bernie is left-of-center; however, just casting Sanders aside as too "liberal" does a disservice to the man.
It's only August, 2015, but after next Thursday's first Republican debate, aptly taking place on the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, many Americans will see just how extreme the Republicans are.
The hatred of the Clintons is just standard operating procedure for Ms. Dowd.
Is that the best that the columnist can do?
How about being honest and admit that the positions Bernie takes are more in-line with the wishes of tens of millions of voters?
Granted, compared to the candidates from the GOTPFOX side, Bernie is left-of-center; however, just casting Sanders aside as too "liberal" does a disservice to the man.
It's only August, 2015, but after next Thursday's first Republican debate, aptly taking place on the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, many Americans will see just how extreme the Republicans are.
The hatred of the Clintons is just standard operating procedure for Ms. Dowd.
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Being on the rather far left of the political spectrum is not what makes Berniea no-hoper. Thankfully, Lizzy Warren is AT LEAST as progressive, and what a dream ticket Joe with her as his running mate for VP would make.
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So why do you bother wasting your time reading her column much less post in her columns? Yet here you are.
I am from Chicago sir. I know just a little bit about Chicago politics and dare I say more than you.
Daddy Daley used patronage effectively and gave out city contracts to shell companies run by the mob.
Former major Daley's patronage chief was convicted in 2006 for rewarding the mayors political allies city jobs and promotions.
They also gave out millions in government contracts to shell companies that were fronts for organized crime.
What I want to know is if Hillary will answer questions at the Democratic debates. She refused to take a position on TPP until after the vote and now she won't take a position on Keystone until after the election? Will she take a position before or after she polls it?
Republicans aren't taking millions from countries that have terrible human rights violations like the Clinton Foundation are they? In 2013 the Clinton Slush fund took between $1 million and $5 million from Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE? Don't they practice Sharia Law? How does that square with her women's right mantra?
How many Republicans are accused of destroying confidential emails over their personal email accounts? Now the evidence shows she lied. Tell me Kevin, how well will she do in the general election debate. Let me guess "I don't have a position but I will after the election?" Grasping at straws Kevin.
I am from Chicago sir. I know just a little bit about Chicago politics and dare I say more than you.
Daddy Daley used patronage effectively and gave out city contracts to shell companies run by the mob.
Former major Daley's patronage chief was convicted in 2006 for rewarding the mayors political allies city jobs and promotions.
They also gave out millions in government contracts to shell companies that were fronts for organized crime.
What I want to know is if Hillary will answer questions at the Democratic debates. She refused to take a position on TPP until after the vote and now she won't take a position on Keystone until after the election? Will she take a position before or after she polls it?
Republicans aren't taking millions from countries that have terrible human rights violations like the Clinton Foundation are they? In 2013 the Clinton Slush fund took between $1 million and $5 million from Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE? Don't they practice Sharia Law? How does that square with her women's right mantra?
How many Republicans are accused of destroying confidential emails over their personal email accounts? Now the evidence shows she lied. Tell me Kevin, how well will she do in the general election debate. Let me guess "I don't have a position but I will after the election?" Grasping at straws Kevin.
Bernie is not a liberal. He is a card-carrying Socialist. He is also not a Democrat.
I grew up in Michigan and my parents were Republicans. In 1964 I remember having a conversation with my father about the recent elections and he mentioned that he had voted for Philip Hart for the Michigan senate seat. Hart, for those who don't know, was a quite liberal democrat.
I was surprised and asked him why. He said that while he didn't agree with many of Hart's positions, he was nonetheless convinced that he was an honest man and would always do what he truly believed to be right. "That's rare enough," my dad added (or words to that effect).
It would be years before I would realize how true that last statement was. I would vote for Biden in a minute. An honest man. Rare enough.
I was surprised and asked him why. He said that while he didn't agree with many of Hart's positions, he was nonetheless convinced that he was an honest man and would always do what he truly believed to be right. "That's rare enough," my dad added (or words to that effect).
It would be years before I would realize how true that last statement was. I would vote for Biden in a minute. An honest man. Rare enough.
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Voters should be concerned if VP Biden has decided to make a run because his son Beau had wanted him to. Sure, columnists would love to see VP Biden versus Sec Clinton in the primaries. And the GOP would love that even more. But unless VP Biden's heart is in it, irrespective of Beau's wishes - or against Beau's wishes, it will not be in America's interest
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Is HRC in America's interest?
I agree.
My daughter was murdered by an angry neighbot.
It took a while for me to settle.
I pray for Joe; I was in Delaware the weekend of Bau's funeral. Many people were very sad, even in the traditionally Republican southern part of the state. Beau was a straight shooter, smart, honest and a good family man. He was very much ike his fathe, Joe Biden has been and is.
I hope Joe runs. HRH is a capable lady, but she is not Bill Clinton's sister, with the same DNA. She is his spouse. I think she is doing as well as she is based on her surname and her smarts. However, I fear her smarts are too much at times.
My daughter was murdered by an angry neighbot.
It took a while for me to settle.
I pray for Joe; I was in Delaware the weekend of Bau's funeral. Many people were very sad, even in the traditionally Republican southern part of the state. Beau was a straight shooter, smart, honest and a good family man. He was very much ike his fathe, Joe Biden has been and is.
I hope Joe runs. HRH is a capable lady, but she is not Bill Clinton's sister, with the same DNA. She is his spouse. I think she is doing as well as she is based on her surname and her smarts. However, I fear her smarts are too much at times.
While Sec Clinton's usage of a private server for state business is definitely questionable - but then many people did it, including a CIA Director using his own laptop, not that it is an excuse - I'd like to see Ms Dowd, or any readers for that matter, if someone wanted to scroll through their personal emails on their personal device. Mind you, if it is a company issued device, it is company property. But not one's personal mobile phone. More importantly, the question here is: will you let people, not even your employer, to demand it without any court order.
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The only real answer is to keep President Obama and Vice President Biden in Office.
Hillary should have ran against W in '04. I would have voted for her then.
Hillary should have ran against W in '04. I would have voted for her then.
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Sorry, but the 26th Amendment to the Constitution limits the President and Vice president to two terms only.
Biden is a man of character who is intellectually challenged. Clinton is a woman of intellect who is dishonest and unethical. Both are relics of the 20th century. Neither should be seriously considered as qualified for the office of POTUS. The Democratic party has absolutely no one on its thin bench of talent that can compete in 2016. What a shame.
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"Intellectually challenged?" You have to be kidding. On what basis do you say that? He may not be the "intellectual" that Mr. Obama is, but he is discerning, and thoughtful, and does his homework.
Which is far more than I can say about the "bench of talent" competing for the GOP. You want "thin?" You can't find a thinner bench despite said bench's numerical intensity.
Give me one GOP candidate that can hold a candle intellectually to Biden. There simply aren't any.
Which is far more than I can say about the "bench of talent" competing for the GOP. You want "thin?" You can't find a thinner bench despite said bench's numerical intensity.
Give me one GOP candidate that can hold a candle intellectually to Biden. There simply aren't any.
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Bernie Sanders is both honest and intelligent. And as testimony to his ethics, he has not used years in Congre$$ to enrich himself. He is one of the now minority in Congre$$ who is not a millionaire.
If elected, Sanders would be the first honest President since Jimmy Carter. I despair that the country isn't ready for honesty yet.
If elected, Sanders would be the first honest President since Jimmy Carter. I despair that the country isn't ready for honesty yet.
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Draining the bench seems to a bipartisan mimicry of CEO tactics.
Schultz=Short
Hillary=Tall
Brady=Grande
Hillary=Tall
Brady=Grande
6
I was supporting a Biden/Obama ticket in 2008 and was disappointed that their respective positions on that projected ticket were ultimately reversed. It turns out that Mr. Biden has been as influential a V.P. as was his (malevolent) predecessor and it's clear that the younger man has ended up learning much from the older one. It's too bad that the President didn't pay heed to Mr. Biden when the latter was talking up the idea of letting Iraq break apart along ethnic and religious lines. On the other hand his vocal support for same-sex marriage predated Mr. Obama's and brought that issue the attention it required. Mr. Biden's integrity and personal decency are as unquestioned as his intelligence. He'd make a fine President. A better one that many of us deserve.
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A better one THAN many of us deserve.
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A better one THAN many of us deserve.
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Are you kidding me? Fortunately I wasn't born and raised there but I currently live in Delaware. Biden is an absolute joke! His intelligence is not questioned? I don't believe how the people of Delaware have promoted him to some sort of icon politician. Integrity? Personal decency? Give me a break! Even though I would love for him to be the Democrat candidate.
Maureen, when I think of supporting Hillary in fall 2016, it's strictly in the spirit of "lie back and think of England." She is hardly the kind of candidate that most progressives could enthusiastically support - except as the alternative to one of the ideological zombies on the right. Talk about your walking dead...
