The Real Joe Biden Decision

Apr 02, 2019 · 515 comments
S Jones (Los Angeles)
I like Biden. And I'm in that "base of support that’s roughly as old as he is," but I'm ready for change. Big change. To me, the old guard has had more than their fair chance to make sweeping changes and they simply will not do it. They are too in love with the status quo, the old money and the old ways: all the things that allowed Trump to become President in the first place. We need new voices, new faces, big ideas and massive change. Without it, we will forever be clawing our way out of a rightward-tilting swamp. He has good poll numbers because Democrats are just as susceptible to nostalgia as are Republicans. But Biden represents false comfort. Biden has had his day. As has Clinton. It's over. Let's move on. The new generation is ready. Not only can they beat Trump, they are our only hope of saving the country.
me (US)
@S Jones What do you think that younger generation would do to you, given the chance?
purpledog (Washington, DC)
While the chattering class might think that Biden's disadvantage is his past moderation and lack of wokeness, that's not what I'm hearing. Biden's chief liability is simply his age. If he were 20 years younger, I think many would be all-in, but in his mid-70s there's a very real risk of a major health problem, or of cognitive slippage. I believe that most Democrats--and some ex-Republicans--simply want a smart, rational, compassionate candidate who doesn't lie all the time or rely on racial / identity dog whistles (to either side) to garner support.
Bob Richards (Mill Valley,, CA)
If Biden wants to be President, I think he should switch parties and challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. I note that Trump is pretty close on everything domestic to where the old line Democrats were back a few years ago, on immigration, on trade, on health care, on race relations, on the national debt, and he has brought a lot of people who vote Republican with him. So Biden could challenge Trump by simply agreeing pretty much with everything Trump is proposing while claiming that he is a better person and more fit for the office. And he wouldn't have to apologize for anything in his past, not for kissing some women on the back of their heads, without their consent, or for the incarceration of black criminals. He could justify his switch by simply declaring that the Dems have left him, that he is not a socialist and though he is for helping the poor he is not for killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. And if he loses the GOP nomination, which I suppose is likely, he will run as an independent, with Shultz maybe as his Veep. And he just might win enough votes to throw the election into the House, where he just might win.
Ed (Wichita)
Snide allusions to “the Texan Jesus or the South Bend Meritocrat or the Mean Minnesotan or the Racial Optimist” put Mr. Douthat in a rotten class with Donal Trump. You’re better than this, I hope.
Frank Roseavelt (New Jersey)
My gut feeling is that a woman cannot win the White House in 2020, and that a candidate on the very liberal fringe will have great difficulty in the must-win states of Penn. Wisc. and Mich. If true this does not leave many great options. I may well be wrong, but it is for this reason I feel it's foolish to throw Joe Biden overboard this early and for such frivolity.
Erica Smythe (Minnesota)
I for one, am happy to see the Democrats dealing with their own "Tea Party" moment. While you thought you rid of yourself of the OWS crowd, they've been in hibernation for 8 of the past 10 years waiting to see if this junior guy from Illinois could serve them up some red meat. Well..the bear has awakened...the jury has returned..and the verdict has been rendered. They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore, including the plain vanilla candidacy of Joe Biden. What do they want? Socialism and Anarchy!! When do they want it? NOW!!
Scott (Los Angeles)
It's very unfair to compare Joe to Jeb! Jeb! lost because: (1) he was a uniquely bad candidate (low energy/awkward); (2) the GOP didn't want another Bush; (3) Trump skewered him in a way that made those first two problems even worse; and (4) nobody defended Jeb! because the other "mainstream" conservatives were busy cannibalizing their own and trying to promote themselves. Joe does not have Jeb!'s awkward personality, his experience as Obama's VP is a positive (whereas Jeb!'s experience as a Bush was a net negative), and he has people inside the party who will support him. Joe also knows that there are millions of people in the Dem party who don't think the '90s were the dark ages, who value experience over arrogance, and who recognize that Joe has a compelling life story that will resonate with the upper Midwest voters who are going to decide this election. That's what matters.
Quite Contrary (Philly)
Exactly right. Joe Biden's authenticity, spontaneity, interpersonal warmth and truth-telling will surely not sit well with our increasingly up tight PC police, who would not dream of uttering a word of genuine self-revelation if it carried the slightest risk of exposing them as less than perfect parrots of whatever "woke" attribute du jour was on parade. Heavens to Murgatroyd, no way! I happen to think there are not as many parrots as there are members of today's silent and displeased majority, however. Joe Biden offers a bridge between laudable but not immediately attainable aspirations and pragmatic progress. The question is this - in a world enamored with such false, squeaky clean pretense, are there still enough of us around who prefer to deal with messy, complicated truths? Like...actual experience counts more than ideological purity when it comes to running our incredibly fractionalized country, perhaps? It would be a shame if Joe Biden agrees to muting his personality and contorting his best feature to please the nattering nabobs of negativity, to borrow an old time but apt phrase. Their straw men (or women) really can't hold a candle to this stalwart old white guy's creds. He is not perfect, he's just real, battle-hardened and quite exceptionally suited for the task ahead. He can kiss my head anytime, and you know who can kiss the other end. Age and looks have nothing to do with my preference - but honesty does. Teamed with any anti-Palin, Joe looks good to me.
Ann (Dallas)
I am appalled every day anew thinking about the Hollywood Access bus tape and the fact that we have a President who brags about his success habitually sexually assaulting women. But blaming Biden for touching women on the shoulders? Not that long ago, politicking was called "pressing the flesh," meaning that politicians are tactile and they make literally physical connections. These women are whining over something that was at the time accepted. What ever happened to grit? Everyone is just whining about everything now? The President grabs women by the ____, and we're going to crucify Biden for sniffing and touching a woman's shoulders? This is stupid. We need to stop eating our own and focus on the real sexual offenders.
MassBear (Boston, MA)
yeah, Biden should drop out; Trump will whip the backsides of the remaining self-righteous, unqualified and truly flawed "Woke" (whatever that means) newcomers who want a grab at power. Trump is a horrible person who is corrupt on many levels, but his party will back him to the hilt. Fact. In the end it's not about winning a nomination, it's about winning the office. We need a candidate who isn't the next "angry young (fill-in the blank)". We need a candidate who can coalesce a large majority of Americans around a vision and actually lead them forward. Or, you can just have Trump for another four years. Your choice.
Gerald Wadsworth (Richmond VA)
Joe's out - even before he's in. All his touchie-sniffy stuff pales in comparison to the major PR problem he's gojng to have to address. Enter his son, Hunter and his firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners LLC. As Obama's VP, Biden was threatening to deny Ukraine a billion dollars in US loan guarantees and putting pressure upon Ukraine President Poroshenko and Ukraine’s parliament to fire top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was leading a wide-ranging corruption investigation into Bursima, a natural gas firm - upon which Biden's son, Hunter, sat on the board of directors. The Hill has it: "U.S. banking records show Hunter Biden’s American based firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners LLC, received regular transfers into one of its accounts, usually more than $166,000 a month, from Burisma from spring 2014 through fall 2015, during a period when VP Biden was the main U.S. official dealing with Ukraine and its tense relations with Russia." Before Shokin was fired, he had made "specific plans" for the investigation - including "interrogations and other crime-investigation procedures into all members of the executive board, including Hunter Biden.” Oops! So, Joe. Was it appropriate for your son to cash in on Ukraine while you served as point man for Ukraine policy? What did Hunter do for the loot? Did you know about the Burisma probe? And how convenient is it that Hunter gets a few cool million from the very firm Shokin was investigating - all the while you're trying to get Shokin fired…
LaPine (Pacific Northwest)
"...fit with this strategy, in which the goal would be to establish Biden as a temporary bridge to a woker future, a candidate ready...". What is a "woker" future? Are we making up words now? “the Great Awokening”? Speak and write English please. The great risk of the sudden veering left is the 1972 election. Remember it? McGovern won what, 2 states? and lost to an unpopular Nixon. The democrats risk losing a "free lunch" election; after voters submit their 2018 taxes and realize they have been duped again, and Individual-1 continues the current chaos of merely creating more problems for others to fix and accomplishing nothing. To not elect a democrat POTUS in 2020 would be a screw up of epic proportions. An awakening again (NOT "awokening" which is not even a word).
Kim (Darien, CT)
The Democrat "best idea for 2020" cannot be an old retread 78 yr old white guy who's been inside the Beltway for decades. He cannot win so it must be someone else.
Durhamite (NC)
" . . . in a primary where Biden is just an old white dude running away from his record . . . " That line had me cracking up.
LK Mott (NYC)
Biden as President, so help us God! Look, Mr. touchy, feely comes from the same school as "I did not have sex with that woman" mentality Billy Clinton - another big head in the sand in denial old school male. Sorry, but the former veep, doesn't have the intellectual capacity for the job and is more POL " I won, now what do I do" type, which is to say he knows how to politic his way around. His best days are long past along with his "grandfatherly" approach to women.
Cabanaboy44 (Windsor, CT)
Sorry, Joe...your time for office has come and gone. Now, as a fundraiser for the party, that's a different kind of donkey to ride.
Thump Thrump (NYC)
Too bad Bernie, Joe, Liz et al don’t realize they’ve all been passed (and already lapped) by Mayor Pete
Jay Trainor (Texas)
Nominee Joe Biden will do fine. A VP selection of Amy Klobuchar will balance the ticket. In any case, the current White House occupant is doing everything possible to defeat himself. Where are the Republicans who chastized candidate John Kerry for being a flip-flopper? It's becoming more and more apparent Donald Trump is way in over his head - even before he goes apoplectic - once the Mueller report finds the light of day.
Boston Reader (Boston MA)
I'm pretty sure we're doomed to another Trump term. The Democrats can't see reality. Thus we have to put up with another 4 years of unreality -- Trump.
TommyTuna (Milky Way)
Y'know, Ross. I hope he doesn't run either. Because America is tired of "Republican-lite", which is essentially what the Dem Party has become. I'd like to see BOTH parties relegated to the dustbins of history. If that happens, I hope you can finally find honest work.
Arthur Larkin (Chappaqua, NY)
Mr. Douthat is wrong about one thing, in my view. If Biden wins the nomination, there won't be anger on the left. Rather, there may be some hand wringing, and a big push for a liberal running mate, maybe a platform battle at the convention. But in the end Democrats will unite as they haven't since Nixon was alive, in order to achieve one goal - defeat Trump. It won't matter who the nominee is. Mr. Douthat projects anger onto the other side frequently. I wonder why.
Wasatch Reader (Salt Lake City)
Biden can't stop the direction of the Democratic party, and it is moving more quickly away from him every day. His long record, with a sprinkle of some progressive wins, will still be a toxic trove of policies Dems now disavow (tough on crime is just one of them) and will harm him just as Hilary Clinton's long record hurt her. Every old un-woke move will be a black mark, even if Dems liked it at the time.
richard (the west)
The Democratic Party needs to move left where it matters: on health care, on income inequality, on the environment. Take the victories already in the arena of civil rights and consolidate them behind an agenda that emphasizes that will lift all people. Joe Biden's place in all of this is best as benevolent onlooker.
Ash. (Kentucky)
Mr Douthat... you do sound like a biased outsider to the Democrates circle and fairly prejudiced, almost dying to find a reason to cut Mr Biden down to size. Republicans are in the deepest trench of Hades compared to Democratic Party issues. This I know, to defeat the bigot in WH, democrats will come together whether it is Biden or whoever.
Diana (dallas)
The squeaky wheel gets the most attention. If the democratic party truly thinks that the majority of american voters are suddenly 'Woke' and ready to support extreme candidates, Donald Trump need not bother packing his bags. The elitist, preachy and eager to be the most progressive candidates will not get the moderate vote out. If we create another situation where democrats are voting not for the democratic candidate but against the Republican one, I am afraid we are getting set for another debacle.
Rob Merrill (Camden, mE)
If he can’t even decide about running, how will he decide to react when Russia or China does something provocative? I think his star has set. He should be the Dems biggest cheerleader (after Obama and Oprah) but step aside and let younger, more dynamic leaders emerge.
robert (manhattan)
Politics is a dirty business, and you must understand your enemies if you are to defeat them. As impressive as the "new" democrats are, they don't seem to understand how you must beat the opposition at its own game. Biden, being in the politics business for almost 50 years, gets it better than anyone who has thrown their hat into the ring so far. AOC and Mayor Pete and Stacey Abrams are great and fortunately for my fellow democrats represent the future of the party. But after almost 3 years of the republicans not caring about the country and only caring about their own political survival, Joe Biden can navigate the minefield and not let the Trump show and its criminal enablers within the republican party drag the country even more into an isolationist global hole. Joe also seems open to understanding that his "affection" towards women will not be tolerated anymore and he must evolve or he will be continuously looked at as a lecherous old man from a different era, which would be a tragedy. He has the political ability to right the foreign policy wrongs of the Trump show. Just youtube his fantastic speech at The Munich Security Conference a few months ago. World leaders like him and respect him. Fortunately there is time to vet this out. I will remain hopefully optimistic as i hope my fellow open thinkers will as well.
Chris (Charlotte)
There is no rationale for a Biden candidacy. When you're best know for gaffes & unwanted grabbing, what's the appeal? White male? Heck that's a negative in his party.
PeterC (BearTerritory)
The populace is angry, hates status quo politicians and the failures they have delivered. Nobody wants to go back to the glory days of Biden because there were none
Terence (Canada)
Why on earth does Ross Douthat offer advice to Democrats? As he is a rabid Republican, one can only conclude he wants to promote the worst Democrat for president. Certainly his own party gives him fuel enough to fill a column.
Glenn Baldwin (Bella Vista, AR)
Yesterday I watched the "Creepy Uncle Joe" video. While it is without a doubt a political hit piece, I was so disturbed by the images of him pawing and kissing prepubescent girls, I couldn't finish watching it. Forget #MeToo, no way in good conscience could I vote for this man.
Renee Margolin (Oroville, CA)
Douthat and the rest of the professional Republican Commentariat at the NYT has become as lazy and slipshod in their attacks on “ the enemy”, that is, anyone not marching in lock step with the Republican Party, as their President. To be sure, the Party-approved made up “facts” of-the-day and words from the Republican book of Official Party Talking Points makes the Commentariat’s job a literal no-brainer. Mindlessly attacking all Democrats with lies is exponentially easier than trying to defend their Republican Party with its lack of any ideas beyond wealth transfer upward to its donor class and the rape and pillage of America’s resources for short-term monetary gain.
C. Childers (Seattle,WA)
1st: I refuse to vote for any candidate who voted for the Iraq War. Ever. 2nd: Biden clearly touches females (I'd say women, but he includes girls) for sexual gratification. And I can prove it; when have you ever, ever smelled somebody's hair? A stranger's? In a platonic manner?
Marian (Maryland)
This whole Biden must run thing is based on the notion that Joe Biden can somehow bring the working class white bigots back into the Democratic fold. You know the people that wax poetic about how great Mayor Frank Rizzo was or genuflect when you mention Mayor Daley or Jane Byrne. The reality is those people have all permanently abandoned the Democratic Party and stampeded over to Donald Trump. Biden cannot win those people back and the Democratic Party of the 21st century which nurtured and elected President Obama should not want those people back. It is time to move forward and Joe Biden is a relic of a divisive,hostile and shameful past that can be forgiven must not be forgotten and should never be repeated. Joe Biden can best serve the country and the Democratic party by staying out of the race and supporting the eventual nominee whoever that happens to be at the end of this primary process.