Joe Biden is an old school Democrat who once made a terrible mistake in not attributing a piece of campaign rhetoric to Neal Kinnoch. He's paid for that mistake since then - and would bring a stalwart character with name recognition into a primary process where the best candidate on the issues, Bernie Sanders, has me nonetheless reflecting on the lessons of supporting a noble yet unelectable candidate like George McGovern in 1972. With Roe v. Wade holding by a single vote, and at least one liberal on the Supreme Court nearing the end of her tenure, it's my view that we cannot afford to risk everything on a long shot. And yet, we can and should do better than merely settling for a Clinton.
I'm thrilled that Bernie Sanders is in this race, just as I was thrilled that Dennis Kucinich was a part of the 2004 and 2008 primary process. We need a passionate, articulate spokesman for the progressive movement making our case. But winning the 2016 political Super Bowl is everything, and with Elizabeth Warren refusing to get into the game, Joe Biden is probably the best QB we have left.
Joe Biden is an old school Democrat who once made a terrible mistake in not attributing a piece of campaign rhetoric to Neal Kinnoch. He's paid for that mistake since then - and would bring a stalwart character with name recognition into a primary process where the best candidate on the issues, Bernie Sanders, has me nonetheless reflecting on the lessons of supporting a noble yet unelectable candidate like George McGovern in 1972. With Roe v. Wade holding by a single vote, and at least one liberal on the Supreme Court nearing the end of her tenure, it's my view that we cannot afford to risk everything on a long shot. And yet, we can and should do better than merely settling for a Clinton.
I'm thrilled that Bernie Sanders is in this race, just as I was thrilled that Dennis Kucinich was a part of the 2004 and 2008 primary process. We need a passionate, articulate spokesman for the progressive movement making our case. But winning the 2016 political Super Bowl is everything, and with Elizabeth Warren refusing to get into the game, Joe Biden is probably the best QB we have left.
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The problem with your logic is the answer as to why the Democrats have failed to elect a progressive Democrat since Roosevelt. When we demos start covering our bets, that's when we get people in office that are not real Democrats but "centrists." This is the direction in which Bill Clinton took us and what have we to show for it: NAFTA , the repeal of Glass-Steigel, and the removal of a social welfare system that kept people housed and fed. The Democrats, as Joel Klein once said, are good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. We labor under the illusion that it is better to forgo all our values and beliefs about government in order to win with lesser candidates who are little better than republicans in sheep's clothing. If we do that this time...if we forgo electing Bernie Sanders, it may be our last chance to right the sinking ship of democracy.
That mistake also saved Joe Biden's life. He had attributed his statements to Neil Kinnock in previous speeches but omitted them in other instances leading to him leaving the 1988 primary campaign. The neck pain he was suffering was finally examined in his new-found free time. He was found to have a brain aneurysm that required immediate surgery that saved his life.
In an ironic twist worthy of a Krzysztof Kieślowski film on compensatory universes, Joe Biden's own son died of brain cancer as described in this op-ed piece. Was his death a signal for Joe to run, or was it just the opposite?
In an ironic twist worthy of a Krzysztof Kieślowski film on compensatory universes, Joe Biden's own son died of brain cancer as described in this op-ed piece. Was his death a signal for Joe to run, or was it just the opposite?
1
I was also passionate about Dennis Kucinich, less so for George McGovern, still less for Eugene McCarthy and not at all for Howard Dean. But I knew none of them had a real chance.
Bernie Sanders is different. He is a serious candidate running a serious, strong campaign. He is in the race all the way and he is gaining supporters every day.
Don't be one of those people who says "I'd vote for him but he can't win." If all those people voted for him he'd win by a landslide. If you think Bernie is the best candidate, vote for him!
I also want to see Elizabeth Warren as president and hope I'll have a chance to vote for her. But in 2016, with warmest wishes for Biden, it's Bernie!
Bernie Sanders is different. He is a serious candidate running a serious, strong campaign. He is in the race all the way and he is gaining supporters every day.
Don't be one of those people who says "I'd vote for him but he can't win." If all those people voted for him he'd win by a landslide. If you think Bernie is the best candidate, vote for him!
I also want to see Elizabeth Warren as president and hope I'll have a chance to vote for her. But in 2016, with warmest wishes for Biden, it's Bernie!
Joe? I'm in.
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Seeing Joe up close in Greenville, DE and how he loves his family and neighbors, and how they love him, I can't help, but feel that he would be a much more "grounded" President than any of the other candidates. His experience is unmatched, as his is genuineness and honesty. You go Joe! I'm with Beau!
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I am not a Democrat and I think Joe can be goofy but yes, he is a very good man. What he said when his first wife died stuck with me: Delaware can get another Senator, but my boys cannot get another father. What a man.
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What, no mention of the abuse Hillary has had to endure? How many Benghazi investigations? (While George W Bush and his neocon buddies perpetrated war crimes and got away scot free). I think some paranoia on Hillary's part is justified, when just about everything she does is held up to a relentless scrutiny, often by those who haven't behaved particularly well themselves. Maureen, every time you fulminate against Hillary, you only make it more likely that one of the 'crowded, absurdist Republican field cowering in the shadow of the megalomaniacal showman Donald Trump' makes it into the White House.
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The reason there are so many investigations is their talent for not complying with requests and answering questions. It takes several hearings just to get many of the facts. And still more get uncovered afterward.
Duplicitous people bring on their own troubles. Just ask the people at the IRS who keep destroying things and finding information they supposedly didn't have.
Duplicitous people bring on their own troubles. Just ask the people at the IRS who keep destroying things and finding information they supposedly didn't have.
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Hillary creates any "abuse" in her life. Using a private server for work????
IF there's nothing to hide turn it over to an independent third party. Easy solution to abuse.
IF there's nothing to hide turn it over to an independent third party. Easy solution to abuse.
The Republicans attack Hilary for all the wrong reasons. The accuse her of being responsible for American losses in Bengazzi, which she could not have foreseen, and fail to accuse her of being a warmonger, which she is. How many more 'wars of choice' do we need to have?
Joe Biden is an honorable and decent man. A man of character. That is something that you can't put a price on. He is also a man of vast experience who knows the ins and outs of Washington as well as possessing a strong grasp of foreign policy. He carries little or no personal baggage.......something that most people loathe when it comes to the Clintons.
He is the best candidate that the Democrats have and many Independents would be comfortable in voting for him as well. He would beat any of the Republicans including Jeb & Trump hands down.
For the sake of the Country, Joe needs to run!
He is the best candidate that the Democrats have and many Independents would be comfortable in voting for him as well. He would beat any of the Republicans including Jeb & Trump hands down.
For the sake of the Country, Joe needs to run!
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So you'd like Joe Biden to run... And if he disappoints or surprises you in any way, you'll turn all your formidable snark on him?? Perhaps all the candidates ought to check in w Ms Dowd to make sure they pass muster.
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Pretty sure what Dowd would do ... vote for Joe maybe?
6
An insightful and moving piece of writing. Thanks. Clinton, Brady, Schultz are all super-wealthy and except for Schultz, super-entitled. So that leaves Biden. About him Dowd writes with poignancy; there's genuine feeling surrounding his life, especially his adversity. He seem to me like the most real of the four. Being real may be a disadvantage. American politics is about image, easily spun and fake. I can't imagine Joe Biden being spun and fake.
28
Vice President Biden is a tremendously strong individual, who has endured tragedy that no father or husband should ever have to face. I continue to see the grief he feels from the recent loss of his dear son, Beau. Although I do not know what he is thinking concerning the Democratic race, the value system that he and his family have internalized, and the passion for service that animates him, would be wonderful assets for his candidacy, and I hope he reads Ms. Dowd's words, and finds a path forward.
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Biden needs to run. The country needs him and the Democrats surely need him. There is a lot of talk about Clintons email scandals and soon to follow will be the Clinton Foundation issue where while SOS the Clinton Foundation was receiving billions of dollars foreign governments and foreign nations.
This was occurring while the SOS was authorizing the shipment of weapons to these countries. Meanwhile they have lost touch with their middle class values. If Biden does not get in the race the Republican candidate might as well run unopposed..... http://goo.gl/rOc4s8
This was occurring while the SOS was authorizing the shipment of weapons to these countries. Meanwhile they have lost touch with their middle class values. If Biden does not get in the race the Republican candidate might as well run unopposed..... http://goo.gl/rOc4s8
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There should be an age limit or test for cognitive function during the presidency. Some people decline precipitously, as young as their early 70s. Others reach the century mark with undiminished capabilities. But we deserve to know whether our president is mentally capable.
5
Do you considers "youngsters" like Trump and Ted Cruz to be "mentally capable"?
56
Where was this question when Reagan was doddering around the White House, well in to his late 70's? Now that I'm 65, I see these attacks on chronological age and mental capacity as nothing but ageism.
Good idea about testing cognitive function. It would eliminate virtually all of the Republican candidates right off the bat.
This was a very compassionate and moving article. I used to think that Dowd was only good at witty, sarcastic one-liners.
I am supporting Bernie Sanders, but if he can't make it, I would give my support to Biden in a heartbeat.
I am supporting Bernie Sanders, but if he can't make it, I would give my support to Biden in a heartbeat.
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For a columnist with a history of dubious work, I believe Ms. Dowd has hit an all time low for tastelessness. To impose on the Biden family's grief in order to extract yet one more anti-Hillary rant; to evoke a dying son's wishes to advance what she imagines to be a virtuous suggestion but is really only her ego looking for an in to the "story", is so distasteful, so far over any conceivable line of decorum, she outdoes Trump himself. I'm physically ill; my soul irreversibly grimed from having read this.
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Ms. Dowd quotes very private discussions between father and dying son, in addition to the father's interior monologues. With such tasteless psychic skills she might make better money on a reality show. She might not even need to kick Hillary around anymore.
"Imposing on family grief"? I doubt Biden would take it that way. For those of us Democrats who find Hilary's make-up a bit too thick, Biden offers an authentic persona, augmented by his deep wrinkles. Dowd speaks to this feeling of want and hope. How this is cause for your visceral disgust, I don't know. But in so virulently accusing Dowd of basest breach of decorum, aren't you yourself in breach?
MoDo is the only reason I pay for my digital subscription to the NY Times. That's because I enjoy her wit and am not a knee-jerk liberal. I did donate to Biden in 2004.
We could do far worse than having Joe Biden in the White House for a term or two.
The unfortunate reality is that Bernie probably won't be the nominee and a Hillary presidency could be a great one or it might be ineffective and mired in controversy. Biden is at least ready to do the job from day one and would keep things moving in the right direction.
The unfortunate reality is that Bernie probably won't be the nominee and a Hillary presidency could be a great one or it might be ineffective and mired in controversy. Biden is at least ready to do the job from day one and would keep things moving in the right direction.
65
How about Biden runs with Bernie as VP? They know each other from the Senate, and they are both good listeners. They could be a remarkable team.
11
It would be interesting to see the Republican field try to take down Biden with is years of experience and solid consistent moderate and well thought out positions. Yes, they will harp on some of the more outlandish things he has said over the years, but that s nothing compared to what Trump, Huckabee, Bush III, Walker and Rubio have spouted in just the past few months to get attention.
I think it should be Joe as Pres and Hillary at VP-I'd go for that.
And Maureen, its ok to take a weekend off in August rather than phone in some half thought out comparison between Hillary and Brady-do you truly find a similarity between pro football and the election of the POTUS? Really?
I think it should be Joe as Pres and Hillary at VP-I'd go for that.
And Maureen, its ok to take a weekend off in August rather than phone in some half thought out comparison between Hillary and Brady-do you truly find a similarity between pro football and the election of the POTUS? Really?
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I go for Joe. Hillary would never run for VP and he needs Hillary on the ticket like he needs a mouth full of root canals. Joe is the solution to Hillary. She'd be a drag I the ticket.
The fact is, the Clintons have moved on and can't go home (to the White House) anymore.
The fact is, the Clintons have moved on and can't go home (to the White House) anymore.
I'm surprised age hasn't been up to now a more salient issue. The average age of the three current Democratic front runners averaging 70yrs old I find deeply troubling.
22
Not just old, but white and male. That's something democrats only have trouble with when it refers to republicans.
Maybe now they'll give it a rest with identity politics.
Maybe now they'll give it a rest with identity politics.
For comparison, Wm. Henry Harrison was 68 when he assumed the presidency (and also 68 when his presidency ended; he died within a month of either pneumonia or enteric fever;) Harry S. Truman was 60-68 as President; Dwight D. Eisenhower was 62-70; Ronald Reagan was 69-77, Geo. Herbert Walker Bush was 64-68. And BTW, Dick Cheney, whose power and influence as VP are considered by some to overshadow those of his President, George W. Bush, was pushing 60 and had already had two heart attacks and a coronary artery bypass graft, when inaugurated (and several more events and procedures while in office.) Sean, Ft Lee: What is your problem with age?
1
youth is wasted on the young- Oscar Wilde
1
Biden has a sense of humor, the ability to calmly reason with politicians who may not agree with him, and a lifelong dedication to public service with no ambition to join the 1%. Compare that with Hillary's stage laugh, her inexorable self-importance and her dedication to being and remaining part of the 1%.
86
Telling that Ms. Dowd compares Clinton to Brady, since she talks about politics strictly as if it were a game, without impact on people's lives. And taunting Biden with what she imagines are his son's wishes is just tasteless--but I guess there's really no room for decency, or ideas, in politics anymore.
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As a Republican, if Joe Biden ran for President, looking at the current field of candidates we have right now on both sides, I'd actually vote for Joe. The guy is honest, loves his country, and has the political savvy and connections to actually work with both sides to get things done.
948
Marc, sorry, but you're no Republican.
OK Marc I am a Democrat and will Trump that and actually vote for any Republican.
Nothing that a NYT moderator loves more than a self-proclaimed "Republican" talking like a partisan Democrat. What a joke.
Biden needs to decide who he is? He's the eternal candidate who never cracked 5% in any presidential primary. He's a skinny-dipping overaged walking gaffe machine without any following and no political talent from a tiny backwater safe Senate seat who has never won a competitive election. He has no power base and no group of dedicated donors. he can't speak and he can't write. If the democrats think they can push this superannuated spavined horse over the finish line, even in an electoral college scene which favors them heavily, they are completely delusional. Even the Democrat base won't swallow this.
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Skep41, with what the Republican base swallows year after year, your insults to Biden add up to a compliment to the Democratic base.
4
I agree. Thanks for the comments.
I offered condolences at time of Beau's death however this
reminds me of Obama using his Granny and Mother to start his campaign.
The pity me approach. I hope it's not so.
I offered condolences at time of Beau's death however this
reminds me of Obama using his Granny and Mother to start his campaign.
The pity me approach. I hope it's not so.
Dose this mean you don't want him to run?
It is becoming almost impossible to dismiss the parade of scandal and entitlement that follows the Clintons. Even past supporters seems to be losing enthusiasm for another round of the inevitable dramas. Hard to believe Joe Biden is the solution however, seems much more like a back-up plan than a serious candidate.
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I understand how you feel but Clinton is brilliant on so many levels. She is the only candidate that is taking on the racial inequality issues, not like Sanders who is taking on the economic inequality issues. I believe more in Sanders, but am disappointed in him as he has made missteps over the past 2 weeks about minority issues. He may not be able to embrace everyone in this country who matters, but Hillary can. For the first time, I am leaning toward Hillary. And I know she will give us an excellent supreme court for the people and by the people.
1
The thing you can count on, for sure, from the Clintons are scandals. I don't even think their passing will stop them.
Joe Biden is a statesman. A man whose credentials for filling the position of President are far above any of the candidates, be they Republican or Democrat.
America needs him. The entire free world needs him. I cannot vote for him since I am a Canadian, but I am delighted and hopeful that out of all this craziness, the foolishness, the childishness he will make a decision to run. The world is tired of it all, America. Do what is right and elect Joe Biden President of the United States.
America needs him. The entire free world needs him. I cannot vote for him since I am a Canadian, but I am delighted and hopeful that out of all this craziness, the foolishness, the childishness he will make a decision to run. The world is tired of it all, America. Do what is right and elect Joe Biden President of the United States.
There is a scene in Total Recall in which Arnold has to get past Customs while dressed as an old woman. Since it's the future, he has some kind of robot mask on. However, as the questioning becomes more intense, and the robot has trouble with responding, the mask explodes, and Arnold is exposed.
Hillary is like that. She does not seem to have any of her own thoughts. She synthetic, and obviously so.
When she's asked a question, she does not answer. Instead, she starts bobbing her head, her eyes kind of bug out, and she has a weird smile on her face. She's not framing an answer. Her brain is calculating a response. She's searching for what the focus groups have suggested is the best answer.
At some point, she will break down. No one can keep this kind of charade going for very long. The issues concerning "everyday Americans" are too diverse for pure calculation.
Hillary is like that. She does not seem to have any of her own thoughts. She synthetic, and obviously so.
When she's asked a question, she does not answer. Instead, she starts bobbing her head, her eyes kind of bug out, and she has a weird smile on her face. She's not framing an answer. Her brain is calculating a response. She's searching for what the focus groups have suggested is the best answer.