Avi (Texas)
You mean the consensus to go extreme, lose all the centrist independents who handed Democrats the House in 2018, and lose 2020 to the misogynist in the White House? Democrats need to wake up. Stop all the self-defeating in-fights on divisive social issues that only time can solve. "It's the economy, stupid."
RichardHead (Mill Valley ca)
Biden is a good man. However that is not enough to be president today. We need a new person, a dedicated person, a younger person. Dems have a great group to choose from, all with good ideas, Biden should be of help but not the main person. Sanders is also a very good man but we need someone younger and new to push his ideas. I liked the very intelligent calm and capable guy from South Bend.
getGar (California)
The Democrats are losers, they never like their candidate and it doesn't matter how awful the other side is, they won't come out and vote for the Democrat. Think John Kerry, Al Gore, Hillary and there are many more. They're rotten brats. Last time Bernie didn't get the nod, so they sulked. They'll find a reason this time to let Trump win again. Biden touched someone, Kamala isn't Black enough, this one isn't gay enough, this one isn't progressive enough, this one had a temper tantrum and on and on. I like Elizabeth Warren and she's worked out how to pay for the changes she wants to make but she's too nerdy, not a demagogue like Trump and Bernie so no hope for her. Hillary was too nerdy. can't have that! We want celebrities and what about their names! Hard to remember! The Media has a lot to answer for.
Justice (NY)
Why don't you worry about your own sorry party, Ross? I'd be doing some soul searching if I were you.
John Burke (NYC)
Biden should run and embrace his left-centrism while exuding a spirit of unity and moderation. He will win the nomination and the election. Millions of actual Democratic voters believe these "accusations" against him are preposterous. If his Democratic rivals continue to try to use them against him, they, not Biden, will lose support.
rab (Upstate NY)
The young far-left progressives need a history lesson they seem to have missed. All those progressive ideologies will be beaten into submission by institutional inertia. Voting for a radical progressive candidate will probably get Trump re-elected, and if they somehow managed to win, all that idealistic wokeness will be quietly put to bed.
GladF7 (Nashville TN)
Joe Biden claims it was all innocent. Where are the pictures of him sniffing young men to relax them? Biden has 50 years of quotes pictures and videos to use against him.
jck (nj)
The progressive Democratic platform that is emerging includes !. mass incarceration is due to a racial injustice rather than crimes 2. Men are toxic 3. Touching and hugging in public places is sexual abuse 4. police are abusive and criminals are victims 5. Catholics are too extreme in their views to be Federal judges 6. borders should be open to allow unlimited immigration 7. political candidates should be supported based on their identity group 8. everyone is racist 9. traditional values such as hard work, developing good educational and work skills, honesty, and respect for the law are useless 10. The American Dream is fake
rab (Upstate NY)
@jck Perception is reality. This is the reality they will lose on if any one of them becomes the Dem candidate.
Richard Frank (Western Mass)
It’s hard to imagine that there won’t be a huge dump Trump vote whomever the Democrats finally select. The question seems to be less about who can beat Trump than who will provide Democrats and independents with a workable and inspiring image of the future. Can Biden do that? Well, he had serious problems seeing the future 20 years ago, so why should we expect him to be any more visionary now? He was a fine VP. Let’s leave it at that.
Donald Seekins (Waipahu HI)
I know that it is against the law to compare anything with the Nazis (isn't it called the Goodwin Law, or something like that?), but recently I read a new history of Hitler's regime and came away with the impression that at any time between 1923 and 1933 (or 1938), Hitler could have been stopped by the forceful intervention of a really good political leader who was neither a communist nor a Nazi, who could persuade the voters not only that Hitler was evil but that he was leading Germany to its own destruction. But there was no such person, and Hitler was allowed to carry on with his work of destruction until the bitter end. The experience of Germany and my view of the American political scene today leads me to think that Trump could very well win a second term next year and do a lot more destruction of his own before he is stopped.
sparrow pellegrini (nyc)
Godwin's Law. Rather than anything prescriptive, it simply states that as a discussion on the Internet proceeds, the probability of someone being compared to Hitler approaches 1.
JOHN (PERTH AMBOY, NJ)
Douthat is on to something. If you doubt the ideology problem re Joe Biden (rather than the nonsense about this "sexual abuse" that seems rather much more his-kind-of-Democratic-politician-from-another-era" stuff), ask yourself: would the Democrat Party nominate JOE LIEBERMANN today?
Moira (Los Angeles)
As a highly networked SoCal activist, I can think of the last 50 Dems I have discussed the primaries with. The breakdown is ~44 for Kamala, Warren, Bernie, Mayor Pete, and ~4 vocal Biden supporters. Two of the four are white women over 55 who still think Lewinsky was a private matter and not an abuse of power. The other two are African-American attorneys/former colleagues who unlike the other 44 acquaintences live and think outside the bubble. The Bernie machine is strong—just sweeped our district’s ADEM election which had a longer line than my line in 2016 general. The folks who want a woman or POC are the same folks who just flipped Orange County. If your not in a resistance group you have no idea what we are doing, how much energy we have. There was an SNL skit post 2016 where Black people sort of laughed and shrugged at their naive white liberal friends being hysterical that a fascist bigot like Trump could win. An African-American colleague of mine at the time was the only HRC supporter I knew who thought America was too hateful to elect her and bigoted enough to elect him. This was when polling put an HRC win at 90% probable. Biden is not my first choice. For my generation Glass Steagal and concommitant rising economic inequality, climate change, and yes patriarchy are all reasons for alternating rage and despair. I am appreciative of the diversity of our party and will rally the troops whoever wins the nomination—while the electoral college gives us minority rule.
Mark Merrill (Portland)
Another conservative trope telling the rest of us how to see things. Sigh...
alan (staten island, ny)
Who cares what Douthat thinks, especially about Democrats, when he still roots against them, thereby helping the increasingly bigoted and radical and science-denying Republicans?
peter n (Ithaca, NY)
I really don't get the narrative that Democrats have gone off the cliff with identity politics. I'm a straight, white guy living in the heart of it in New York City, and I rarely hear anything that offends or excludes me. Meanwhile, a cursory glance at Fox News shows them linking to publications that go on about 'white genocide', lying about how much crime is committed by immigrants and minorities, making up stories about white people being killed in South Africa, lying about areas with refugees/muslims being dangerous/governed by Sharia Law and lest we forget, calling the first black president a foreign-born crypto-Muslim etc etc. Republicans have gone off the deep end with (white) identity politics. Democrats just want to address discrepancies that have been proven to exist.
Blackmamba (Il)
Joe Biden could and should simply decide to switch parties and run against Donald Trump in the Republican Party primaries in 2020. But Biden should check with smiling and smirking Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman first in order to make sure that they are all on his side. Unlike Trump, Biden didn't inherit 295 streams of income from his Daddy. Unlike Trump, Biden has never had two foreign wives who illegally entered and worked in America leaving their spawn to infect the nation. No collusion! MAGA!
mr isaac (berkeley)
Joe may not be able to inspire turnout with people of color. Chase the Trump white vote at your peril Democrats.
John O Pastore (East Burke, Vermont)
First of all, I don’t know why any Democracuc candidate would take advice from Ross Douthat! But beyond his sophomoric descriptions of Beto, Pete, Amy, and Cory, What I found deeply offensive was his slander of Jill Stein, whom I have known for much longer that Douthat has even heard of her. Her campaign for the Green Party may have been quixotic, and hopeless from the start, but to call her insincere betrays ignorance of the person that goes beyond its gratuitous cruelty. In terms of sincerity, Dr. Jill Stein, a distinguishd physician and fearless peace activist, possesses virtues to which many of us, Mr. Douthat included, should aspire. Be wary of insulting people you do not know; it only diminishes you.
Richard Williams MD (Davis, Ca)
If Joe Biden’s behavior around women, outdated, arguably no longer appropriate, but plainly innocent, is an issue for anyone, what should we do about Donald J. Trump, documented serial sex offender, current residence the White House?
Rev. E. M. Camarena, PhD (Hell's Kitchen)
Two bright red Biden lines for me: I will not vote for anyone who supported the needless invasion of Iraq and I never vote for millionaires. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/book-deals/article/73268-biden-books-go-to-flatiron.html People who vote for millionaires and then howl "the government doesn't understand working people!" are the nation's biggest obstacle to meaningful progress. https://emcphd.wordpress.com
NNI (Peekskill)
If Joe Biden is creepy, then what is Trump?
Gary Swergold (New ROCHELLE)
This is a fine and reasonable analysis of politics from one person’s perspective. Thanks for that. But really, must all opinion writers copy the 6th grade behavior of our Embarrassment In Chief and make up names for politicians? “Texan Jesus or the South Bend Meritocrat or the Mean Minnesotan or the Racial Optimist”. Really?
Bachnut (Freestone CA)
My wife and I have spent the last two days assisting in the lambing of our ewes. We're both 72, retired, and living in a rural part of northern California. We feel blessed to participate in the arrival of new life every Spring, even as we watch ours slowly ebb away. Being young can be wonderfully idealistic and full of promise, but it is only the beginning of a life full of many changes, both good and bad. Idealism becomes tempered by the realization that healthy change happens incrementally just as in the birth of lamb when its head appears before its front legs. You have to push the head back in and reach for the front legs and get them out first. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. In this culture of youthful exuberance many dismiss the value of tribal elders in navigating the rough spots. It would be wise for all to step back and take a deep breath before rushing into an unknown future. Moderation has a place in the healing of this country.
J Park (Seoul, Korea)
An excellent column. To satisfy everyone is to satisfy no one. People, in the end, choose to follow a leader.
JKvam (Minneapolis, MN)
There are already far too many vanity runs to burnish a cabinet appointment in the field but if it's not going to be Biden then someone that has if not the institutional knowledge then at least the intellect and preparation to disinfect with sunlight every word that will come out Trump's mouth. Biden would at least have a command of the facts/process that Trump is so cavalier with but if it's not going to be him then it needs to be someone that can make him look like the clueless blowhard he is.
Dan G (Washington, DC)
Your thesis is based heavily on the misconceived assumption that most all Democratic candidates but Biden are solely wrapped up in identify politics. This is simply not true, you distort heavily. As you write further along, where Biden's previous record runs close to your favorite ideas then surely he is best. Where it fits your beliefs, then Biden is fine. Your thesis is not supportable and weird.
HapinOregon (Southwest Corner of Oregon)
A politician, like an athlete, has to know when it's time "to hang'em up". There are fewer more pathetic sights as an athlete trying to hold off time. "For at my back I hear time's winged chariot hurrying near."
drollere (sebastopol)
keyword: Bloomberg. (no, not the terminal.)
Haywire Mac (Makawao HI)
Look at the polls of what the people want. Bernie Sanders is the center of America,
McGloin (Brooklyn)
The Democratic Party has been rurnning toward the establishment "center" for decades and losing badly. Since 1992: Republicans have controlled the House for 20 out of 26 years! Republicans have held the Senate for 16 out of 26 years. Even after the 2018 wins, Republicans control 61 state legislatures compared to 37 for Democrats, and there are 33 Republican Governors compared to 16 Democrats. This is a record of total failure to win elections. Experience means nothing if you don't learn from it as change what doesn't work. Tresting Republicans like reasonable people with whom you disagree, while they insult and investigate you endlessly, makes them look reasonable and strong and makes Democrats look corrupt and weak. You cannot make a case that there is a difference between the two parties when you keep voting for Republican policies. Then they deny their records and leave Democrats holding the bag. The current trade regime has always been unpopular on the left and now it is unpopular in the right, but establishment "centrists" are still selling it as a compromise between left and right. A policy that gives neither side what it wants is not a compromise. It is a scam. The Trump base its vocally for policies grounded in hate, greed, and violence. They are openly attacking the Constitution (Douthat even explained that they follow an "alternative Constitution") and Republicans NEVER criticize them. The left base is for love, sharing, and peace. Pick a side!
Lefthalfbach (Philadelphia)
All Joe has to say is..."> I didn't mean anything by it, but even in those times, I really should not have been that touchy-feely. I am sorry..." And it goes away. Assuming, of course, that no woman steps forward with a worse tale to tell. One thing is for sure- Uncle Joe would not back down on stage with trump. There would be fireworks and a stand-off. The mere thought of Joe looking Trump in the eye and calling him out makes me all misty-eyed for Lloyd Bentsten, shaking his head while Danny-Boy Quayle compared himself to JFK, then delivering a career-ending riposte.
JS (Minnetonka, MN)
Ross' worst nightmare is an ascendant Democratic party, dominated by the left-most one-fifth, that rises to power and begins dismantling all the Republican nonsense that's been tormenting our country since St. Ronald dog whistled his way to office. Ross' favorite scenario would be Biden winning the nomination, then losing to Trump, fulfilling one of the Democrats' many worst nightmares. As long as there is a small enough number of Democratic voters who would rather lose with Biden than win with him, it's hard to see how Trump can win against anyone.
Wilmington Ed (Wilmington NC/Vermilion OH)
Thanks, Ross, for a thoughtful piece. It hurts, but I think your conclusion is correct. Had Joe run instead of Hillary, he would be president. Timing is sometimes everything as they say. Times are different today and the young bloods in the Democratic Party will not wait. Enjoy your legacy, Joe, it’s a good one and anyone who says otherwise is disingenuous. My concern then is for those that have ‘the eager look of the inefficient’....wanting to take down the old white guys but with so far nothing to offer other than ill defined actionable proposals that will not win the electoral vote. Go for it, young folks. But you better get your act together and quickly. Stop the bickering and ego tripping. It’s not some high school play you are putting on. You will either take back our democratic institutions or be complicit in their weakening. Get together and figure out the best way to take Trump down while also having concrete proposals most Americans need and will support. Not pie in the sky ‘ideas’ without practical substance and implementation. From A 70 year old mostly liberal ‘old’ white male with real world experience via from the more turbulent 60s and with compassion, a reasonable amount of idealism, and a desire to not see a Democrat implosion and four more years of this ignorant president and his feckless, spineless, Republican congressional supporters.... Ed
Susan Foley (Piedmont)
Almost all the candidates (including Trump, Biden and Saunders among others) are TOO OLD. The Presidency is a hard job when done right ( which of course Trump isn’t doing). We need younger people. I’m 73 and I know what I am talking about.
Rev. E. M. Camarena, PhD (Hell's Kitchen)
@Susan Foley: Next year's conventions will be held under the aegis of the AARP... https://emcphd.wordpress.com
Aimee Pollack-Baker (Massachusetts)
In every political discourse that involves the analysis of the Democratic platform, it is often measured by Democratic politicians' relation to moderation. Pundits and reporters often report left leaning Democratic politicians as extreme. Only the moderates are sensible. Here's the problem with moderates. As the Right lurches further to the right, the Moderates move to the right to maintain their standing in the middle. That's why the Right love moderates. Moderates enable them. Strong left-leaning liberals hold the center from moving further rightward. Their force holds the balance. And it's hypocrisy to call out the liberal left as radical or extremists while referring to the Right as simply staunch conservatives. Why are they exempt from being referred to as radical?
MIMA (Heartsny)
No Biden, but Kavanaugh’s ok? Umm......
stan (MA)
@MIMA the difference is that Justice Kavanaugh did nothing, creepy uncle Joe has to deal with photos of his creepyness
Jay Trainor (Texas)
@stan How do the righteous Evangelicals support Trump after listening to the Access Hollywood tape?
Luciano (New York City)
Biden - too old Warren - too shrill and too weird Sanders - too old and too cranky Klobacher - too mean to her staff Gillibrand - too weak and bland Mayor Pete - huge talent and clearly brilliant but mayor of South Bend just isn't enough experience. Beto - Patagonia Bro literally has zero significant accomplishments in public or private life. Kamala Harris - 46th President of the United States
Portola (Bethesda)
Cute nicknames. Texan Jesus. Mean Minnesotan. I think either could win against the porn star president. That's the only standard right now. Get him out, before he ruins the country.
DMS26 (Orlando)
Trump has to go! And it looks like the 2020 election is the only way it’s going to happen. Don’t blow this, Democrats! My children will thank you someday.
Patrick (Wisconsin)
Biden's the most experienced and qualified candidate, but because he's old and handsy, he'll never unite the party. Bernie's the best at marketing, but because he's cantankerous and has holy pictures with socialist dictators going back 40 years, he'll never unite the party. Gillibrand's got the #metoo cred, but because she's a transparent opportunist and totally unlikeable, she'll never unite the party. Warren's an accomplished white woman, but because she used to be an accomplished Native American woman, she'll never unite the party. Klobuchar's popular in MN, but because she's an old-school boss who makes millennials cry, she'll never unite the party. Hmmm. So... Buttegige... Butegge... President Pete?
Anna (Austin)
I Ike the Texan Jesus thing. We haven’t had one since Vince Young.
Karl (Charleston AC)
With two women coming forward and the clip of him with Carter Page's wife, Biden is toast! He is now "creepy Uncle Joe"; he'll decline to run now!
Douglas (Arizona)
While this is an accurate analysis, the NY Times and other major media are in complete denial of the fact that Trump will crush whoever is nominated; Based on today's conditions-which are not likely to change dramatically in the next 18 months. Basically, its over until 2024 when AOC can run. ;)
Don Oberbeck (Colorado)
I would be interested in hearing which Democratic candidate Douthat believes would have the best chance of defeating Trump. And, of course, why he thinks so would be interesting too.
Jan Crismara (Stamford CT)
I can strongly see the need for Joe Biden to run. The country needs someone who can help it heal from the damages of Trump. Times may have changed but some thing that will not change is some people are "givers", as am I. But to delve deeper into Biden is to remember the death of his first wife and daughter and how it hit him. He did not see her grow up and take can of her. What he did to those two women look very much like a Dad caring for his daughter.
Sorka (Atlanta GA)
I fall into the category of voters that Ross describes. I am a compassionate person who wants everyone to be treated equally and fairly, but increasingly, I guess I'm not that woke. And I don't like the Bernie approach at all. Biden would have my vote, and I really don't care if he kissed someone's hair. I really don't.
Srose (Manlius, New York)
There are two numbers which should make the candidacy of Biden not continue: they are...7-7...his age when the campaign starts in 2020. It's a grueling task to campaign in 50 states at that age. He'd practically need to be in marathon runner shape. The other problem is the future of the party and attracting youthful voters. Also, he would be ending his second term, where he to win two elections, at age 85. Do we want that held up against us right in our faces?
SheHadaTattooToo (Seattle USA)
If you are a 2020 Presidential Candidate that is paying attention to the daily lies, or you are a candidate unaware of a lie being perpetuated about yourself and are unable to articulate these lies in very simple terms you may lose the 2020 election. Whoever speaks the plain truth will beat Trump. It is that simple. If the Democrats are unable to do any of the above I will seriously consider looking for a new home on the right side of the wall. This next Presidential race is going to be about integrity and honesty. Biden may be out of touch with many in the electorate, but I more than welcome his candor within those already running. The Republicans, not so much.
tippicanoe (Los Angeles)
Biden needs to run at the very least, to expand the democratic dialogue and hopefully move the party in a more pragmatic policy direction. The apology tour is becoming a ludicrous distraction with almost every candidate apologizing for some past deed/misdeed. The Beto O'Rourke apology for being born a "privileged white male" was ridiculous as was Biden's expression of disdain for being an old white male. The best advice for all the candidates running was from Michael Corleone to his niece's fiancee where he said "never be embarrassed for being rich". Democrats should stop pandering to special interest (identity politics) and focus on sound health care, prudent environmental and climate change, education, tax and national security policies that distinguish themselves from the schizoid behavior of Trump and his party.
Ed (Old Field, NY)
Some people prefer their god to remain an enigma that doesn’t declare itself plainly than a God who has revealed Himself in history—and been found wanting.
Curtis Hinsley (Sedona, AZ)
NO. The Reagan- and Clinton-era compromises were NOT good, and for a Democrat like Biden to defend or revive them today is NOT desirable. Biden is like a good-ol'-boy shadow from the past, making deals with Senate Republicans that got us exactly where we are today: with a radically unfair and imbalanced economy, Clarence Thomas (and worse) on the Supreme Court, and men still thinking they can touchy-feely women with impunity. I'm not surprised that Douthat finds this acceptable -- he is, after all, a Republican apologist. No -- once again -- time to go, Joe.
Doug Terry (Maryland, Washington DC metro)
Here's the huge, leaping, flying, jumping...no screaming...problem with moderation and compromise: the Republicans will have none of it. No matter what the Democrats say, they are going to be accused of socialism, the word which most Americans don't understand but which has become the stand-in for communism as a blanket accusation. Moving to the center also indicates one is afraid of actual, you know, ideas, real solutions to real problems. It is like walking up to bat with two strikes against you. If you don't hit a home run, go home. A mishmash of moderation gives the voters the lasting impression that the Democrats actually stand for nothing, so why bother voting for them? How many votes are cast for actual policies and plans? How many voters can actually be turned one way or another by substance and ideas rather than raw emotions? Take note that the candidates the Democrats nominate must win an actual majority of the votes cast in the primaries. Trump became the Republican nominee by "winning" with a minority of the votes cast in the early primaries (this "rigged game" came out in his favor). As one after another candidates saw their donations and media attention dry up, the choice was between Trump and one of the most disliked, if not hated, men ever in the US Senate, Ted Cruz. The Democrats have to do what Hillary refused to do in 2016: go for broke. Stand up. For something. Quit spitting hairs because no one is going to accept bend over backward compromise.
Mike G (Big Sky, MT)
Shame on Eliz Warren and the other dem candidates (e.g., Bernie) who jumped on Joe immediately. Those who did/do, have list my support.
KT (James City County, VA)
Both Biden & Sanders from older generation. We need younger leadership raised & forged in internet times.
Larry Figdill (Charlottesville)
It's not so much that Biden favors moderate policies, it's that he has been wrong on many things, but still makes excuses for them. For example even many Republicans believe that crime and incarceration policies have gone too far. Biden was on the front lines pushing these, so he needs to take responsibility for them.
Patricia (Pasadena)
He needs to make a public apology tour for his 1994 Crime Bill. The Bernie Bros tried to lay that mess on HRC, but Biden wrote the bill, and it was once called the Biden Crime Bill. Now we're trying to cope with the consequences of Biden's Nixonian zeal for fighting drug abuse by locking people up. And Nixon's dreams were fulfilled when most of the people being locked up turned out to be black. Midwest and Southern Democrats are still pushing candidates like Biden and Abrams whose views on the War on Drugs don't sit well with folk in the West who are seeing the benefits of liberalization.
Timothy (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Why do people keep suggesting that Stacey Abrams could be Biden's running mate? She's completely unqualified. A heartbeat away from the oval office? Please be serious.
Jacquie (Iowa)
Biden's time is up, move on to other candidates.
Jay Orchard (Miami Beach)
Joe Biden is the Democrats' best hope in 2020 - hands down. (otherwise, he's got no shot)
Kim (Darien, CT)
@Jay Orchard Dems very best idea can't be a 78 year old white guy with a long career in "conventional" politics. Won't be the nominee.
TOM (Irvine)
I think I share the hesitancy of many Democrats. Biden can beat Trump. But then we’d have President Biden. No one to stand up for new daring policy. No one willing to point out the failings of the system. No one to speak to saving a democracy on life support. No one to stand up to money.
camorrista (Brooklyn, NY)
Joe Biden ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, and then in 2008. He was crushed in the primaries both times. In 1988, he was the candidate of the mediocre middle; in 2008, he was the candidate of the mediocre middle. If he runs in 2020, he will be the candidate of the mediocre middle. And he will be crushed all over again. Deservedly.
Lou Sernoff (Delray Beach, FL)
@camorrista Mediocre middle men and women of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but the woke.
Jack (PA)
Unfortunately Joe Biden doesn't seem to me to have much conviction. To anyone who's not on the far, far left, tough-on-crime policies were absolutely necessary. "Mass incarceration" saved thousands and thousands of mostly black lives. The murder rate in NYC is a tiny fraction of what it was 30 years ago. This shouldn't be hard for a Democrat to acknowledge. It sickens me to see Biden grovel at feminists with their "sexual assault" paranoia. He did it during the entire Obama administration. I'd love to see him have the spine to oppose radical feminism. But I've never seen him do it. In the end, I think he doesn't run. And that leaves the question of which Democrat will tell the radicals enough already. I think it's Klobuchar, and she might be the only one who can beat Trump.
Kim (Darien, CT)
@Jack And yet Klobuchar is so uninteresting and uninspiring, even if you love all her positions. Sort of the town librarian, and also a lot of disdainful reports from her staff, which has high turnover and fleeing.
Sarah (NYC)
I don't know that I have ever agreed with you, but I think your analysis is spot on. As a feminist 50-yr old liberal who can actually remember when Left meant Left, I find myself at a loss for the next campaign. The Left is now the middle, and we're having a hard time maintaining that. The idea that women's reproductive freedom is in serious danger defies belief. How can we really be here? The whole "Green New Deal" thing is some weird concoction of nonsense. Similarly, Ocasio Cortez needs to pipe down and get some experience; she is a lightning rod for anger and resentment. What makes a lot of Republicans angry at her is that she doesn't care that they are angry at her. That gives her personal power, even as it doesn't do anything to improve her qualifications for public office. If Biden has the guts to run on his record, as you wisely observe, he will at the least demonstrate integrity. Indeed, it may make him unpopular to the 'tear it all down' types (the same ones who in a different hat who brought us Trump) but I do not think that would necessarily sink him as a candidate. People are turning to Klobuchar and Booker, et al. out of a kind of desperation. Just as the Right took a chance on a delusional Narcissist, some on the Left are willing to take a chance on an empty shirt named Beto. Biden has experience and a proven record of service. If he can embrace it, he might have a chance and so might we.
shellynm (NM)
I understand you have a personal prejudice, but ..."that some moderation on abortion should be acceptable in the Democratic Party " These are what most women would call "fighten' words". So, at what point should I, as a woman, have no right to live my life as I choose? When should I cancel my classes, when should I give up on saving for a down payment on a house, when should I have it decided for me that having a child is more important than taking care of a dying parent? You've got to learn someday. Women are People!
David Gregory (Sunbelt)
Robert O’Rourke (d.b.a. Beto) is a New Democrat- anathema once people start looking at his hollow campaign which is a cult of personality. Sen. Booker just pledged his eternal dying fealty to AIPAC. Consider his campaign done. Sen. Klobuchar a.k.a. The new Queen of Mean has accomplished exactly what other than helping throw Al Franken under the bus? Sen Harris is no Progressive and shows no signs of being anything other than a Corporate Democrat- exactly what lost to Trump last time. The elf from South Bend has no Federal experience and has only run a small city government. He is running for a cabinet post since a Democrat has few prospects in Indiana. Biden would last about 5 minutes until the video of his plagiarism of a speech was shown to young voters. Then Anita Hill, then the Bankruptcy Bill. Stay home, Joe. Thankfully there are no Clintons stinking up the process this time. We might actually have a chance to elect a Democrat instead of a Republican-lite for a change.
David Johnson (San Francisco)
Ross, you're making an argument for a Hillary Clinton candidacy. Biden is out of step with the moment, in the same way that Hillary was out of step with the moment two years ago. Not that we Californians have any say whatsoever, since our votes are worth zilch, but I hope that people who live in states where voting has an impact on national races will understand that the country needs a fresh approach, and vote that way. We Californians are rooting from the bench! #nomoreoldwhiteguys
JR (CT)
When I think of Joe Biden getting the nomination, I get a strong image of the man wearing white trousers, a red & white striped sport coat, a straw boater & carrying a bamboo cane as he tap dances to "Happy Days Are Here Again" or "Hold That Tiger." If I'm not mistaken, I am of the generation or two just after Mr Biden's. I hope the time has finally come to get his generation out of American politics. If the 2020 election comes down to Trump vs another Democrat who would rather take a dive than rock the boat, I do think I won't bother voting. That would be a first for me.
SN (Napa, CA)
Thank you, Ross. If only you could be on Biden's campaign management team. As a late 40s Gen X white lady Roman Catholic raised in Chicago, educated East and living West for the last 22 years, I am usually left of your politics but frequently in sync, I think, with the way you reason and discern. I really do appreciate your contributions immensely. That said, I am 100% for the idea of Biden as a "bridge presidency" with Stacey Abrams or someone very much like her. A re-installation of respect and thoughtfulness, with a walk (not a run!) toward 21st century transformation of American civic life and political realities would be sustainable and responsible. Even adult. I am, like many, so tired tired tired of watching my country behave clownishly and with no consideration of the We over the Me (and I am a person who can #MeToo with the rest of most of the women I know, sadly). It is hard to raise children with hope and optimism in this current climate. I'm doing it, because it's what I do, but it's challenging way too much of the time. COME ON DEMOCRATS. Wake up to THAT.
Miss Ley (New York)
If they could place an invisible cloak on our current president, the Republicans might be in for a second term where issues as Health Care could be discussed before, and not after a 2020 reelection. As of now, The Republican Party appears to be in want of one of their own to take up residency in The White House, while The Democrats have too many choices to present. Joe Biden stands alone, and above other less familiar Democratic figures, and although 'unprecedented', a wise choice on his part for a vice-president mate might save our Nation in this political hour of confusion, when our Country came to a pause without a health care safety net, and is letting children linger in suffering at our borders. One of the greatest blights in contemporary times, Mr. Biden and his administration could be counted on to do the right thing.
Steve (Vermont)
I have been listening to people express their opinions as to how things stand now. The same people who predicted a Trump victory, and voted for Trump, see the same two basic options they observed in the fall of 2016, only magnified. Vote for Trump, baggage and all, or for AOC or the others who are engaged in a race to see who can create the most extremely liberal left wing democratic party in history. Is this so hard to see? Or are so many people seeing what they want and missing the reality?
Milton Lewis (Hamilton Ontario)
Biden had his chance.His time has passed. And Sanders should join him on the sidelines. It is time to pass the torch to a new generation of young culturally,racially and gender diverse Democratic candidates. Whoever emerges from the current pack will be well positioned to make Trump a one-term President.And that is an exciting prospect.
AnnaJoy (18705)
Not crazy about Biden but if he's the nominee, I will wrok for him and vote for him. And hold his feet to the fire when it comes to issues that are inportant to me.