At some point, she will break down. No one can keep this kind of charade going for very long. The issues concerning "everyday Americans" are too diverse for pure calculation.
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That is not true. You and Maureen might want it to be true.
1
Totally disagree. This is a very intelligent and well-worn politician. Yes, she is turning leftward because of Warren and Sanders, but she is very wise in doing so. She has gotten the pulse of most Americans and she is following them and is willing to lead them in the right direction.
Great observations!
For 20 years as one of his hometown Wilmington company representatives in Washington, I worked with Joe Biden and his staff. Over time, my admiration for his personal qualities, his leadership abilities and legislative craftsmanship have not diminished--they have grown. And its not the contrast provided by his professional contemporaries. Joe Biden is authentic in a growing sea of managed messages and burnished personalities. Authenticity: Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan had it. Joe Biden has it. We need him in the arena.
810
Reagan? Authenticity? I beg your pardon?
17
You'd vote for Biden over "any Republican?" That shows what a lunatic you are. Biden is dumb as a post. He's been wrong about almost every major issue in the last 30 years. He's a proven plagiarizer. The only thing he has going for him is his personality and a tragic story. You'd vote for him over a man like Ben Carson? Or an experienced governor like Bush or Jindal? As Biden would say, "Come on, man."
How about his IDIOCY, OF WHICH HE IS WORLD CHAMP?
The Draft Biden movement sure is picking up steam in the corporate press. "Washington" is worried that Bernie Sanders is overshadowing unpopular Hillary, and they desperately need one of their own to quash the Bernie-mentum.
Who is more likeable than Joe? His folksy charm, his loveable gaffes, the outpouring of national sympathy after the tragic loss of his son, make him a natural replacement candidate. He is a centrist's dream: he can reach across the aisle and "get things done."
As Elizabeth Warren recounts in "A Fighting Chance," one thing that . Biden got done in 2005 was co-sponsoring the bankruptcy reform bill, as dictated by the banks and credit card companies of his home state, Delaware. This bill, originally vetoed by Bill Clinton and signed into law by George W. Bush, makes it much harder, if not impossible, for working families with credit problems get legal relief.
Despite his working class persona, Biden sold out to the plutocrats years ago. But unlike Bill and Hill, he's been in continuous government service the whole time. He doesn't charge millions for speeches, and he uses a government email server. He is suddenly "electable."
When Obama boasted last week that he could win a third term, it also seemed to be a tacit endorsement of Biden, who despite his grief, has worked overtime (as has Howard Schultz) selling those job-destroying corporate coups euphemized as "free trade" deals.
The fix, as ever, is in.
http://kmgarcia2000.blogspot.com/
Who is more likeable than Joe? His folksy charm, his loveable gaffes, the outpouring of national sympathy after the tragic loss of his son, make him a natural replacement candidate. He is a centrist's dream: he can reach across the aisle and "get things done."
As Elizabeth Warren recounts in "A Fighting Chance," one thing that . Biden got done in 2005 was co-sponsoring the bankruptcy reform bill, as dictated by the banks and credit card companies of his home state, Delaware. This bill, originally vetoed by Bill Clinton and signed into law by George W. Bush, makes it much harder, if not impossible, for working families with credit problems get legal relief.
Despite his working class persona, Biden sold out to the plutocrats years ago. But unlike Bill and Hill, he's been in continuous government service the whole time. He doesn't charge millions for speeches, and he uses a government email server. He is suddenly "electable."
When Obama boasted last week that he could win a third term, it also seemed to be a tacit endorsement of Biden, who despite his grief, has worked overtime (as has Howard Schultz) selling those job-destroying corporate coups euphemized as "free trade" deals.
The fix, as ever, is in.
http://kmgarcia2000.blogspot.com/
34
Karen, Joe Biden (as you know) represented Delaware in the Senate. Delaware is a major center for the credit card industry, and I can't fault Biden for supporting a business important to his state.
As for his other positions, Biden is to the right of Bernie Sanders and the left of Hillary Clinton-- an eminently electable place to be. He'll draw from both Clinton and Sanders if he runs.
For my part, I supported Biden in 2007-8, and have grown increasingly interested in Bernie Sanders this time around. Choosing between them is difficult. If Biden enters the race soon, I'm in his camp due to his superior experience and his readiness to govern. The longer that joe Biden continues to "explore", the more likely I'm in Bernie's camp. I admire Bernie's ideas and honesty, as well as his willingness to enter the arena.
As for his other positions, Biden is to the right of Bernie Sanders and the left of Hillary Clinton-- an eminently electable place to be. He'll draw from both Clinton and Sanders if he runs.
For my part, I supported Biden in 2007-8, and have grown increasingly interested in Bernie Sanders this time around. Choosing between them is difficult. If Biden enters the race soon, I'm in his camp due to his superior experience and his readiness to govern. The longer that joe Biden continues to "explore", the more likely I'm in Bernie's camp. I admire Bernie's ideas and honesty, as well as his willingness to enter the arena.
1
Karen neglects to mention that Hillary, after giving speeches to crowds in which she criticized the bill in order to burnish her faux populist credentials, voted to pass the bankruptcy reform bill that is properly the subject of karen's derision.
Hillary also voted for that benighted bankruptcy bill.
1
Since Senator Biden was my first choice to begin with I would be fine with him running. It's probably too late to take advantage of his camaraderie style and his long time in the Senate but I would vote for him over any Republican. I don't dislike Secretary Clinton but I think Republicans will ramp up and hit new lows if she is President. Their behavior has been despicable with President Obama and I can't even imagine the lengths they would go to destroy a President Clinton.
695
Clinton-Biden, Biden-Clinton, Clinton-Sanders or Sanders-Clinton all sound good to me.
When the GOP loses in 2016, and they are going to lose BIG I assure you, it will be 2024 before they can win back the WH.
The SCOTUS will have three new liberal judges by then. Voting rights will be restored and Iran will be under more civilized relationship with the USA as will Cuba. And the GOP will be delegated to observer status! They do nothing but hold us back anyway.
It will, hopefully, be a much better world, IMO.
When the GOP loses in 2016, and they are going to lose BIG I assure you, it will be 2024 before they can win back the WH.
The SCOTUS will have three new liberal judges by then. Voting rights will be restored and Iran will be under more civilized relationship with the USA as will Cuba. And the GOP will be delegated to observer status! They do nothing but hold us back anyway.
It will, hopefully, be a much better world, IMO.
8
If she escaped her delusion, Ms Dunsmore would witness HC's self immolation through Ms Dowd's eyes as well as through the critical perspective of many other democrat leaning media, sans help from the GOP.
Ms Dowd plainly laments the absence of an honest and respectable candidate for her party with sufficient political will to overtake HC and in her shame expresses a refreshing insight here.
In my more cynical eyes, BC knows HC cannot win, yet, like a horserace sharp, promotes a lame nag to the quid pro quo set, taking in hundreds of millions for his speeches and foundation slush fund.
She can lose and he wins anyway. The remaining mystery? Will she go to prison.
Ms Dowd plainly laments the absence of an honest and respectable candidate for her party with sufficient political will to overtake HC and in her shame expresses a refreshing insight here.
In my more cynical eyes, BC knows HC cannot win, yet, like a horserace sharp, promotes a lame nag to the quid pro quo set, taking in hundreds of millions for his speeches and foundation slush fund.
She can lose and he wins anyway. The remaining mystery? Will she go to prison.
What difference who runs for DEM president and wins? The Rethugs have stooped to such low depths, there is no turning back. I will never, ever forgive them for treating PREZ Obama so poorly and with such disrespect over the past 6.5 years. I felt so badly for Obama as he was being shoved toward the political guillotine for his first 3 years, and I am proud he kept holding his head up high. I don't know of anyone stronger than him. Facing such racism and bringing all of them out of the closet into the mainstream. I didn't know they were there, but now I do and now many other blacks do too. It has been heart-breaking but now we know the truth. Thanks President Obama for being so courageous and not backing down.
2
As much as I'd like to see Joe jump into the race, no one should bring up the dying words of a beloved son to prod someone to run for political office. Shame on you!
502
Maybe so, but how were you with the Clintons exploiting their daughter when Bill first ran for president? Yes, I recall that famous interview that was just after the Superbowl (or was it before?), where Chelsea was quoted as allegedly saying how much she respected (or something similar) her parents.
Not a fan of HRC for many of the reasons Ms. Dowd lambastes her, but...wow, do you have to reach into the personal tragedy bucket to promote a favored politician? Weren't the Edwards (remember them?) accused of the same thing? It wasn't considered seemly then and I doubt very much that Mr. Biden's family is honored by Dowd's manner of promotion.
2
A good journalist runs with this story. Dowd did the right thing.