JAM (Florida)
So, Biden should not even be allowed to compete for the nomination. The Democrats are already forming the circular firing squad with Biden as its first victim. Are the Dems serious about wanting to rid the country of Trump & Trumpism? The GOP is not going to do it; only the Dems will have this power. And they want to keep out the only candidate with a real chance of defeating Trump! How short cited & absurd! Biden is the only Dem who appeals to the 30% of the electorate that is not identified with either of the warring tribes. He has a working class background and a people personality that Trump cannot even touch. He is riding high in the polls for a reason: he is the most well known, moderately liberal and qualified candidate the Dems can find to nominate. He polls above Trump and will be the one Dem that those of us in the 30% will actually consider voting for in the general election. Nothing shows the extremism now infecting the Democratic Party like this irrational attack on Biden for being his natural gregarious self. Come on, have we strayed so far from reality that we are going to punish the best candidate for some small slight made 5 or 10 years ago? And based upon a morality that did not even exist then? If so, count on Trump winning in 2020.
Thomas Kurt (Toledo, Ohio)
One thing should be absolutely clear. Trump's (obvious) 2020 strategy is to hold his base and let the Dems nominate someone who will turn off the swath of independent voters who have decided every presidential election going way back. This strategy is sound. If the Dems nominate a Kamilla Harris, Bernie Sanders, etc., it will surely be four more years. Nominate Biden, and Trump doesn't stand a chance.
RE (NYC)
@Thomas Kurt - I agree with your first two paragraphs, but don't think Biden is the only solution. Pete!
Ann (Louisiana)
Wow, what a concise and prescient recounting of everything that wrong with the Democratic Party of 2019. Poor Biden, poor us. Trump is going to win in 2020 and this column explains why. There’s no point in even following the ups and downs of the next two years. Just sit back and wait for the inevitable, or start figuring out how to move to Canada (the perennial exit strategy for a depressed American). Biden should just start his own Centrist Party and forget even trying to appease the radical left. Registered Independants need a home.
Mike Livingston (Cheltenham PA)
I think it would be wiser for Biden to get out now and let the remaining moderates coalesce around a younger candidate. Otherwise it's leftward ho!
stu freeman (brooklyn)
As long as Biden is running 7-10 points ahead of The Thing That Lives in the White House (and as long as none of the other Democratic contenders are even inhabiting that same ballpark) there is every reason for Joe to run and to do so as he thinks best. Progressives, moderates, independents and those who merely possess some degree of mental and emotional stability have one paramount concern: flush The Donald down the drain. Anyone who can't see themselves voting for Biden when push comes to shove (i.e., in November 2020 when there's no other viable alternative) might just as well go into hibernation for another four years and hope that their country will still be there for them once they're finally roused to consciousness. Comment posted 4/2 1:06 PM
Ann (Louisiana)
@stu freeman, what you say is true, but the “woke” faction of the Democratic Party isn’t going to let Joe be Joe and still get the nomination. In order to get the Dem nomination, Biden would have to destroy his credibility with centrists and moderates, thus setting himself up to lose to Trump. Biden as Biden could beat Trump, but the radical left will tear him to pieces before he gets that far. SAD
princeflor (NY)
Let us give Biden a chance to campaign! If people do not like him he will be gone. Simple! No opinion makers liked Trump, right? But he won! Who are these know all opinion columnists to decide for us?
Sandra Garratt (Palm Springs, California)
We cannot afford to give Biden "another try" (after 2 failed attempts already. He is not a man of the times but from the late 20th Cent....he is clearly not the winning candidate w/ a vision that we desperately need and want. I do to know any Dem or Progressive that wants him, quite the contrary...and btw the Green Party/Jill Stein are not "grifters"....what total nonsense and so insulting to those who have fought of the environment for years & years. We do NOT need or want another Corporate Democrat candidate.
Renaud (California USA)
Democratic strategists are betting a big Democratic turnout can win without any moderate Democrats (Democrats who prefer Biden or Cuomo over a Leftist/Progressive candidate) and without any anti-Trump Republicans. Its a big bet and a loser.
Eccl3 (Orinda, CA)
Klobuchar and Inslee can appeal to the same group, but without the baggage, the excessive age, and four years of openly waffling about whether or not to run. Joe's time was last election, not this one. He missed it and should retire in peace. There are others fully capable of winning.
dave (Brooklyn)
Here's my two cents. The Dems (DNC Style) are scared of change even though the status quo -- Hillary -- lost. They were scared of Bernie and they are scared of leaving a sinking boat. Why that is I can only surmise is that same fear of change! By sticking to a past that's just that, past, they are in denial.
Mike B (Boston)
I am trying to imagine what it would be like to have the power to publicly shame, humiliate and destroy all the people who, intentionally or not, offended me or made me feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The list would include both men and women. It's a nice little fantasy, buy I hope if I ever actually had that super power I would be mature enough not to actually use it. The Joe Biden/Lucy Flores story feels more like a political hit. How about the timing of it, why are we hearing about this now? Did Flores ever discuss with Biden her feelings of unease, or is he first hearing about it like the rest of us, as national news?
richard cheverton (Portland, OR)
I deeply hope that Biden will tell America that running for President is now a one-way ticket to personal destruction; that the current way we choose candidates is a farce, guaranteed to produce "pluralists" like Trump; that the Democratic party is now in the thrall of a weirdly Marxian, equality-of-outcomes, collectivist set of beliefs; that no politician who has worked in the Washington sausage-factory can possibly pass the scrutiny of current tests for personal and political purity; that the news media is now an active political party of its own, motivated by clicks and eyeballs...and that, after all his years of public service, it's time to tell the public to wise up, take responsibility for its own government and get serious about its role in our republic. And that's why he won't be a part of this farce.
Irving Schwartz (Tallahassee, Florida)
The Democrats are forming a circular firing squad. The first to fall will be an old white guy. The next to drop will be the other white guys. The party will protect its female candidates because women must be believed at all costs. It’s racism to say anything about minority candidates, a protected class. But the minority males are just as flawed as their white gender mates. They have male privilege. Then the white female candidates are felled because of their white privilege. When. the smoke clears a bloodied image will remain standing. A progressive African American woman from the left coast. Just what the Democrats don’t need to beat a fresh, battle ready, fully armed Donald Trump. Trump beat an experienced warrior when he defeated Hillary Clinton. A novice doesn’t stand a chance.
wak (MD)
I hope Biden does not run. It’s hard to be critical of him. The personal tragedies he’s had to face have been awful, to say the least. He has served this nation to the best of his ability, nonetheless. And for that especially, the nation owes him gratitude. But all of this does not mean that he would likely be an effective presidential nominee presently or, should such candidacy be successful for him, president. First of all, from the science of aging, his age factor should not be heroically dismissed. Things often go wrong with and because of advanced age. It’s that factually simple. (The same goes for Sanders.) Second, Biden’s political history shows several poor choices early on, which reflects on limited insight and wisdom. Yes, one may say that he has “evolved” on certain matters ... maybe, but with ambitious politicians these days there are other more likely and less flattering explanations. If Biden really wants to serve effectively the nation and rid it of the Trump disaster, his genuine support for another potential Democrat presidential nominee would probably be very credible and useful. Biden is by no means a bad guy. But that’s not enough for him to be a successful president ... and that is what is so sorely needed.
cfarris5 (Wellfleet)
I have many comments, but for now, I would say that he is slyly conflating centrist ideas and decidedly right of center ones and calling them all moderate. There may be many sincere reasons for this type of packaging, but as he is a self-admitted Republican observer, it suggests that he has a strong interest in NOT seeing the moderates coalesce behind any Democratic front runner. This obvious motive seems to be informing his framing of moderate voters as one right of center monolith that couldn't possibly coalesce behind anyone but Biden. It is more likely that they would investigate a number of candidates and pitch their insistence on moderate (not right of center) issues on the electability of the candidates. As a Republican, he fervently hopes this is true and that hope clearly informs his analysis.
BarryNash (Nashville TN)
Mr. Disingenuous here would like to see the Democrats split and at each others' throats by any means necessary, while decrying all "identity politics" but his own. But with an opponent like The sometime Occupant of the White House, that is not that likely to happen however much print and talking head media would love to see the spat get fatal. (And by the way, the size of that much called out and partly imaginary switchable Middle of the Middle of the Middle is wildly smaller than commentators keep pretending-- when they want to see Democrats be Republican Lite.)
Peter (Houston)
Overall, I think this is a solid, well-considered piece. But I have to quibble with the criticism of the Left's stance on Tough-On-Crime and Police Reform based on a crime wave that preceded the former. The left wing is not pro-crime, period. They just don't support demonstrably racist practices like mandatory minimums (notice you don't see anybody talking about those for opioids), et al, whose effectiveness cannot be demonstrated convincingly. The Left is pro-police - they just want better policing. The Left is anti-drug - they just want better handling of drug abuse and addiction. You can argue with those points individually, but the implication of the article is that the Left would prefer perpetual crime to Tough-On-Crime tactics, and that's just not true.
Beau (Rhode Island)
The idea that we need a moderate candidate and that the Democratic field thus far is "left-wing" is the same thinking that made Clinton the nominee and DT the fake President. I'm not going to bother looking up data to refute Douthat's arguments, but it's clear the country is moving left as a new generation rises (Boot Edge Edge, AOC)- has been more left than he's willing to admit - and that policies like a Green New Deal and Medicare for All are well in line with policies of the past. Oh ya, and there's no more Identity politics than White Supremacists in the White House. Structural racism isn't a far left liberal idea, it's reality. Just not for you. Bye Biden. Bye Ross.
Sherry (Pittsburgh)
It’s performance, ideas, leadership and the ability to work across the aisle to advance the interests of our country that matter, not age. I admit that I was one of those who thought we needed new blood to assume the Speaker of the House position and am all too happy to report how wrong I was. Pelosi has been exceptional. I’m not saying Joe has to be the one, and if after he gets the nomination he wants to run as a one-termer then pick his Veep accordingly I’d be good with that. I just wish Dems would stop trying to trash each other and the amount of press that’s being given to the women accusing Joe of being “too friendly” is ridiculous. Neither of those cases is an instance of sexual harassment. The media and other Dems need to start talking about Trump’s attacking the ACA, or climate change, or migrant children separated from their parents, or ethics, or gun control, or or or.... Don’t play the GOP’s games of misdirection and distraction.
AutumnLeaf (Manhattan)
Democrats: we want new blood, some one young, some outsider to update the party, a Liberal who is to the left of Mother Theresa, some one not old guard, not white, not old male, not a sexual harraser, not a Washington insiders and life long politico, some one who will not compromise, who will stand firm in decisions we agree on. Also Democrats: ‘yiei Bidden for president! The real issue here, Bidden is the one candidate leading the pack, by far. And he might be cooked. That is the real issue, not one other is even close or has a chance. 2020 just got easier for Trump, thanks to the Democrats own actions.
Robert Evans (Spartanburg, SC)
It's not certain, but definitely plausible that circa-1990 "Tough On Crime" legislation played a role in bringing down the sky-high murder and crime rates from that era.
winthrop staples (newbury park california)
The Left and democratic party just need to come out and say-admit to the voting public that no man will be allowed to run as the democratic nominee in 2020. Because as in 2016 democrat uber leaders have decided that the next president MUST BE A FEMALE. And that they think they can win by starting a gender war in this nation in order to rally their voters by encouraging women to indulge in a blood sport of accusations in order to win this "war" against men. So the elected political class 'leaders' in the USA can match the mandatory quota ism that has devolved into a no male discrimination that working and middle class white males have experienced in government and university department hiring in the last 3 decades. And its illustrative to note that Elizabeth Warren comes from Massachusetts where I was actually told in the early 2000's to not bother to apply for any more jobs at the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife because they would only be hiring women for many years to come - presumably to meet some secret diversity quota goal. While similar Leftist no male hiring purges at Harvard University and the Harvard Business Review then had also resulted in departments and editorial staffs with few or no males. But of course the media is not screaming about the injustice of these continual anti male discrimination, because their 1% masters have decided to divide/conquer this nation along gender lines in order to continue their rigging of our society for elite benefit.
Alan (COLORADO)
Yet again vocal Democrates are forgetting the real issue, which is "who can beat Mr. Trump." Joe Biden, warts and all, has the gravitas necessary to lead the Dems back to the White House. He alone has the stature and experience required to deal with a Congress that will most likely remain divided. He alone has the foreign policy experience and reputation to deal with allies and adversaries. Many people choose to overlook or discount Mr. Trump's misdeeds and outright lies. Surely Democrates can recognize that Mr. Biden offers their best hope for a return to some normalcy while still promoting their agenda.
R.P. (Bridgewater, NJ)
Good, thoughtful piece. It's hard to watch Biden grovel at the AOC alter of wokeness, and apologize for things like being tough on the crime wave that was devastating communities in the 90s.
cfarris5 (Wellfleet)
@R.P. I think the consideration to think of is the impact that these reflexive policies had on the communities with the highest crime rates. They were getting the short end of the stick with mass incarceration rates for minor crimes and brutality cases will little drop in crime. All of the crackdown, none of the benefits. I would imagine, this is what he regrets when he thinks about his past support.
P&L (Cap Ferrat)
@R.P. AOC got 16,000 votes and she runs the Democratic Party, which is reason enough to vote Republican. She gives purity tests on K-Street.
Erica Smythe (Minnesota)
@R.P. That's all he's got, which is why he won't run. You can apologize once or twice for things you've personally done, but when it's in your record as something you believed in? It just looks like you're caving to the pitchfork crowd. If D's want to replace Trump, they are going to have to do it with an outsider. The only outsider contemplating a run who has the gravitas to take on Trump is Howard Schultz. And unlike Biden, Schulz isn't doing the 'apology tour.' The man has convictions and a record of accomplishment that any liberal should be proud of.
Rjv (NYC)
I do wish Biden had run in 2016, even though there's no way to be sure he would won the primary, let alone the presidency. Now I don't know. His age is a consideration, even though he appears in far better shape than the younger Trump. His age might be an advantage if he has the right VP, even if it is not crudely presented as a deliberate strategy. The Achilles link of the Democratic party is the same as its appeal, it is its diversity. So run, Mr. Biden, for what you believe in. All I know for certain is that I will vote for the candidate facing Trump.
George Murphy (Fairfield)
I'm a dem, who hasn't made up his mind, and will probably take a long time doing so. I'm not a person swayed by broad generalities like being Woke. If people want Medicare for all, I think they have to defend that proposal w/ the minute detail, of how you actually get there. The obvious place for Joe, is foreign policy. He knows more about that than the rest of the field combined. If he runs, which I hope he does, he needs to pivot the discussion to that topic every chance he gets. Particularly he should contrast his knowledge, and experience w/ agent orange. A man who who ran in 2016 wanting to be commander in chief, but didn't know what TRIAD meant, or as General Mattis would explain to his counterparts in other nations understood geopolitical affairs at about a 6th grade level. I think the General was too generous in his assessment.
VJT (Baltimore, MD)
As a new voter, Biden appeals to me far more than Bernie and the other Democratic candidates. As a moderate, I do not support Bernie's over the top aspirations nor his hypocrisy in owning multiple properties and generally NOT being the socialist he professes to be. I do care about the environment, the deficit. and the rights of every citizen. On the other hand, I care that my taxes are not too high, I can afford a decent standard of living and AOC wannabe candidates do not take away all access to fossil fuels in the near future....We need a practical Democrat but also one that is not scared to speak out on important issues and stands his ground in what will be a very trying and testing campaign against the President.
Richard Swanson (Bozeman, MT)
I am not sure what Ross means by the Dems being "more zealously pro-choice than ever". Be that as it may, opposing a pro-choice position is not a moderate view in the Democratic party and hasn't been for a long time.
Bob (Hudson Valley)
I would question the idea that there is any emerging consensus in the Democratic Party. The results of one poll showed that more Democrats want to move toward the center than to the left. For Republicans more wanted to mover further right than toward the center (now there's a scary thought!). Perhaps the emerging consensus of leftward trend in the Democratic Party is more a media phenomenon than what is actually occurring. It is good story with central characters such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dominating the headlines. But in the House, more new moderate Democrats were elected than new progressive Democrats. But the media attention has been focused on three progressive women. While Biden may be to the right of most Democrats he may not be as far out of step as the media is portraying it.
MD (DT)
After watching a bit of video of Joe Biden in action, I have to conclude that his behavior is not a reflection of his warmth or ardor. It is called sleaze. Cop a feel here, cop a buss there, feel your power. Women do it too. Just watch Kellyanne Conway with Trump. Lucy Flores puts her hands on Biden with impunity. But no one objects when women do it. It is not actionable and certainly not comparable to Trump's or Bill Clinton's behavior, but it could be construed as a subtle form of harassment. Ultimately, it reflects his character. There is a reason why he behaved the way he did with Anita Hill and asked her such a prurient question. Still, Biden should run if he feels compelled. I just do not think he will get anywhere, early polls to the contrary. My money is on some combination of O'Rourke, Harris, Buttigieg, and Warren--as eventual running mates. Here's looking at you kid.
Joseph Prospero (Miami)
My biggest objection to Biden is that he is lazy and so tranquil as to be invisible. His biggest news coverage over recent eons is that he is folksy and touchy-feely. I challenge his supporters to name one issue in the past 20 years where he has led the charge for chage. That does not inspire people like me who want some fire whether from the left, middle or right of the party.
Tim Bachmann (San Anselmo)
Wrong man. Wrong time. The world has moved on. Don't do it, Joe. The world is heating up. Income inequality is worsening. Healthcare is massively overpriced. We need radical change, and we need it yesterday. The last thing we need is a womanizer bridge who won't apologize and has been on the wrong side of history too many times. He ain't truly woke. We don't need someone who is on the tail of the current shift. We need somebody who was out in front a long time ago fighting for progressive ideas.
JayJ (Syracuse)
The GOP needs to realize that the Dems could win in 2020 even if their candidate was some unknown person that capo de tutti capo Trump had, figuratively speaking, shot on Fifth Avenue. If Biden is the nominee we will have to endure not the apology tour as suggested in the article but the chameleon tour - nobody gets to have as long a political career as Biden does without being all things to all people. Anyway, by the time the elections roll around it might not matter who the Dem candidate is - Trump seems obsessed with reducing the size of his base by ending their access to affordable health care.
Thomas Martin (West Lafayette)
From the NYT, September 22, 1987: The tape, which was made available by C-SPAN in response to a reporter's request, showed a testy exchange in response to a question about his law school record from a man identified only as ''Frank.'' Mr. Biden looked at his questioner and said: ''I think I have a much higher I.Q. than you do.'' He then went on to say that he ''went to law school on a full academic scholarship - the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship,'' Mr. Biden said. He also said that he ''ended up in the top half'' of his class and won a prize in an international moot court competition. In college, Mr. Biden said in the appearance, he was ''the outstanding student in the political science department'' and ''graduated with three degrees from college.'' Comments on Assertions In his statement today, Mr. Biden, who attended the Syracuse College of Law and graduated 76th in a class of 85, acknowledged: ''I did not graduate in the top half of my class at law school and my recollection of this was inacurate.'' As for receiving three degrees, Mr. Biden said: ''I graduated from the University of Delaware with a double major in history and political science. My reference to degrees at the Claremont event was intended to refer to these majors - I said 'three' and should have said 'two.' '' Mr. Biden received a single B.A. in history and political science. [And the NYT article goes on to list other falsehoods.]
Gerry Power (Philadelphia, PA)
So Mr. Douthat, you believe that two women making accusations of non-sexual touching should disqualify Joe Biden from running for president? Will you be making a forceful denunciation stating that Donald Trump is not fit for re-election due to his well-documented mistreatment of women?
Misterbianco (Pennsylvania)
The emerging consensus of Biden’s party is tanned, rested and waiting silently in the wings for the call. What’s happening now is just the opener.
NJ Keith (NJ)
You can call me an "Ageist", but I will not vote for someone as old as Biden, and I have every right to do so.
Lefthalfbach (Philadelphia)
Anyway, Joe's candidacy is already on its last legs over his past social blunders. You think the two women on record this week are the only two? I know- it wasn't harrasment but it was terribly appropriate even in those days. Joe has not helped himself with his responses. He should say He is sorry and try to move on. Might not work.
civilityplease (saint paul MN)
Oh Ross, please stop with the petty nick names (a particularly unattractive trait you seemed to have picked up from Trump), dissing and dismissing almost the entire democratic field. I am one of those moderates you seem to worry a candidate needs to win over. I do not yet know who I will support in the primary, but come November 2020 I know I will vote against Trump regardless of who is on the ticket - period.
Thomas Martin (West Lafayette)
"...fresher candidates with cleaner pitches — to the Texan Jesus or the South Bend Meritocrat or the Mean Minnesotan or the Racial Optimist." Ross left out Pocahontas, the San Antonio Cipher, and Kamasutra. One very smart political analyst says this is all Kabuki theater, and that the Real Choice will emerge later this month.
Maureen (philadelphia)
Steve Bannon promised us recently that Hillary will be drafted at the convention. Biden should run. His warm personal delivery will brighten the race. And he will beat Trump. bigly.
Bonwise (Davis)
In terms of Biden's record, let's not forget that he was Obama's beloved vice president. And, for the record, as a hard boiled democrat, let me say that I wouldn't vote for anybody who would want to perpetuate Identity politics. And I'm not alone.
Lefthalfbach (Philadelphia)
@BonwiseThere is a lot of Truth to what you say. However, we are a Coalition party and all relevant parts need to have a voice and get a chance. It is a balancing act, to be sure.
Gerard (Dallas)
Good. Hope you won't vote for Trump.
David Seemann (Canton, Michigan)
@Bonwise The "identity" politics of the new democrats covers 99% of us. The richest nation on earth and the richest nation in history is based on a financialized economy that considers people and places expendable (AOC) -- just look around at our crumbling infrastructure, dead towns, and people who are dying because a dollar drug, insulin, now costs $600/month. If we don't rebuild our economy and our representative government the future of our children is bleak.
ChristopherP (Williamsburg)
I just find all this premature. Let's hope Biden overcomes his protracted case of 'decidophobia' - his seeming fear of making a momentous decision (his endless waffling is a main concern, actually, in whether to vote for him) -- so we at long last can know who's in and begin to make our mind among an embarrassment of pretty reach choices, and have healthy debates and exchanges on democracy matters (including MeToo).
Peter (Maryland)
Amazing, there is not a single word in this column about what will actually determine the 2020 election: meat-and-potatoes economic issues. For example, Kamala Harris' proposal to give all public-school teachers a $13,500 raise.
me (US)
@Peter Has she said how this will be paid for? Does she realize that teachers are paid by state property taxes? Is she going to order states to raise property taxes, whether they want to or not? What happens to home owners who can't pay her increase?
worker33 (tulsa ok)
I woke up this morning with the phrase "no party for old men", sort of dancing through my head after reading about Mr. Biden and the choices he and we have ahead. There's a time in life I think where one perhaps begins to ask, "Have I out lived my relevance?", or maybe it is and always was a question continually be asked and answered in mid-stride or sentence. I don't know for certain. I have never been sixty three before and yet I am still asking and answering; but i do know as fast as the world is changing and embracing the new "wokeness", that to be in that place of awareness is not the answer in and of it self and is not the be all and end all of life. I respect Mr. Biden's lifetime of service, understand the imperfections that have emerged during his public toil and hope he is guided wholly to act as one who cares more for our country than for his own relevance, his own aspiration and his final legacy. We have an impostor in our midst. One who denies the questions, manipulates the answers and is enamored by his own greatness. In another time he would not be tolerated nor given voice, but here he is, filling our ears with his very very small and self indulgent being while we discuss the fate of a far better man.
chip (nyc)
Mr. Douthat is right. Voters can sense insincerity miles away. One of the reasons Mitt Romney lost the 2012 election is that he flip flopped on health care--passing an Obama style health reform in Massachusetts , but not favoring it in the general election. If Mr. Biden wants to run, he needs to defend his record on some issues like law and order and also admit where he was wrong and has changed his mind. He needs to be absolutely sincere on both. Trying to appeal to the far left and the middle of the road Democrats at the same time is a losing strategy.
John (NYC)
@chip As we have sadly discovered, it seems that even if voters can sense insincerity miles away, the 2016 election has proven that it just doesn't matter to enough people that we have ended up with DJT as President.
Wayne (Portsmouth RI)
I don’t see insincerity in Trump. He doesn’t see it either. He just looks in the mirror and sees the only thing that matters to him. Sincerely.
Mark Thomason (Clawson, MI)
"he’s closer to the political center" Which political center? Voters have a center point well to the left of donors. Pundits have a couple of points around which they gather, so is it midway between their gathering points? There are no voters nor any donors there. Is it the political center of the candidates on offer? That changes constantly like a kaleidoscope as various candidates dance for the audience, and is much closer to donors than to voters or any grouping of pundits. I think when Douthat says "center" he means much closer to him. That is WAY off to the right. Biden has the same problem that Hillary had. He is really a Republican, just pretending he'd do things that he'd never actually do.
J Park (Seoul, Korea)
Bill Clinton and Donald Trump must be considered the luckiest men in history. What Joe Biden is accused of doing seems almost nil compared with what those two have done or said. Yet, he’s neither. What an anticlimactic exit. If he exits, that is.
Lucas Lynch (Baltimore, Md)
The Republicans are dying for Biden to run because they can run a Hillary on him. There is so much out there about him already that it would be a joy to spin it all into something heinous and ugly that would turn enough Democrats off that Donny slithers back into the White House. What must be remembered is that already 52% of the population says they would not vote for Donny again and that his base of support rarely peeks above 40%. As the economy sputters that 40% may be the high mark. This means that they have to turn off enough so that 40% becomes enough to get him reelected. Last time it took only 25% of the voting age population to get him elected so if they can work the population again by repulsing enough from even voting they might make the magic happen again. No other candidate has the same depth of fudge-able material as Joe so of course Ross would love to see him run!
Susie (Vermont)
Pieces like this are worrying because they demonstrate how the press utterly fails to recognize the state in which many in this country find themselves. Economic insecurity is pervasive, too many people live paycheck to paycheck while the rich get richer due to favorable tax laws. Millennials question whether it's wise to have children given the impending consequences of too little action on climate change. Millions are bankrupt and lost their because a family member suffered cancer. To many, politics is a horse race, not a choice that will affect the quality of life and future plans for the vast majority of Americans. Poo-pooing "Ocasio-Cortezan" economics is just classic. The "woke" voters have simply woken up to the fact that economics is important to us. Economic inequality is an urgent issue that is quashing our future. People will vote on it, regardless of whether the likes of Ross Douthat and other establishment folks tell us how much we're wrong.
Mitch Gitman (Seattle)
The shame of it all is that John Hickenlooper, with his stellar record of progressive accomplishment as governor of Colorado, doesn't even merit a mention from Ross Douthat as a "moderate" alternative. Too white? Too old? Too male? Too boring? Too conciliatory? Too pragmatic? The shame is that, not only would Hickenlooper stand the best chance of beating Trump, he'd stand the best chance of moving this nation in a progressive direction with his ability to shift the political terrain. Some of this has to do with the classic American desire, on both the left and the right, to get something for nothing. It's easy for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to go around demanding a transformative Green New Deal without demanding anything from the American people for that cause. But she can't even ask Americans for "a wimpy carbon tax" (her words). Nor can she even ask herself to give up her chauffeured ride in a mass-transit-rich city like NYC (look it up on citylab.com). Talk about limousine liberal. Also, you have to realize that not everybody in a presidential primary is sincere about achieving real results for the American people. The difference is that these days, not only do you have the demagogues and apparatchiks who just want power, you also have the trolls and sock puppets who just want to stir things up and bring out the worst in their marks. Let's remember that most of the Bernie Bros who came out of the woodwork after Hillary's nomination were not actual Bernie supporters.
Ron (Virginia)
When Obama became President, he gave us all a break. He picked Biden as vice president and sent him to that room with a desk and chair, vice presidents. Even then he had to tell Biden to zip his lips. Too many flubs. As Senator, Biden was one sound bite after another about a variety of things but mostly about himself. In one committee meeting, a network counted the number of times he used the words "I" or "Me". They were more times than the minutes in his questioning period. It was barely days after the election that he announced that he could have won. It is his sense of entitlement that brought on the recent complaints of inappropriate touching, hugging, nose rubbing, hair nuzzling, kissing, etc. His answer? “Not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately.” You feel that way if you consider yourself entitled. There may be a lot of democrats that want him to run. He represents their image of a president. There are other candidates but they are not sure any of them can beat Trump. Most of them preach a political concept which puts all the power in Washington. Trump will be talking of keeping the power in the hands of the people. But the chances are that we won't see Biden nominated even if he runs. This new crop of candidates will tear him to pieces in the debates.
hen3ry (Westchester, NY)
Should Biden win the Democratic nomination I'd vote for him especially if he's running against Trump. I shudder at the thought of Trump and his band of incompetents for another 4 years. Will Biden win the nomination is different question. Should he run for it? I'm not sure because I do remember the shameful way he treated Anita Hill. I remember the accusations, later proved, of plagiarism in his speeches. And, while he is of the generation that does not consider how women feel about being touched for no reason, he is a politician and should know better, should HAVE known better especially after the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas scandal. Instead of touting or panning every new candidate we should be looking at them with very critical eyes. Our country is not in a good spot now. We have become the laughingstock of the world because we put a completely unqualified person in the White House. Even Silvio Berlusconi wasn't this bad.
Linda Allal (Geneva, Switzerand)
I agree with the conclusions of your reflections about Joe Biden. But I've been waiting for a reflective opinion piece from you on the challenges now facing the Catholic church. I don't understand why you're writing about all sorts of issues except this one.
John B (St Petersburg FL)
Sometimes I wonder what world columnists live in. What's transforming the Democratic Party is not "wokeness" but a realization that incremental moderation has not worked – for Democrats or Americans. FDR, JFK, and LBJ (tho flawed) are the most revered Democratic presidents. Why? Because they pursued bold plans that had a lasting impact – that made America great. The problem with Biden is that his *only* reason to run is that, as an old white guy who is actually sane, "I can beat Trump." Yet it is almost universally agreed that if the Democrats run solely against Trump, they will lose. We need someone with vision, not a placeholder; someone to excite and inspire people, not placate them. I'm not sure yet who that person is, but I'm sure it's not Joe Biden.
Jason Galbraith (Little Elm, Texas)
I don't just hope that Biden won't run. I have bet money on it.
Glenn (Clearwater Fl)
Joe Biden is fine, a bit touchy feely for modern sensibilities, but find. On the other hand, Joe Biden is way to old to become President. Let's try someone younger and more in touch.