Hearing Joe Biden's speech at the 2008 DNC, I though he should've been running for president instead of VP. I'm afraid his being an old white guy precludes him . . .
3
Unlike Hillary Clinton who believes she is owed the nomination of the Democratic Party Joe Biden has earned the right to the nomination by virtue of his thirty five years in Congress and his almost eight years as Vice President. He is well respected on both sides of the aisle and has a reputation for getting legislation passed by reaching out to Republicans.
Like most other people I would welcome the opportunity to vote for a woman for President. However, like a growing number of people I have serious doubts about Mrs. Clinton's honesty and integrity and firmly believe that if she were to win the Presidency more serious problems will result.
In Joe Biden's entire career of almost forty five years no one has ever questioned his honesty and no one has ever accused him, as many have Mrs. Clinton, of coming very close on numerous occasions to breaking the law.
When it comes to experience, temperament, and ability to get things done there is no one, either on the Democrat or Republican side, that can get meaningful legislation passed and move our country forward like Joe Biden can.
There is something very discomforting about the number of qualified Democrats, male and female, Governors, Senators, and Congressmen who are not running for President because they fear the wrath of the Clintons.
I'm a lifelong Democrat and will vote for a Democrat in 2016 but like many of my friends, if Hillary Clinton is the nominee I will not be voting with any enthusiasm. Run Joe. Please.
Like most other people I would welcome the opportunity to vote for a woman for President. However, like a growing number of people I have serious doubts about Mrs. Clinton's honesty and integrity and firmly believe that if she were to win the Presidency more serious problems will result.
In Joe Biden's entire career of almost forty five years no one has ever questioned his honesty and no one has ever accused him, as many have Mrs. Clinton, of coming very close on numerous occasions to breaking the law.
When it comes to experience, temperament, and ability to get things done there is no one, either on the Democrat or Republican side, that can get meaningful legislation passed and move our country forward like Joe Biden can.
There is something very discomforting about the number of qualified Democrats, male and female, Governors, Senators, and Congressmen who are not running for President because they fear the wrath of the Clintons.
I'm a lifelong Democrat and will vote for a Democrat in 2016 but like many of my friends, if Hillary Clinton is the nominee I will not be voting with any enthusiasm. Run Joe. Please.
109
Yes. And the first female President of the USA is going to have a monument on the order of Rushmore that will be standing in a thousand years. Hillary Clinton does not deserve that honor.
Howard Schultz is no progressive and he is most assuredly not a Democrat. He is another corporatist who couldn't get into the GOP for some reason so he's parachuting into the Democratic Party. Someone should really look at how employees are really treated at Starbucks. As Mr. Schultz has ramped up his political ambitions and played up his "partner friendly" initiatives hours have plummeted at Starbucks while coffee prices have soared. Employee moral is low and baristas who have been with the firm for a decade or more are eying the door. Enough for the faux progressives who talk a good game but don't walk the talk! Go Bernie!
54
At least, during primaries, we should ignore current hopelessness, and disobey the idea that the rich rule any domination. Supporting Sanders or Biden would be the best way to demonstrate that the Democratic party, as the Republican, has not yet gone into the hands of oligarchs.
49
Look up the word oligarch and try to use it in a sentence that is based in reality.
2
jearboleda did you forget the simple fact which can be verified that the very Oligarchs you speak of men like Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, George Sorros, Harvey Weinstein, Larry Ellison, Steven Speilberg and many more bought and paid for President Obama?
Did you also forget theses men and others who supported the president represent the fortune 100 elite companies of the world like Goldman Saches, Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and General Electric while others are media icons who have extreme influence over the content which gets produced and what movies get funding to be made?
President Obama is the president of the oligarchs and by the oligarchs!
How else do you think an unknown man with no notable accomplishments save for being a Harvard Graduate and Chicago street agitator. Went from nothing to Nobel prize winner and POTUS in under a decade? Prior to him announcing his candidacy no average person in America even knew his name. Yet in less than a year after announcing he was more popular than Hillary Rodam Clinton the pre ordained first woman president former First Lady, NY Senator and wife of a living and very popular only two term Democrat president since FDR to back down from the Democratic presidential bid.
This just does not happen in the United States Of Entertainment without the blessings of the oligarchs particularly those in media.
Did you also forget theses men and others who supported the president represent the fortune 100 elite companies of the world like Goldman Saches, Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and General Electric while others are media icons who have extreme influence over the content which gets produced and what movies get funding to be made?
President Obama is the president of the oligarchs and by the oligarchs!
How else do you think an unknown man with no notable accomplishments save for being a Harvard Graduate and Chicago street agitator. Went from nothing to Nobel prize winner and POTUS in under a decade? Prior to him announcing his candidacy no average person in America even knew his name. Yet in less than a year after announcing he was more popular than Hillary Rodam Clinton the pre ordained first woman president former First Lady, NY Senator and wife of a living and very popular only two term Democrat president since FDR to back down from the Democratic presidential bid.
This just does not happen in the United States Of Entertainment without the blessings of the oligarchs particularly those in media.
Yep, I always did think that 43 consecutive years as a Senator then Vice President was the perfect grounding for a President. Can you imagine? Since age 29 Mr. Biden has been surrounded by, literally, armies of sycophants and assorted lobbyists. Wouldn't it be fun to just sit down and try to imagine and catalog all he the things he does not know?
22
I can't think of a single thing he does not know. Those who scorn chief executives with political experience end up with cartoon characters like Donald Trump who resort to making up stuff when it suits their "world view."
18
I can't think of a thing he doesn't know. And if you don't think highly of the importance of political experience you're always welcome to vote for Doctor Carson or Goofus Trump.
2
Yet in 43 years of government service, Biden has amassed less wealth than Bill and Hillary made last month by trading on their government service.
"Robotic" "queenly attitude" and allusions to Hillary Clinton as an "ice princess"? Well, Joe Biden certainly may have an easier time running for President given that he won't have to face such sexist descriptions which pretend to pass as actual political analysis.
314
I never knew the word "robotic" was a sexist description. Thanks of the enlightenment.
10
Since when is electability not a factor in "actual political analysis??"
The Clintons are opportunists--like most politiciiians. If forced to choose, I'd rather have an opportuistic Democrat than Rebublican... but we need a President, in these troubled times, whose primary loyalty if to the Country, not his or her ego.
How about a Biden/Sanders ticket?
The Clintons are opportunists--like most politiciiians. If forced to choose, I'd rather have an opportuistic Democrat than Rebublican... but we need a President, in these troubled times, whose primary loyalty if to the Country, not his or her ego.
How about a Biden/Sanders ticket?
Ah the old race / sex card. What a surprise. Not. What gender are robots?
1
Joe Biden for President? Why not? He has more character and experience than any of the others...in either party!
77
How does Joe Biden have more experience than former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor Martin Omally? Or the slew of governors and business leaders on the GOP side? Please enligthen me?
I will remind you that Joe has never been a leader of anything prior to being an unseen VP if you consider that to count. Joe has in fact been a lifelong legislator with a long record of deviding people, not uniting and leading them.
I will remind you that Joe has never been a leader of anything prior to being an unseen VP if you consider that to count. Joe has in fact been a lifelong legislator with a long record of deviding people, not uniting and leading them.
Certainly Joe Biden has the most experience in government and politics although he is not a typical politician. My guess would be that he would decline an offer from Hillary to run as her VP. I believe Beau had some political ambitions himself, perhaps Joe will pick up the torch for him. Would Joe run with Bernie? That would make an interesting team. Howard Schultz, I don't think so. Joe and Elizabeth Warren- a women in the White House and two people of substance (as Joe and Obama) and perhaps Beau would approve. Go for it Joe.
510
I'm unsure of your deductive reasoning. Joe Biden sublimating what Beau would want, well Beau was considering a run for MD governor. I'm unsure if the VP would consider the moves that Beau dreamed of. "Joe and Elizabeth Warren", I don't think Warren wants to run as VP on someone's ticket. Someone had mentioned her as the next leader of the majority party in the Senate, and I think Warren would pick up that mantel. As VP, what good can she do but be indirect, as head of the Senate majority, she could make the earth move. Why dismiss Harold Schultz so quickly? First time I heard him as a possibility for a presidential race contender was in this article. He sounds more reasonable already to SEN Webb or ex-governor Lincoln Chafee - although I have always adored the latter as he stood up and stood against bravely with an increasingly out of control radical GOP party.
Joe and Elizabeth Warren. Two real, uncompromised human beings. What a concept!
The field of Republican candidates are clown sharks.
The field of Republican candidates are clown sharks.
Love the idea of Biden & Warren..