David G. (Monroe NY)
I’ve been saying it all along — the left-wing segment of the Democratic Party may be overjoyed at the prospect of Bernie, or a younger or darker or female Bernie-Lite. But that candidate will never win a purple state, let alone a red one. Trump easily mowed down his centrist Republican foes, and it’ll be easy pickin’s to blow off a democratic socialist. It’s amazing to me that Democrats are dismantling Biden piece-by-piece, when he’s probably the only Democrat with any chance of taking down Trump.
Marco Man (Marco Island, Fl.)
Ross, i sense confusion on your part over whether Joe should run or not. What evidence are you looking for to be less anxious over a Biden run?
James (Atlanta)
Why do Biden's accusers come forward now? Because the former VP is a moderate male Democrat who will appeal to a broad swath of centrist Democratic voters and that would endanger the prospects of the progressive feminists who are running for the Democratic nomination, so he needs to be vilified and stopped. This is insider Democratic politics at its best, just ask Debbie Wasserman.
Diane B (The Dalles, OR)
None of any of this matters compared to theunstoppable Train wreck headed towards all of us, and our children with climate change.
mpound (USA)
For the younger folks here who weren't around or don't remember, in 1988 Biden's presidential campaign (one of his many presidential campaigns) went down in flames when it was revealed that he stole the biography of British politician Neil Kinnock and presented Kinnock's life story as his own. He quit and ran away from that campaign in utter disgrace and became an international laughing stock. That was more than 30 years ago. It seems like ancient history now, but even in 1988 he had already been in the Senate for 15 years - that's how long Uncle Joe has been around. Time for a fresher face in 2020, don't you think?
Maddy Williams (New Orleans)
I'm not sure what he means by "emerging consensus". Read your comment stream Mr. Douthat. The majority of these liberal Democratic NYT readers are fine with Joe. Read the comment streams on every other article about this issue in this paper and the Washington Post. You'll get a better idea of what the "consensus" might be.
Jim R. (California)
The dems, if they ostracize candidates like Biden, are making a HUGE gamble that the "anybody but Trump" camp is sufficiently nauseated to vote for these alleged "progressives." Now me, I'm willing to do anything to be rid of Trump, but that will only last one election, and then, if the repubs get their act together, I'll be in play again. But running farther and farther to the left, while perhaps a good primary strategy, is not a general election strategy...and more importantly to me, not a strategy for healing the country, which is the most important objective in the coming election.
William LeGro (Oregon)
@Jim R. Have you said this in every election in this century to the GOP's "alleged conservatives" as they were running farther and farther to the right? And critiqued their "good primary strategy" as being not a general election strategy? And have you railed against them for following the likes of Mitch McConnell -- Mr. Don't-Let-Obama-(and Biden)-Succeed-in-a-Single-Thing-Make-It-a-One-Term-Presidency, who has been the longest, deepest Divider this country has seen? who has single-handedly stonewalled democracy and imposed self-righteous autocratic, spiteful governance of the most hellbent reverse-history Senate in memory? who thus ironically paved the way for Trump's Do-as-I-say, not-as-I-Do unprecedented malignant divisiveness? and who then overnight became, at the same time an anti-checks-and-balances, weasly sycophantic henchman to the very President he was working to defeat 4 years ago now? If your most important objective is healing, then surely you've lodged far more "if ... then" threats to the right wing - and you surely warned the GOP faced with 11 primary candidates 4 years ago now about an "anybody but Hillary" risk? Why is it that this kind of "how dare you diverge from moderation?" rhetoric is only ever directed at Democrats while the real extremists are the ones pulling the GOP - and the nation with them - off a cliff?
Joshua (DC)
Good column. I don't think the cost to a Biden run to the party would be that great. Especially so because the current "orthodoxy" that Ross speaks of in the Democratic party needs to be challenged a bit. Number one priority for me is who can most effectively oppose Kaiser Trump and win the 2020 presidency. To my mind, that person is Joe Biden. Run Joe Run!!!
beaujames (Portland Oregon)
The contrast between Douthat and Goldberg--both writing about Biden's potential candidacy is clear. Douthat understands Democrats only slightly less than he understands the cutting edge of String Theory--that is to say, practically not at all. He writes from the perspective of trying to find a way to keep the GOP in office--perhaps he really wants a President Pence and this would be the best way. Goldberg, on the other hand, is a Democrat who is both woke and objective. It is instructive that Douthat wants Biden to run and Goldberg believes he should retire to a senior advisor role. I'm with her.
me (US)
@beaujames Speaking of Pence, weren't Goldberg and her militant friends bashing Pence for his policy of avoiding being alone with female constituents or colleagues? So, the left bashes Pence this personal policy preference, but at the same time bashes Biden for being overly familiar with females. What is it you all want? Or is it that no straight white man need apply, for anything?
DALE1102 (Chicago, IL)
Sorry, I just don't see a 'sudden leftward turn' in the Democratic party. That's a Fox News perspective. The candidates that won purple districts last year were generally moderate and practical in their policies. I think that is the way forward.
John (Portland, Oregon)
Did Joe make mistakes over his long career? Can you learn from your mistakes? Do Joe's mistakes add up to anything that disqualifies him? Is there a candidate more qualified than he? What about the good things he did? For example, how he handled Robert Bork. The majority of the comments make this point: let's not overlook the forest for the trees.
TimJim (St. Louis)
I disagree that Biden would be "hated by many liberals" or "produce fury" if he ran on his record. Seems to me he's well-liked in the party, even among those who may disagree with some of his positions in the past or prefer other candidates. Trump's performance as president has elevated all the Democratic candidates by comparison, especially Biden. If he competes well and gets the nomination, the party will unite behind him.
M (NY)
First off, Democrats must stop eating their own!!! Divisions be damned, the party needs unity in order to oust Trump. A centrist democrat candidate is the only candidate that has a chance in reaching voters from across the spectrum Unfortunately, while a centrist, Joe Biden is not the answer for the democrats. His time has come and gone.
mitchell (lake placid, ny)
Here we go again, the Robespierre Puritans demanding the guillotine for anyone not toeing their line. I say Run, Joe, and damn the torpedoes. Slander and sleaze and smear are nothing new -- heck, Jefferson and Adams Sr and Hamilton were in the thick of it over 200 years ago. Blather and gossip and mean-spirited picadors should never keep good women and men from stepping up and running for office. Be yourself, roll with the punches, and cheerfully deliver your own counter-punches. America loves a good fight.
Steve Kennedy (Deer Park, Texas)
" ... it’s very hard to hold your base if you aren’t giving that base a clear reason to vote FOR you ... " I think Ms. Clinton showed that in the last election. She and her supporters believed that a winning majority, including Independent voters such as myself, would vote for her to stop Mr. Trump. And thus forget about her negative points - taking major campaign donations from the wife of Mr. Rich, taking exorbitant "speaking fees" from Wall Street companies, etc. It did not work, and Mr. Biden probably should not count on the same strategy, given his baggage over decades.
A.G. (St Louis, MO)
"a one-term pledge! Stacey Abrams as a running mate!" Both were bad strategies. A one-term pledge is UNNECESSARY. If he feels, after about two years of his first term if elected, he can't do it for the second term, then he could announce that plan. Not before voters assess him for what he is. Stacey Abrams is not an impressive candidate. She did incredibly well on the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union Address. But that shouldn't be THE decisive factor. I would earnestly recommend Mitch Landrieu for that honor. I thought he was the best candidate to beat president Trump. Then he apparently decided not to throw his hat in the ring, because it was too crowded, or something. On account of his age, which is a reality, as his unusually high poll numbers, despite his very, very poor performance in the last two times around, it's a good idea to announce a good, impressive running mate in advance, nevertheless, though a one-term-pledge is unnecessary. I would add about Biden's so-called inappropriate behavior towards women, this morning Mika Brzezinski voiced an impassioned defense of Biden! It was so brave & sweet of her.
N. Smith (New York City)
@A.G. If all you know about Stacey Abrams is the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union Address, may I respectfully suggest you do a bit more research?
A.G. (St Louis, MO)
@N. Smith Thanks. My knowledge of Stacey Abrams is not exhaustive, I admit. She almost won the Georgia gubernatorial election last year. She definitely would have, had there not been voter suppression and other malpractices by the Secretary of State who usurped it from her. Well, these things happen. In any case, presidency is so, far, far bigger. Apparently, she turned it down, which was a huge mistake on her part. But if Biden runs and wins the election to be the next president, which is not impossible, her refusal to be (only) second-in-command, was probably a blessing in disguise as she might turn out to be a drag on the ticket. VP choice may not add much but can subtract a lot, as by Sarah Palin in 2008 & Joe Lieberman in 2000. In 2016, had Hillary Clinton picked Bernie Sanders, as her running mate, Mrs. Clinton would be president now; there VP pick would have added substantially & decisively.
Zejee (Bronx)
I will not vote for Biden. “Not Trump” will not win the election. The people need Medicare for All and free community college education. This would help most Americans and spur the economy because people would have more money in their pockets.
Brian Mullins (Milwaukee)
I suspect the Woke Wing of the Democratic Party reflects media hype more than the opinions of Democratic primary voters. Twitter is used by only 25 percent of Americans, which members of the media forget while they are obsessed with their twitter echo chamber. A better barometer of Democratic voters is that most of the House seats gained by Dems in 2018 were by moderates.
Pat Choate (Tucson, Arizona)
The Democrats need as their candidate for President someone who is or has been in a major elected position such as Governor, Senator or Member of Congress, but not well enough known that the GOP smear machine has effectively demonized the person. The last three Democrat Presidents fit that description — Carter, Clinton and Obama. Among the current candidates several competent people fit that mold. But Biden and Sanders do not. They are 20th Century men in a 2020 race who have been defined by the GOP and many within their own Party. A relatively new face is needed by the Democrats if they are to win in 2020 as they did in 1976, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012.
Kevin (Colorado)
By the time the next President is in office a couple of years, climate change will have increased, the deficit will have ballooned further, AI will be a factor in employment, and even older voters will realize that Trump's hollow back to the 1950's promises were a huge mistake. Electing one of the candidates who apologize for every conviction or public stand they ever had if it doesn't poll well, utter platitudes about uniting everybody and plan on promising lots of free stuff that the deficits are unlikely to accommodate, is kicking the can down the road in just a different way than Trump's back to the 1950's strategies. With the challenges facing the country, besides leadership qualities the candidate running against Trump better have a streak of the pragmatic technocrat in them because all of these problems are coming to a head and someone who has a history of working across the aisle and can deliver fixes instead of promises and excuses should be more of a requirement than soaring rhetoric that marches in place. I don't think Biden or anyone else who has spent most of their life feeding at the public trough has those kind of abilities, I hope this time around when the Democratic field narrows that the people remaining have personal histories that indicate they can solve big problems, because we already have someone in office that likes to give speeches that don't move the needle, why would we need another that just comes with a different constituency.
D. Gallagher (Maywood,NJ)
Not all Democrats think the way the party’s far left wing.. Many of us are quite happy in the moderately left of center position occupied by former VP Biden.
Zejee (Bronx)
Yeah because Americans can’t have what every other first world nation has had for decades: free health care and higher education.
Steve (Seattle)
For me its is far too early in the game to settle on a candidate. We haven't even had the first debate and Joe hasn't as yet thrown his hat in the ring and I want to meet Jesus of Texas and Elizabeth Warren. If Biden does decide to run I hope he like the other candidates visits Seattle I'd love to have the chance to meet him for all he has done for our country and to get a warm bear hug from a true Democratic icon. The good father figure that he is a rarity today.
Northern Wilf (Canada)
Good analysis. But Mr. Douthat neglects to mention the one candidate who appears to adopt the right elements of the progressive movement while staying true to her beliefs and record as a moderate: Kamala Harris.
David A. Lee (Ottawa KS 66067)
Like at least some old liberals in the party, I have never been comfortable with the cultural and sexual radicalism of the feminist left, whom I view as having contemptibly stolen the energy of the Civil Rights movement from those to whom it really belonged. The overnight emergence of angry black Pastors against the trashing of Clarence Thomas threatened to break the uneasy peace between feminists and blacks on the underlying issues, which is why Joe Biden and Teddy Kennedy beat a hasty retreat when the first Bush trapped them in this uncomfortable vise. To win the nomination, Mr. Biden will have to mire this obscure truth in one more obsequious humiliation that will only vector contempt for him among younger radicals with little knowledge, let alone respect, for the truth of the history that has brought them to their moment. This is why what Mr. Douthat says here is so ironic and tragic: in Biden we have a Christian statesman who to be president may be compelled to come too close to prostituting his own honor and the authentic legacy of a once very great political party. This is, of course, a tragic predicament for our country, too, ruled as it is by a shameless, materialistic hedonist making noises about a Christianity that at bottom only rebukes nearly everything he is.
Anne (Portland)
@David A. Lee; " I have never been comfortable with the cultural and sexual radicalism of the feminist left, whom I view as having contemptibly stolen the energy of the Civil Rights movement from those to whom it really belonged." I have never been comfortable with men who think women who ask that their own rights be respected are seen as radical feminists.
Daniel A. Greenbaum (New York)
Biden does not really have a problem with liberals or if he does it is for his mistreatment of Anita Hill and the like. His policy views has a problem for the far left not liberals. I realize that Douthat wants to continue the merger of socialists with liberals. They are not the same.
Zejee (Bronx)
So “far left” now means socialist. If needing Medicare for All and free college education makes me a socialist, then call me socialist. I guess FDR was a socialist.
Ed Walker (Chicago)
What is it that moderate Democrats want? A bit less racism? 25% less CO2 emissions? Health care coverage for a few more people? A little less mass incarceration? Or maybe just not Trump?
Madeline Conant (Midwest)
The entire article reads like a poison pen letter, studded with insults and sneering toward Democrats. No thanks, Mr. Douthat, Democrats don't need your advice. Who do you suggest Republicans vote for?
Jim Cricket (Right here)
The Great Awokening? Hasn't anyone learned anything from the sixties yet?
Common ground (Washington)
Joe Biden is just another old, rich , white man who believes that he is entitled to be President. His disgraceful treatment of Anita Hill disqualifies him from the Democratic nomination. It’s time for Joe to Move On.
David (California)
it took Flores a full 5 years to figure out she was not 100% comfortable with an affectionate kiss on the back of the head? what?
Richard (Palm City)
The Clinton-Biden method of “moderation” was to cave into Newt and the Republicans on issues of crime and welfare.
mjan (ohio)
I'm a Boomer who would have supported Biden in the past. Truth to be told, the time has simply come and gone for him and his entire generation of Democratic politicians (and their elderly supporters) -- they just can't and won't let go. I want to see someone other than a 70+ geriatric, ossified POTUS in office - someone not steeped in politics of the 60s and 70s, but someone who can see and understand and has solutions for the wreckage of equality and the middle class wrought by the Reagan revolution and the GOP's policies of the 80s, 90s, and 00s. And then there's the 70+ geriatric, egomaniacal POTUS currently in office - someone not steeped in politics or governance or reality at all. Gen X-Y-Z and the Millennials have got to get off their dead butts and vote in someone who sees and represents the future - and that person is not (and should not) be another Boomer (or member of their parentage).
Charlierf (New York, NY)
“The Great Awokening” has alienated, not transformed this Democrat. It promises to re-elect President Caligula.
Anne (Portland)
Biden should not run. 1. Too old. 2. Anita Hill 3. Watch the "Creepy Uncle Joe" video on Youtube of him sniffing the hair, stroking the faces, and placing his hands on the chests of very young girls. Clip after clip. This will take him down in politic ads. There are better candidates.
MFerrier (Pittsburgh)
Just show us the person who can defeat Trump. We shouldn't be parsing age, race, or even ideology at this point. Just show us anyone, anyone that can defeat this nightmare of a person who is in charge of our country. At the end of the day, Democrats and Americans will have to choose democracy over politics. Show me the person who will do that and I will vote for that (Democrat) person.
Molybdenum (Seattle)
Candidate Tulsi Gabbard recently made the statement that she was relieved the Mueller report didn't find evidence of collusion, that this finding is a good thing and that Americans should move on from the issue. The reaction she received is quite telling -- and chilling. Candidate Peter Buttigieg is getting more than his share of fawning coverage; he has stated that his appeal is his opposition to Trump (while straddling the thinnest of 'moderate' fences). Actually, his appeal is his adjacency to Trump by all measures of wokeness. On the surface, he is the most Republican of the declared Democrats. And Candidate Robert O'Rourke understands that it's best not to stand for anything (while standing on everything) so as not to give ammunition to anyone while attempting to appeal to everyone. I'm a Republican but I want two healthy political parties keeping each other in check. That Biden is even being seriously considered by some -- a trump card, even -- is depressing. I want Trump to win, obviously (policy over personality, substance over style) but I also want Trump to be forced to articulate a future four years beyond the braggadocio and rising poll numbers. Ocasio-Cortez has successfully hijacked the Democratic Party and 2020 looks to be a bloodbath. Fun for me? Not really. Fun for you? Not remotely.
Joe Mc (Baton Rouge)
After watching Joe Biden through the years, I personally think he can handle most of these "negatives" easier than Mr. Douthat gives him credit for. But I do feel Biden missed his window by about 4 years. He should have run last time, but he didn't. His reasons were understandable, but this time, he's just unavoidably too old.
John (Upstate NY)
Allow me to simplify the whole 2020 race. *Any* Democratic candidate, no matter their past record or their level of experience or qualification, will be far better than Trump. You may have a preference among Democratic candidates, and that's fine. But once a candidate is chosen, the answer to beating the Republicans is to vote Democratic, and to outvote the opposition. It's a mistake to try to select a candidate based on some kind of calculation about who could most likely "beat Trump." *Any of them* can beat Trump, and Democrats need to prove that by total support of the chosen candidate.
elained (Cary, NC)
Joe, please don't run. This election can only be won by a younger Democratic candidate. Please don't give Trump another four years.
Charlierf (New York, NY)
@elained I’ve passed through the ages Biden would as President; he’s too old. Bernie too.
John Marno (Wyoming)
I've said before and I will say it again. Joe Biden may be a nice guy, and he is a seasoned and accomplished politician, but he is the wrong person for the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate.
Quiet Waiting (Texas)
Ah yes, the triumphant and militant left wing of the party marches on. I haven't seen them exercising such power since they carried Senator George McGovern to victory in the nominating convention of 1972. Of course that meant that Richard Nixon won re-election as millions of Democrats walked over to other side of the political divide. I fear that the scenario is about to be repeated. Like the Bourbon dynasty, some people can remember everything and learn nothing.
Jake Wagner (Los Angeles)
I agree with the bottom line in Douthat's essay: Biden shouldn't run. But my analysis is different. Joe Biden was indeed too tough on crime. In fact, his Violence Against Women Act went too far. And there I differ from the Democratic mainstream. But I believe my reasons are unassailable. This act made a travesty of due process with its emphasis on "preventive detention." Which seems to adopt the view: Let's punish before a criminal act has been established. This, and other tough on crime measures pushed by Biden, led to wide-scale imprisonment of US citizens, The US now has the highest per capita rate of incarceration of any major nation---14 times that of Japan for example. And feminists have pushed far beyond it. Now men's lives are destroyed by accusations which are published in the media, including the New Yorker and the NY Times. Feminists argue that this is an improvement in societal standards. But many of the accused are likely innocent. After all, it sometimes happens in actual trials that the evidence is found to be wanting. So the shaming of men comes at the price of lives destroyed when the accused may have done nothing wrong. Joe Biden thought that expressions of affection were "cute," an endearing feature. But in spite of his rabid feminism, Joe Biden is not regarded as feminist enough. I am not yielding to the tremendous pressure among Democrats to conform to a rigid standard that becomes ever more left-leaning. A former white Democrat
kat perkins (Silicon Valley)
@Jake Wagner “Lives destroyed”? We hear this frequently in the context of the privileged not achieving their next egotistical objective. In Biden’s case no matter what happens he’ll likely be much better off than the people sent to prison under the tough on crime policies.
RS (Al)
I can't imagine what Joe would accomplish in the WH, unless the Democrats keep the House and somehow manage to win the Senate in 2020. Then they would have a two-year window to do something to solidify the ACA and allow Ginsburg to retire knowing she'd be replaced with a liberal. But Joe doesn't have the stomach--any more than Obama did--to deal with the rabid right that now dominates the Republican party. Biden's days of deal-making with "decent men" like Pence are now quaint.
Sam (Indianapolis)
All this Biden talk seems to be ignoring a very important point: age. I like Biden, but Reagan's age was undeniably a problem and he left office at 77. Biden would be older than that when he started his term. This means he'd be a one-term president (unless we really want a 86-year-old president). Yeah, it'd be tricky to reconcile Biden with the party direction right now and yeah his potential harassment issues are problematic. But why are those the issues people are focusing on over his age, which seems a pretty clear disqualifier? It's not just Biden. Sanders, Biden, and Warren would all set age records in office even if they were single-term presidents. That's a serious problem (for quite a few reasons) that we're not focusing on nearly enough.
peversma (Long Island, NY)
@Sam As much as I dislike Biden this ageism is far from "progressive."
Sam (Indianapolis)
@peversma Is it really "ageism" to acknowledge that it could be very bad to put someone in their 80s in the most demanding and powerful position in the world? Alzheimer's and dementia are very real concerns. Ability to run for a second term--especially given the high success rate of incumbents and the flipping between parties--is a very real issue. Perhaps age isn't an absolute disqualifier, but it should be in the conversation as a huge issue. Again, we're going into a race where the top four candidates (Trump, Bernie, Biden, Warren) are all in positions to break age records. That's alarming.
Russell Scanlon (Austin)
OK Ross: I know you LOVE analyzing the workings and motives Democratic party to sow doubt and division. And it allows you to avoid having to write about and defend YOUR president. And just about everyone but that legendary 20% (or less) of permanently disgruntled MAGA fans, realize that any of the Democratic candidates are more qualified and ready to lead than our current president. The only information I gleaned from this column was in your little sideways snipe at AOC. Republicans are obviously terrified of her--they should be. AOC is young, charismatic, intelligent, and she represents a brighter future. And she could only be a Democrat. It would be a lot more useful if you explained why no one in the GOP has the courage or integrity to challenge the absolutely worst president in modern history. THAT would be interesting.
Charlierf (New York, NY)
@Russell Scanlon And "intelligent" AOC, my rep, has recently cleverly analyzed why FDR couldn't run for a third term. She said that the wily Repubs passed a constitutional amendment against third terms to prevent it.
Russell Scanlon (Austin)
@Charlierf In fact it WAS the Republican controlled Congress that passed the term limits amendment as a reaction to the unprecedented popularity of FDR. There is a difference between misspeaking (AOC) and being an unprincipled, pathological liar (Trump).
Charlierf (New York, NY)
@Russell Scanlon "They had to amend the Constitution of the United States to make sure Roosevelt dd not get reelected."
Mal T (KS)
Odd that Ms. Flores waited until now, 5 years after Biden's alleged hair sniffing/nuzzling/whatever, to go public about the matter. However, she is a politician and certainly understands that timing means everything. Now, suddenly, more women are coming forward with accusations (and all the media are suddenly printing photos) of Biden's squeezing them, rubbing their shoulders, leaning in too close, etc. Mr. Douthat (like Ms. Goldberg elsewhere in today's NYT) goes on to list other numerous reasons to reject Mr. Biden and ends up tossing him under the bus. Mr. Douthat, Ms. Goldberg--and the NYT and other media--are clearly pulling a Kavanaugh caper, trying to discredit Biden and blow his candidacy out of the water. That leaves Beto, Mayor Pete, Elizabeth, Bernie and a host of others who have declared their candidacy. I wonder which one(s) will be Ms. Goldberg's--and the media's--next target. And, of course, waiting in the wings for a groundswell draft by Democrats desperate to save the country, is...Michelle Obama.
Robert (Out West)
I truly loathe the smug way that Biden’s being attacked by people who haven’t managed five percent of his accomplishments, especially since they’ve got a real bad guy out there—Trump—that they can’t seem to get focussed on. It’s pretty sad that Joe, warts and all, probably won’t get a chance to be Prez. Because when actually in office, he beats St. Bernie all hollow.
Hugo Furst (La Paz, TX)
Oh please, Dems, resist the temptation to heed savvy voices of reason, like Mr. Douthat here. Instead, close your eyes (a metaphor) and run as hard and fast to the left as your progressive rhetoric will carry you! You know you're the wokest and trailblazing a path to a global utopia utterly devoid of even the slightest socioeconomic, racial or gender nuance is your solemn duty. And, unlike some unwoke ways of serving your country, like joining the military, you don't have to put yourself in harm's way or even give up the blissful self-affirmation of pot-infused gummy bears. Run, Forest! Run!
Ponsobny Britt (Frostbite Falls, MN.)
Joe Biden's acts, were inappropriate; no question. But, even at their worst (same with Al Franken, for that matter; the Democrats' biggest unnecessary loss..but, I digress); they pale by comparison to Trump who still won the election. Me Too Movement, or not; we need to stop this collective knee-jerk; especially when far more Republicans have gotten away with far worse; the worst of the worst being Donald Trump.
peversma (Long Island, NY)
@Ponsobny Britt So it's OK when a democrat smears his hands all over women? What exactly did Trump do, as in actions not words?
TWShe Said (USA)
Joe Biden is a Decent Choice. The President is plowing through Civil Rights, Human Rights, Environment Rights, Border Rights, and on --hot knife through butter--shooting fish in a barrel and Joe Biden isn't a good choice???
ted (cave creek az)
What we want is a FDR Democrat.
Jerome (VT)
"And, yes, defending his personal familiarity, hugs and nose-rubs and hair-kisses and all, and in the process questioning some aspects of #MeToo." Democrats are vigorously defending Biden as "just affectionate." The same ones who crucified Brett Kavanaugh for a mere accusation 40 years ago from a person who can't find a single corroborating witness and can't remember most of the details about the ordeal. Sorry Democrats, you dug your own grave at the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Say goodbye to Biden's campaign and the one guy Trump said can beat him. Hey, maybe you guys can run AOC! Female, Latina, pro-choice, 70% tax rates, anti-Amazon, anti-jobs. She checks all of your boxes!
AACNY (New York)
Biden's not being liberal enough is a strength, not a weakness. A reckoning is under way in the Democratic Party. The left's sway is waning.
skyfiber (melbourne, australia)
Yes, the Democrats have become cult-ish. You have to drink the Kool Aid, ie become ‘woke’, and an apology tour is the ONLY path for a candidate with Biden’s very long record. But it will not win. It will only anger those Dems who identify with his record, not his apology. They will then vote Republican in the presidential election.
N. Smith (New York City)
@skyfiber If you think only Democrats have become "cult-ish", you must have been sleeping through the last two years when Republicans controlled all three branches of our government. Time to wake-up.
Tom Q (Minneapolis, MN)
Could we please move beyond nicknames? I realize it may be the thing to do right now (see: "pencil-neck" and Pocahontas) but spare the readers of "Texas Jesus," "Mean Minnesotan," etc. Maybe a first step towards greater civility in this country is to simply refer to people by their given names.
Charlierf (New York, NY)
@Tom Q Tom Q, even there President Caligula makes his mark. “So funny to see little Adam Schitt (D-CA) talking about the fact that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker was not approved by the Senate, but not mentioning the fact that Bob Mueller (who is highly conflicted) was not approved by the Senate!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
ZEMAN (NY)
It does not matter if Mr Biden runs...or anyone else, The Democrats do not/will not understand that the public is angry and fed up with the usual political hacks ands usual way of doing business in DC. Trump was the change they wanted..and they voted. Unless Blacks, Latinos and the other 100M who failed to vote in the past election show up, Trump wins again. If the economy is good and we are not at war,Trumps wins. Yes, Trump is not from the charm schools we had hoped. But he does what he says. Trump may be IQ impaired, but the Democrats are slow learners.
Leroy Windscreen (New Jersey)
@ZEMAN And the public made its ongoing anger known in the 2018 Congressional elections. Ds and Rs may or may not be angry about all the same issues, but don't kid yourself - Ds are no longer complacent and WILL be voting in droves in 2020, and I have a feeling the candidate, whoever it may be, will be anything but "the usual". And even if the candidate is more in the middle than to the extreme left, Ds will vote. The overlying reason is to get rid of Trump. Everything else will follow.
Chris (10013)
One Dem after another panders or truly believes in far left identity politics, huge government entitlement programs and the false economics that these dreams can simply be paid for with taxing only rich. With 29% of the population identifying as Democrats and 25% as Republicans, it's easy to pander to the primary base and leave behind the 46% of the country that is independent. When the Democrats skewer Binden, have eliminated Bloomberg, forced Schultz to run (if he does) as an independent, they have left no one in the middle. Then the unthinkable choice is presented to the silent middle. Do you want to shift the country hard left tax/eat/kill the rich+ identity politics with policies that are broadly "affirmative action on steriods for everything" or do you want a criminal, embarrassment of devil-you-know, President who is anti-immigrant, pro-business, low taxes, low regulations, pro-right wing social policies. My gut is the Dems lose. They need to have candidates that speak to the middle or run real risk of losing to Trump.
Scott D (Toronto)
@Chris How does Trump speak to the middle? Your theory is flawed. The 46% Independent number is not born out by reality. If it were then both parties would not spend so much time catering to small slivers of crazy.
Heather (Vine)
@Chris Based on your statements, you're not the middle. You probably have voted Republican but choose the label Independent.
G. Alistar (KC)
@Chris the voice of reason... The great paradox for the Democrat party is to be liberal enough to win the nomination means Biden is too liberal to beat Trump. Either way, the far left like the alt right of the Republican Party, have become offensive the moderate America. Thus; President Trump wins in 2020.
Charles (Connecticut)
Now Joe HAS to run. Otherwise the GOP will be able to plausibly accuse all democrats of being completely “ant-men”. We don’t have to vote for him in the primary but if it appears he was “pushed out” it will be a PR disaster for the dems.
479 (usa)
If I were him and I was pushed aside, I would refuse to campaign for any Democrats in the election.
Susan (Trenton, IL)
Don't overestimate the amount of people who support the fringe left. They make a lot of noise, but when you get there, there are only a few people and they're all shouting. That said, there are enough of them to blow an election and re-elect president Trump.
Keef In cucamonga (Claremont CA)
The Democrats have run centrist corporate-backed candidates since Clinton if not before. Time for a real change, which is why Bernie was such a threat to the DNC. Forget about this wonky number crunching and the mythological “moderate” vote: find a progressive candidate of color with audacious proposals and they radically expand the voter base. Also, no more boomers; you had your turn at bat. Take the L.
sfriedmann (home)
I was upset when the Democratic Party threw Al Franken under the bus and it looks like we may be going down the same road again. There has been a dramatic change in cultural norms and while someone might not wish to be kissed on the back of the head its hardly reason to disqualify a candidate from running for office.