The Republicans are thrilled Hillary might be the Dem. nominee. No way she could win a general election. The Democratic party has been great to the Clintons. What have they done for it ????? Look at the erosion of Democratic office holders in Congress and at the state level. Remember it was Hillary's failed healthcare planned that delivered the house of representatives to Republicans after 40 some years. Normally when that's your record you get your head handed to you on a platter and are shown the door. Not when you're the boss' wife. Faux feminist Mrs. Bill Clinton gets rewarded with a senate seat.
15
You seem to ignore it was under president Obama that Democrats have lost historic numbers of seats in the House along with losing the Senate. Yet you try to pin this on Hillary Clinton? Please explain to us the logic behind this?
You also claim Hillary has a failed healthcare plan yet it was never implemented for us to know if it would have failed. Meanwhile president Obama has a healthcare plan that is law and has been a disaster that has not delivered on any of the promises made to the middle class. Promises like premiums would come down, when in fact they have gone up for nearly everyone who actually pays for it by working. We were told people would stop being denied care they needed yet my own mother and many others I know have in fact been denied care and forced to pay for things their insurance previously covered. How about "If you like you're doctor you can keep you're doctor"? We all know that was a Pinocchio statement. How about prescriptions they were supposed to cost less as well yet they have risen steadily and so have premiums and co pays.
Yes
You also claim Hillary has a failed healthcare plan yet it was never implemented for us to know if it would have failed. Meanwhile president Obama has a healthcare plan that is law and has been a disaster that has not delivered on any of the promises made to the middle class. Promises like premiums would come down, when in fact they have gone up for nearly everyone who actually pays for it by working. We were told people would stop being denied care they needed yet my own mother and many others I know have in fact been denied care and forced to pay for things their insurance previously covered. How about "If you like you're doctor you can keep you're doctor"? We all know that was a Pinocchio statement. How about prescriptions they were supposed to cost less as well yet they have risen steadily and so have premiums and co pays.
Yes
1
Maureen Dowd had no problem when former Secretary of State Colin Powell was using private email for government business. On the contrary she was always writing fawning columns about him. Now she treats Hillary doing the same thing as another Watergate. We get it. She doesn't like the Clintons. Her repetition of the same tired arguments is boring. Biden will not be the Democratic nominee. Dowd doesn't have the power to make it happen. She will just have to vote for Jeb! like she did for W. We all remember her hatred of Gore.
430
Huh. So Colin Powell had his own private email server stored in his house and determined which emails to turn over two years after he left his post and which ones to destroy on his own volition? Thanks for providing the facts. I did not know that.
17
One reason people were not upset about Powell using private email was that it was allowed when he was secretary of State. He also did not use a private server and then destroy the server!
1
I have found it curious and somewhat disingenuous that neither Colin Powell nor Condolesa Rice have come out publicly in support of Hillary's email use, when they followed much the same pattern. Were Hillary a Republican, the controversy would never have been raised and fed until even many in her own party were convinced she had nefarious motives. I don't buy it.
3
Unless Ms Dowd is a close friend to Mr Biden the tone and content of this piece seems terribly arrogant and inappropriate. I find myself saying "how dare she?".
115
Another comparison: The Veep shares an ofttimes unvarnished authenticity with the Donald, only in a benign way. If the Donald can capture the Republican imagination why not the Veep with the Democrats? Go Joe!
22
For Joe Biden's sake I hope, he stays out of the fray. He is a very decent, good, kind, honest human being, blunt to the point of looking goofy. But he tells it as it is which is a negative for being a politician these days who are really snakes in the grass. I'd hate to see him in constant turmoil with his soul. For him politics is all about building consensus which was the name of the game which has gone into obscurity. We will not have the good fortune of having him as our President considering how shabbily we treated another good, decent President, Jimmy Carter.
32
Well said. With the viper pit of a GOP dominated Congress, the future President will surely have to fight fire with fire. Why are Americans so naïve to believe they need some sort of saint as President? Politics is a nasty business and having a strong nasty streak is not necessarily a liability in today's world.
3
A very compassionate analysis. I don't think Biden has the AMBITION to be President... but he might do it for the Country--especially if implored by his son, as Dowd suggests.
I'd like to see Hillary as Biden's VP. Or perhaps with another cabinet position. Interesting that the electorate's increased love of "foot in mouth" disease (Trump) inverts what was perceived as Biden's fatal flaw eight years ago. Now he finally appears as the wise, policy-savy truth-teller we need. I'm with Beau. In any case Biden would be a constructive force during the campaign. He was a gentleman to Hillary in 2008 and would remain so.
18
As parents we just cannot imagine Mr Joe Biden's loss. We pray that he has the courage to endure and heal and recover from this loss. The image that we constantly hold close to our heart is one of Barack Obama embracing Joe Biden, like a son, holding him close, gently patting his back to provide him solace. Beautiful poignant image, you can't take that away from us, Maureen.
59
I like Biden, but not as much as I like Bernie Sanders. I'm not sure that Biden will stand up to the big corporations. He was great at the debates last go around. One of Biden's sons was in the pipeline business in the Ukrained. I'm not sure we need to have the possiblity of conflict of interests in the White House.
16
I am confounded.
Joe's single surviving son, Hunter Biden, was ior is in business in the Ukraine? I am perplexed.
Beau Biden was the Attorney General of Delaware and served in Iraq. Too my knowledge, he was not in private sector.
Please provide details about Hunter Biden and Ukraine, or flag your comment for removal.
Joe's single surviving son, Hunter Biden, was ior is in business in the Ukraine? I am perplexed.
Beau Biden was the Attorney General of Delaware and served in Iraq. Too my knowledge, he was not in private sector.
Please provide details about Hunter Biden and Ukraine, or flag your comment for removal.
Maureen, Maureen
You husband spleen,
The Clintons get the most,
Without a pause
Your major cause
Render the Clintons.toast.
So drag out Biden
From where he's hidin'
Any port in a storm,
But I'd advise
If you are wise
Bernie's in better form!
You husband spleen,
The Clintons get the most,
Without a pause
Your major cause
Render the Clintons.toast.
So drag out Biden
From where he's hidin'
Any port in a storm,
But I'd advise
If you are wise
Bernie's in better form!
63
Wow, Larry. That's just painful to read.
1
@Paul Getty: Post something on your own, instead of taking cheap shots at others.
I would prefer Joe Biden to be the Democratic nominee to Hillary Clinton.
In addition to bringing tears to my eyes, this column also made me wonder what Hillary Clinton's candidacy would look like without the Clinton Foundation in the picture. We talk about the Citizens United Supreme Court decision and how it elevated corporations in terms of election donations and financing, but I think here with the Clinton Foundation we have an example of a legal entity playing an outsized role in the election process in another way. I think it gives the candidate Hillary Clinton too much reach and too much money to play around with too much influence at too high a level. We seem to live in an age of robots and inanimate legal entities and zombie ideas (see Paul Krugman) creeping into life. I think we should view these developments more skeptically and at least think through the direction in which the creep seems to be heading us. I think we need to walk some of this back before secondary consequences make it harder to bring the focus back to the common good of human society from benefit of the few or the short-sighted pleasure of making moves in some kind of strategy game.
In addition to bringing tears to my eyes, this column also made me wonder what Hillary Clinton's candidacy would look like without the Clinton Foundation in the picture. We talk about the Citizens United Supreme Court decision and how it elevated corporations in terms of election donations and financing, but I think here with the Clinton Foundation we have an example of a legal entity playing an outsized role in the election process in another way. I think it gives the candidate Hillary Clinton too much reach and too much money to play around with too much influence at too high a level. We seem to live in an age of robots and inanimate legal entities and zombie ideas (see Paul Krugman) creeping into life. I think we should view these developments more skeptically and at least think through the direction in which the creep seems to be heading us. I think we need to walk some of this back before secondary consequences make it harder to bring the focus back to the common good of human society from benefit of the few or the short-sighted pleasure of making moves in some kind of strategy game.
44
"Robots--Inanimate legal entities [corporate "persons" including PACs themselves]--Zombie ideas creeping into life."
Neat--if it weren't a horror movie. Life--as in "biology" and/or "biography" infected by "material"--as in physics, literary content, and money.
Neat--if it weren't a horror movie. Life--as in "biology" and/or "biography" infected by "material"--as in physics, literary content, and money.
Please ABC - anyone but Clinton. She's the Edsel* of politicians and everyone but the Clintons, the DNC, and The NYT knows it. Biden or Shultz or Sanders or Warren or O'Malley or ABC.
*The Edsel was a failed Ford car of the 1950s. Despite massive PR and marketing spending nobody wanted to buy it. Ford threw good money after bad trying it promote it before finally throwing in the towel.
*The Edsel was a failed Ford car of the 1950s. Despite massive PR and marketing spending nobody wanted to buy it. Ford threw good money after bad trying it promote it before finally throwing in the towel.
45
Even given all of HRC's missteps, I believe she is pure and ideologically motivated to do the right thing (ie. liberal thing) as President. How can Jeb! be trusted after all that shimmying around about whether he was going to run for President while raising maximum amounts of campaign cash? C'mon. I think Hillary should choose Joe Biden as her VP pick. He has served he Country and his President very well and would continue to do so. He is not a strong enough candidate to win the general election, as shown by his prior campaigns as others have pointed out. Theirs would be a winning ticket.
27
Nothing against VP Biden, but Maureen never passes up an opportunity to hurl a stink bomb at Hillary who, though human, can never be perfect enough.
381
There is big difference between being "perfect" and being totally untrustworthy.
Perfect enough?!! How about just rising to the level of common human decency?
Perhaps Howard Schultz will endorse/join Bernie Sanders. Ms Dowd and the NY Times have been turning a blind eye to the phenomenon that the Sanders campaign is becoming. And all on an average individual contribution of about $35!
Go Bernie!
Go Bernie!
68
If there was a like button i would hit it one thousand times. The media is going out of there way to ensure Hillary does not get asked about sensitive issues such as immigration, the blacklivesmatter movement, the horrible Obama plan to send the rest of our jobs overseas and Joe Biden is using his dead veteran son to get sympathy votes, showing how very little class he has. Go Bernie, the only guy with the nerves to answer questions with real answers.
Thank you!...For making the obvious connection between Tom Brady and HRC. I long for an ounce of sincerity in public discourse. HRC would have made a fair President in 2008. Now everything feels creepy.
210
Not even in 2008. That's why she lost to Obama, Bill's "but he can't win" candidate. I really fear that the Democrats arre setting themselves up to lose if HRC is their candidate.
19
Good point. It feels creepy because Hillary is creepy. I feel like she never tells the truth, ever, about anything. Yech...
1
I am a fan of Hillary and a bigger fan of Brady; you touched a nerve in me, which has been bothering me for weeks. Beau is absolutely right - we need Joe Biden in the white house. I love Obama and going forward, in spite of the history breaking possibility of a first women President; I would much rather have a genuine person representing me. I would much rather have a 'sometimes blabbering but honest' democratic candidate rather than someone who makes up stories of 'being attacked by air' and '3 am white house calls'.
Maureen, your column today reads more like a rabid reader's comment. Let me help.
I am sorry that your favorite football team always seems to be bested by the Patriots. I understand how badly you and many others want to see the Patriots and Tom Brady thrown under any available bus. However, as Sally Jenkins wrote in Thursday's Washington Post:
"Watching this case closely and curiously is John Dowd, the special counsel who conducted Major League Baseball’s investigation into Pete Rose and got him banned from the game. As a neutral observer, Dowd finds the abuse of process in DeflateGate to be the real scandal. 'I still don’t know what this is about. . . . Like ‘Seinfeld,’ this is about nothing,' he said in an e-mail. He called Goodell’s ruling against Brady based on a sudden issue over Brady’s cellphone 'an ambush' and added, “The entire NFL disciplinary process lacks integrity and fairness.'”
Regarding your eventual point, Joe Biden would make a great President. I contributed to his campaign in 2008 and will do so again if he decides that the office is worth all the craziness necessary to secure it. As much as I would very much like to see a woman President, the right woman has decided to remain in the Senate.
Maureen, your foaming hatred of the Clintons tarnishes every one of your columns that mentions either one's name. You might want to take a fearless and searching moral inventory to determine what about the couple causes you to lose control in such an unseemly way.
I am sorry that your favorite football team always seems to be bested by the Patriots. I understand how badly you and many others want to see the Patriots and Tom Brady thrown under any available bus. However, as Sally Jenkins wrote in Thursday's Washington Post:
"Watching this case closely and curiously is John Dowd, the special counsel who conducted Major League Baseball’s investigation into Pete Rose and got him banned from the game. As a neutral observer, Dowd finds the abuse of process in DeflateGate to be the real scandal. 'I still don’t know what this is about. . . . Like ‘Seinfeld,’ this is about nothing,' he said in an e-mail. He called Goodell’s ruling against Brady based on a sudden issue over Brady’s cellphone 'an ambush' and added, “The entire NFL disciplinary process lacks integrity and fairness.'”
Regarding your eventual point, Joe Biden would make a great President. I contributed to his campaign in 2008 and will do so again if he decides that the office is worth all the craziness necessary to secure it. As much as I would very much like to see a woman President, the right woman has decided to remain in the Senate.
Maureen, your foaming hatred of the Clintons tarnishes every one of your columns that mentions either one's name. You might want to take a fearless and searching moral inventory to determine what about the couple causes you to lose control in such an unseemly way.
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Agree with the most important point in your comment: Biden would be an excellent candidate and I'll support him as well. Like you, I backed Biden in 2008 and was elated when he was chosen Veep.
On Brady and the Patriots: Maureen is right. Sally Jenkins gets a lot right, but not this. I write this as a native Bostonian who believes that my hometown deserves better than the sleaze offered up by the Pats. The complete Wells report is fairly damning of Tom Brady.
On Brady and the Patriots: Maureen is right. Sally Jenkins gets a lot right, but not this. I write this as a native Bostonian who believes that my hometown deserves better than the sleaze offered up by the Pats. The complete Wells report is fairly damning of Tom Brady.
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Joe Biden would occupy a unique place in U.S. history if he ran and won again as vice president. There's nothing in the Constitution or laws forbidding it. He's a great VP, and he clearly enjoys the job, especially its ceremonial and social aspects. He should announce his intentions to run for president, then cut a deal with Hillary to be her running mate. He would add even more stability and experience to the ticket.
You nailed it: As much as I would very much like to see a woman President, the right woman has decided to remain in the Senate.
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Maureen....as a reader of yours for some 2 decades, I share with the zillions of us fans a gratitude for your wit, intelligence, and ability to 'dig much deeper' than most commentators. I don't know but suspect that you have good fact-checkers, and can accuse you of no mendacity at all.
I can and do 'accuse' you of the not-uncommon Washington syndrome of Clinton bashers (I recall that you were among the early "Bill, quit the job give Al a chance for a running head start")....and that may have been good advice. Still Clinton's staying in office to show the hypocricy of the many in accusing him of the wrong things was a service rather than a mere ego-trip.
So here again is a slightly jaundiced view of a Clinton. I disagree that she's "unfit"....but unlike others you also include some wondrously capable persons who may be a better fit. As always they are white males, but I can't blame you for that.....I promise to think about what you offered....so, thanks from a loayal fan!!
I can and do 'accuse' you of the not-uncommon Washington syndrome of Clinton bashers (I recall that you were among the early "Bill, quit the job give Al a chance for a running head start")....and that may have been good advice. Still Clinton's staying in office to show the hypocricy of the many in accusing him of the wrong things was a service rather than a mere ego-trip.
So here again is a slightly jaundiced view of a Clinton. I disagree that she's "unfit"....but unlike others you also include some wondrously capable persons who may be a better fit. As always they are white males, but I can't blame you for that.....I promise to think about what you offered....so, thanks from a loayal fan!!
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Please run Mr. Biden! I supported you during the last election 8 years ago. You have so much knowledge and experience in working in the Senate and in the world. I think you'd be a great President.
I really don't want this nation to go down the road of political dynasties. Enough of the Clintons and the Bushes. I've had enough of them and their baggage. I think you are the last person standing who could beat them both. So run, run run!
I really don't want this nation to go down the road of political dynasties. Enough of the Clintons and the Bushes. I've had enough of them and their baggage. I think you are the last person standing who could beat them both. So run, run run!
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Please - someone, ANYONE save us from HRC.
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Thank you Maureen for relating a telling inside White House story. It rings true.
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In some ways Hillary seems very much like many (or most) or her Republican rivals - nearly every move she makes seems calculated. I find it all very off-putting. I would love to see more candidates who aren't in it for themselves or their financial overlords, but rather for what's best for all of us.
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Biden. The on authentic person in the room.
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Bernie is also authentic.
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Bernie Sanders is plenty authentic. Biden still carries the baggage of tarring Anita Hill in 1991 and in supporting the Iraq invasion in 2003. Sanders was always against the invasion. Hillary and Joe were for it before they were against it. And Sanders has worked tirelessly to support the interests of the disabled veterans we created with that ill starred war.
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Should I bother to pillory,
Who?Me?Tom and What?Me?Hillary?
Would it create tension,
If I Bernie Sanders mention,
After Dowd's heavy artillery?
Who?Me?Tom and What?Me?Hillary?
Would it create tension,
If I Bernie Sanders mention,
After Dowd's heavy artillery?
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Joe Biden or Howard Schultz would make me comfortable that the WH would be in sane hands whether it will be won by one of them or one of the centrist GOP candidates. In terms of historical significance I think having a NY Jew run for the Presidency and win (sorry Bernie) is even better than this silly notion that "the country is ready for a woman's perspective in the WH". Ugh.
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Centrist GOP candidate? I challenge you to name one.
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Um, there are no moderate GOP candidates running. Kasich and Pataki may be less detached from reality than the rest of the pack, but neither will be the nominee and neither is a moderate.
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Rand Paul.
"My kid’s dying, an anguished Joe Biden thought to himself, and he’s making sure I’m O.K."
Really?!? So, now Dowd is a mind reader as well as a snarky pundit?
Really?!? So, now Dowd is a mind reader as well as a snarky pundit?
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Maybe she knows people you don't.
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Obviously Mr. Biden recounted this conversation with his son, and his thoughts in response, to someone who then shared it with Ms. Dowd. She might certainly have her moments of being snarky, but most readers know how such intimate insights become public knowledge.
I'd add that the recounting was totally credible. That this was something that Beau Biden would say to his father, and that this was how his dad would respond. How can you not admire both of them for the heroism and love in their father and son relationship.
I'd add that the recounting was totally credible. That this was something that Beau Biden would say to his father, and that this was how his dad would respond. How can you not admire both of them for the heroism and love in their father and son relationship.
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I assumed that Ms. Dowd was quoting from Mr. Biden's written work, but now notice that there are no quotation marks in this article to indicate that the conversation comes from another document.
If this is true, this is a bizarre low for Ms. Dowd.
If this is true, this is a bizarre low for Ms. Dowd.
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Definitely not reading your columns in the future. Your Hillary-and-Bill fixation ruins everything.
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If everyone reacted this way, no republican would ever read The Times again.
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Truth about the conniving and insincere Clintons hurt.
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Actually I think it's Hillary and Bill who have the Hillary and Bill fixation.
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I most sincerely hope that Joe Biden decides to run. No one is perfect; Joe Biden is not perfect. I remember his grilling of Anita Hill, but I am past that. I look at the other candidates for President in 2016 and feel that Biden is far superior to all of them. He has the experience, the track record, the temperament to lead the country forward, not backwards (Cruz, Rubio, Christie, Walker, et. al.) or sideways (Clinton, Bush, et. al.). Joe Biden has my vote whether he chooses to run or not. I hope for the country's sake, he decides to run.
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I'm not past his grilling of Anita Hill.
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That was one of Biden's worst moments-- the other is the 1988 plagiarism of Kinnoch. I've moved on and supported Biden in 2007-8, and will support him if he enters the 2016 race soon. But I appreciate your point. If Biden doesn't run, I join you in Bernie Sanders' camp.
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Vice President Biden has fantastic foreign policy and Capitol Hill experience. He is perceived as honest and squeaky clean. If the President endorses him as a presidential candidate, it would give him the cachet he needs and deserves.
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Joe Biden brings a calmness to the craziness of the political theater in D.C. In a few months, I suspect many of us will be tired of Hillary and hopeful of Bernie. As for the Republicans? Do we really want another term of Bush? Trump...really?
In just my lifetime we have gone from a democracy to an oligarchy and a quasi corporate police state, thanks to the work of Reagan, Dick Cheney and the last Bush. It would be nice to have a period of tranquillity while the American people decide what they really want for a government ...a corporate congress and president, or a democratic voice "of the people, for the people" without an electoral college. Joe Biden may be our best bet for a bridge to a positive future for America.
In just my lifetime we have gone from a democracy to an oligarchy and a quasi corporate police state, thanks to the work of Reagan, Dick Cheney and the last Bush. It would be nice to have a period of tranquillity while the American people decide what they really want for a government ...a corporate congress and president, or a democratic voice "of the people, for the people" without an electoral college. Joe Biden may be our best bet for a bridge to a positive future for America.
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bush yes trum brings something we have not seen for 6 plus years honesty! while he is bombastic he is speaking what americans have been silenced from saying for fear of an audit!
You must have either been sound asleep or bitten by the "doomocrat party bug" and failed to listen to the FDR lessons of BIG GOVERNMENT CONTROLLING YOUR LIVES SINCE 1933. You must have missed the part where Woodrow Wilson created the Federal reserve and income tax..and re-segregated the military and government, you must have intentionally remained uninformed as LBJ created an even more massive state to rule over you. You may have been asleep while Obama put more people out of work in less time than FDR could have dreamed of. But then, what can one expect? Liberals. intentionally uninformed, and proudly ignorant and perfectly willing to prove it!
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Excellent. The beginning of the end of the Democratic Constitutional Republic started when Reagan was elected. It will become worse if Hillary Clinton or any of the Republicans become our next President.
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While I would rather see a good Republican in office I believe Biden would make a good president. He has a world of experience in foreign relations and, as far as I know, was the only person, Democrat or Republican, that years ago had a decent proposal for Iraq going forward. I even contributed to his campaign. Like President Ford before hime, the press likes to size on his misstatements much like they spent a lot of ink showing Fords physical difficulties. This is a smart man.
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I'm sorry to see that there are *no* good Republicans either running for President, likely to do so, or in any prominent political positions. None remain.
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All the good Republicans these days are Rinos.
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You gotta' be kidding , this man is an idiot , he's proved it just by opening his mouth !
I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Joe run. He has his flaws, but lack of integrity does not appear to be one of them. I, as many progressives, are enjoying immensely the campaign of Bernie Sanders. Give 'em hell, Bernie! At the end of the day, rational, logical people just want to make sure the elephant clown car does not stop at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
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It will be renamed Trump Pennsylvania and Trump Mattresses will grace its many rooms.
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I guess Obama backed Clinton because he likes to be on a winning team -- and being a good friend of a future president only means upside for him. Perhaps more than invitations to parties. Perhaps a supreme court appointment, or some other appointment. Backing Biden would have been pointless because he has no chance of winning either the primary, and if he did, he could not win the general. It's just reality. So Ms. Dowd can complain about the Clintons all day long, there's still no substitute, no realistic candidate. Even the CEO of Starbucks, as accomplished and charasmatic as he is, cannot win -- because he is Jewish! A woman will win before a Jew, and that's that. So this is all moaning and groaning on Ms. Dowd's part. Maybe she should just start rallying behind a moderate Republican -- like JEB!
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People thought a woman would win before a black man, too.
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A Bernie / Jon Stewart all-Jewish ticket would be fun.
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Jeb Bush is not even close to a moderate - he is an extreme conservative Look at his positions / actions - don't think because he speaks Spanish or is a more modulated speaker than Trump he us any different .
I have lived in Florida during his governor ship - he destroyed the school system/ he was corrupt w his cronies ( read Marc Caputo recent acct of all this) / he was no friend of the environment ; minoroties or the elderly.
And if this is not enough - look up Michael Schiavo's acct of Jeb Bush meddling into the life of his wife Terry Schiavo. As a Jew I agree w you the country will elect a woman before. Jew. But if Joe Biden gets in I for one will enthusiastically support this very good and noble man.
I have lived in Florida during his governor ship - he destroyed the school system/ he was corrupt w his cronies ( read Marc Caputo recent acct of all this) / he was no friend of the environment ; minoroties or the elderly.
And if this is not enough - look up Michael Schiavo's acct of Jeb Bush meddling into the life of his wife Terry Schiavo. As a Jew I agree w you the country will elect a woman before. Jew. But if Joe Biden gets in I for one will enthusiastically support this very good and noble man.
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Really good to see this column and in a number of ways. I hadn't seen the parallels between Tom Brady and Billary, but, to be sure, they're obvious. I had thought for the longest time that a Biden-Warren ticket would be very exciting and not in the least hopeless. But I hadn't known that whatever else the terrible loss of his son meant to the Vice President, the possibility of running had been suggested to him. Glad to see, too, that Ms. Dowd can finally tolerate the likelihood that President Obama is not entirely devoid of human feelings. Biden-Sanders? Biden-Schultz? Another guy, like Bernie, from Brooklyn. Like our fine Mayor DiBlasio....
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Biden-Warren has a nice ring to it, too.
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Kind of an insult to Brady to put him in this company! Biden will not run, look back at his failed campaigns in the past to see why not, no need to restate history here. Given the blind and selective pro-Hillary coverage in a large part of our press, the most likely scenario is: Hillary gets the Dem nomination, then gets beaten soundly by Any Other Candidate, thanks to a rational voting public who sees through it.
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That seems a very possible scenario.
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All very true, but desperate people do desperate things. People are starting to get worried about Hillary.
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Except there is no "rational" voting public. Just a majority of ignorant voters more interested in reality TV and football. Most people have no clue about any party's platform.
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