Jeff Irwin (Rumson, New Jersey)
Conservatives want Joe Biden to run because they have no option in the current Republican party. Douthat doesn't want to vote for Trump, so he's hoping the Democrats provide him with a choice that will go down easier for him. The conservative columnists for the NY Times should be focused on trying to fix their own party, which nowadays resembles nothing so much as professional wrestling.
Brad (Oregon)
Joe's a nice guy who's past his expiration date; so is Bernie's.
TS (Ft Lauderdale)
The winning strategy is for Democrats to lie shamelessly about what they themselves would do in office, viciously demonize their opponents and ridicule their appearance, misrepresent their policies and impugn their intentions and character, exploit middle-class economic anxiety, inflame and exploit racial prejudices, accuse opponents of their own sins and failures, drag the political debate into the gutter and conspire with any and all foreign adversaries to cheat and confuse the electorate and micro-target just enough gullibles in just the right places to sqeek by in the Electoral College. ...worked last time.
TS (Ft Lauderdale)
There are several other good options than Biden. Therefore, he is too old. Better a young whippersnaper in their 50's, so long as they stay off my lawn.
Jonathan Sanders (New York City)
If there is one thing you can learn from Trump, it's that voters reward "letting it all hang out". If you run timidly, you will get run over.
ManhattanWilliam (New York, NY)
This may or may not be the right time for Biden BUT IF he can get knocked out of the race merely based on being accused of smelling a woman's hair then the Democrats are not going to be the party of the future of this country. I don't know what that means, precisely, since the Republicans have sold their souls to the Devil ages ago BUT I simply cannot support a party which allows good people to have their character slandered by the most baseless accusations while the Republicans laugh their heads off at the way good people are being mistreated by the Democrats. Imagine what would happen today if someone came forward and said "Donald Trump smelled my hair strangely when he was helping me win elected office back in 2016." Unbelievable. Some people call this "progressive" but I call it REGRESSIVE when a person, based on the most flimsy evidence and harmless conduct, can tarnish a career and sink a candidate on one side of the aisle while on the other they continue to win national office and lead this country straight down the tubes. ENOUGH already, ladies and gentlemen, we're not electing a pope or nominating a person for sainthood!!! We're trying to elect a person of good character who believes in good policies and has good values, nothing more and nothing less!
Daphne (East Coast)
I could support the "old" Biden. The Obama Biden, not so much. The post Trump Biden you describe (probably accurately), never.
Harry Pearle (Rochester, NY)
You make good points, but Biden is not the wave of the future, I suggest that after Trump. we need a new democratic wave. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leonard Cohen wrote a song called, "Democracy", in 1992. He sang, over and over, "Democracy is coming...to the USA". Now, 27 years, later, we have the anti-democratic Trump. I think the Trump dilemma may invite a new democracy. I feel that old-timers, like Biden are not part of a new wave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Can Ross Douthat and the NY Times comment on "Democracy" by Cohen, and the prophecy of a new democratic wave? Democracy is coming to the USA? Democracy is coming to the USA?
Aaron Adams (Carrollton Illinois)
These women making their accusations against Biden should not get the broad attention from the media unless they are talking about real sexual assaults. It is obvious that they are doing it to achieve a few minutes of fame
Terry Neal (Florida)
These recent allegations are ridiculous attempts to destroy someone who can take on Trump better than any of the other announced candidates. And I’m getting disgusted with how everything is being interpreted as sexual assault. As a survivor of a very real military sexual assault, I also understand how people can invade our personal space by mistake. I’ve done it and I’m sure everyone else has too. But we have an obligation to tell whomever does this to stop and explain if we can why we are uncomfortable. Each of us has different levels of tolerance for this and it is impossible for everyone else to know this unless they are told. Joe Biden has always been an affectionate person. He cares. I’m sure he now knows that his expressions of caring are no longer acceptable in this bizarre world we live in today where people are expected to be mistake-free, especially white men.
Grace (Oberlin)
Here's my question, Ross: are you sure YOU are not actually a moderate Democrat, pretending to be conservative for the sake of editorial-page diversity? I'm just sayin': I am a liberal Democrat, and you are my favorite columnist. (I also love "The Argument." Could it happen more than once a week?) So either I'm delusional about my politics, or you are. I vote you.
USS Johnston (Howell, New Jersey)
I would support Biden over Trump because of the simple fact that I would vote for anybody but Trump. Actually I can't think of anyone who might possibly run as a Democrat that I wouldn't favor over the despicable Trump. All else matters not.
Ann (Dallas)
Any Functioning Adult 2020.
James (Germany)
One thing is clear: Always read Ross Douthat's commentary through the lens of a defender of the 1% or even the 0.1%, who view even a "middle class tax cut" as Marxist-Leninist.
Mimi (Baltimore and Manhattan)
There is a smear campaign going on against Joe Biden and it's being led by the Dems who have identity politics as their primary objective and a candidate in mind. If Biden is not the Dem candidate, Trump will again win all the farm and midwest states, the lower income less educated whites, the older faith based blacks and hispanics. This #MeToo outrage over his touchy feeliness is ridiculous. These women don't know what they are about to do to the 2020 elections if they don't stop their self-defeating victimhood.
Maureen Steffek (Memphis, TN)
The first 2020 primary is almost a year away. Plenty of time for the candidates to flesh out a real agenda and plan to get it executed. There is no reason for Mr. Biden or any other candidate to back out now. If we are going to spend endless days, weeks and months anticipating the nest election then we deserve to hear coherent plans debated openly. Personality politics and sloganeering is killing this country. Americans need to take the time to learn what is really being proposed and the likelihood that the proposition is viable. Reality TV is not real. We need to learn that lesson.
sammy zoso (Chicago)
@Maureen Steffek Great point well stated. The problem is if you rely on print - or digital nowadays - I feel like you get mostly the same stuff recycled over and over, and it's a game of gotcha - calling out even minor mistakes made many years ago - or as you call it personality politics. Print is not much better than TV any more, but boy they sure act as if they are superior. Let's see what Biden believes in before we write him off for rubbing noses with some gal. God help us. What's next, Joe stared at a woman's breasts for 2-3 seconds too long? Joe or Bernie can beat the current Devil in the Dark House. The others? Trump will eat them alive.
George M. (Providence, RI)
That Joe Biden is in the mix is testament to the fact that the Dems have lost their way. He has tried several times to grab the brass ring -- he could not. He supported the Iraq Wr. He enabled Clarence Thomas. I like him, and thought he should have run in 2016. But he is not the answer to Trump. I believed all this before the latest revelations, and more (spurred on by GOP activists) are coming. Joe Biden needs to retire.
Jim Cricket (Right here)
@George M. As far as I'm concerned, my dog is the answer to Trump. I'll even accept Pence. I'm tired of the volume being at 11 every single day.
sophia (bangor, maine)
@Jim Cricket: Check out Mayor Pete. He's very calming and reassuring in an easy communicative manner.
WZ (LA)
@Eyes Wide Open It should be but that doesn't mean it will be.
WmC (Lowertown, MN)
Joe Biden has a congressional voting record similar, probably, to Bob Dole's. So maybe Biden should challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. Just a thought.
Bob (Hudson Valley)
The Democratic Party is largely a coalition of groups with a special interest. So no matter who the candidate is the party will not easily unite around them. Biden is not alone with this problem. I am probably somewhere between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in political views but my special interest is environmentalism. I am going to judge the candidates mostly on their environmental records. Right now Jay Inslee is at the top of my list. Last time around I supported Martin O'Malley because he set the strongest emissions reductions goal of any governor and he was politically somewhere in between Clinton and Sanders but they took up basically all of the political space and O'Malley didn't make it past Iowa.
Apple Jack (Oregon Cascades)
Strangely enough, there are parallels between Biden & his two young competitors, Buttigieg & O'Rourke. The two youngsters with their equivocation & lust for life are portents of the political animal to come, economic moderates attuned to the status quo with all the confirmation to prevailing social trends & realities. Either one could resemble Biden in several decades. Now they can only offer hope. Not enough to satisfy the needs of an electorate ready for progressive transformation in regard to their work-a-day lives. Student princes need not apply.
John (Portland, Oregon)
This is about beating Trump. To do that the Democratic candidate needs to attract the votes of independents, mainstream Republicans (if any remain) and those who voted for Trump but are sick of him. Sanders and others are so far left that getting those votes is highly uncertain. Biden can get those votes. There are reasons that Biden is number one in the polls, one being that people like him and trust him. He should run to give us the best chance of beating Trump, which as I say is the objective.
Duane Coyle (Wichita)
Bingo.
Subscriber (NorCal - Europe)
I wish there wasn’t so much focus on the field yet. The primaries are still almost a year away. Let’s see what the final field is and what each candidate’s policy proposals and individual approach is first - and give everybody a “who are they” interview piece - instead of all this premature conjecture. Trump is loving the shade. Please please focus your reporting - and our attention - on the administration of the country.
JK (Oregon)
Most importantly, let’s find a unifier, not a divider. One sowing hope, not fear. Democratic candidates need to treat each other with decency and respect. Voters, caucuses, and probably unfortunately monied interests will decide. In the meantime build one another, and the country up. Optimism about real American values could go a long ways. Can Democrats show patriotism? It would be great if we weren’t afraid to touch one another too.
John H. (New York)
"...the sudden leftward turn on issues of race and immigration and identity." The leftward turn that this voter welcomes is the one on economics, the tack being taken by Sanders and Warren. The other candidates are making the right noises about race and identify to hide the fact that they are ready to play ball with Wall Street -- and take its money.
Richard (New York)
Democrats are entitled to their 21st century George McGovern moment. In 2020 they should nominate the furthest Left candidate imaginable. Once that candidate loses 40+ states, and hands Trump (of all people) a landslide re-election, then the Democrats can get real, and field a Presidential winner in 2024.
Mat (Come)
Biden run equals Hillary 2.0. Complete with the fracturing of the party and the return performance of the Bernie Bros who jumped to the other side of the horseshoe and voted for Trump in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Anne (Portland)
@Mat: I think a lot of the Bernies Bros were actually Russian trolls. As someone who initially supported Sanders, I ultimately voted for Clinton as did every other Sanders supporter I know.
simjam (Bethesda)
A good column. However, I don’t think “cultural liberals” living in the coastal metropolitan areas understand the economic dynamics going on in the rest of the country. Household debt is increasing, good paying jobs are few, local and state budgets are stretched etc. "Business as usual” doesn’t work any more for these Democrats and many Republicans.
BeCivil (USA)
Biden is a nice guy but with all the allegations right now, he will be too much of a liability. But if he were to run, he is the only candidate that can beat Trump on the debates, he is seasoned enough not to play nice when Trump intimidates his opponent on the debate floor.
Anne (Portland)
@BeCivil: Warren would beat Trump in a debate. And she won't be intimidated by him. People underestimate her.
BeCivil (USA)
@Anne, she probably would beat him but given the poll numbers, I am not sure she would be the candidate. She is not only strong in debates but also great in policies if only Americans would vote for substance and not for vanity and popularity.
Mike Marks (Cape Cod)
The best argument for Biden is that he'll appeal to Obama-turned-Trump voters. But he'll do so with a lot of baggage. And he's old. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Meanwhile, meritocratic Mayor Pete is a fighter who offers a powerful message from the perspective of his youth: he will live for a long time and he wants the world he lives in to be a good one. He also persuasively argues that he has more relevant experience than any of the candidates. Of course I'll vote for Biden if he's the nominee. But if he wants to be the nominee he ought to look to Mayor Pete for inspiration. And now this... Listen up all of you Democratic candidates! You guys and gals NEED an answer to the question of illegal (and that's the word you need to use) immigration. Beto O'Rourke has staked out a good position. The rest of you need to do so as well. If Democrats allow themselves to be painted as the open-borders party Trump may well win a second term.
Austin Liberal (Austin, TX)
@Mike Marks Beto has staked out a position that the overwhelming opinions by the most visible examples of the Left -- the NYT readers and commenters -- decry: Open borders. He exemplified this by calling for the wall at El Paso to be demolished. I detest Trump. But I will not vote for this 45yo child who posted a video of his getting his teeth cleaned! Really?
Mike Marks (Cape Cod)
@Austin Liberal Beto's call to improve conditions in countries where people are emigrating from to stem the tide is a good start. But I agree, he lacks heft as a Presidential candidate. Surprisingly, the candidate who most persuasively articulates good reasons to vote for him is Mayor Pete.
David Weber (Dundas, Ontario)
Joe Biden will not be running for President. Wonderful man, but he missed his chance years ago. He should look to wind down his public service and enjoy the rest of his life. His time on Capitol Hill - and in the White House - has served the American people well. Time to relax, Joe. The run to go up against The Trump regime is too arduous for a man of Biden’s age. Love the guy, but he must step aside. This, I think he knows deep down. Otherwise, he would have declared his intention to run already.
JWyly (Denver)
Agree with you. Biden should take a bow and then speak out against Trump and what he stands for. Biden is an honorable man, for all his faults, and I think he can stand up to Trump’s childish name calling and lies.
LongTimeFirstTime (New York City)
If I told you a former Senator and Vice-President is running for President and once voted against the first Iraq war and in favor of the second: who ran for President 32 years ago and left the primary in shame for having plagiarized the speech of another politician; who ran for President ten years ago and came in 5th in Iowa; who favored crime laws while in the Senate in the mid-‘90’s now considered by many to be racist; who presided over the fiasco of maybe the most embarrassing (to everyone, on both sides) Supreme Court nomination hearings ever; who can’t raise small donations online from young people; and who has an odd (or worse) history of touching women inappropriately, you’d say, Can’t the Democrats do better? They can. And they will. Joe would be wise not to run and preserve what little of his inflated reputation he has left.
Progressive Codger (Maryland)
@LongTimeFirstTime You left out his 1999 vote to repeal Glass-Steagall that helped to bring on the 2007 financial crisis and the Great Recession.
Ed (Oklahoma City)
When Republicans Douthat, Brooks or Stephens, who say they hate Donald Trump and GOP party leaders for enabling him, promote certain Democrats to take him on I know they are being disingenuous. None of the three have formally left their party, nor will they ever vote for a Democrat.
Jack (Cincinnati, OH)
Scott Adams has repeatedly pointed out that if you take Trump and remove all of the features that make him so effective that you end up with Joe Biden.
Ken (Bronx)
@Jack I have no idea what that means.
USNA73 (CV 67)
Biden/Klobuchar is a winning ticket. But only if the vote gets out. That means putting your affronts aside and removing Trump from office and gaining Senate seats. "Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
Richard (New York)
@USNA73 A winning ticket, especially with the ladies! - Klobuchar can yell at them, then Joe can sniff their hair and kiss their heads.
Upscalezipcode (Omaha)
I believe Harry Truman said it first. You give the voters a choice between a Republican and a republican; they pick the Republican every time.
Alfred di Genis (Germany)
The relationship between any successful candidate for the presidency and the resulting office-holder has proven to be, at the closest, unrecognisable strangers. Bizarrely enough, it’s Donald Trump whose character was most consistent as candidate and President, and he is the one closest to fulfilling his electoral promises, the worst ones, anyway.
Stop Caging Children (Fauquier County, VA)
The Democratic primaries are supposed to be a debate of ideas. Already various Dems are choosing absolute ideological positioning and, even worse, character assassination, as their go to primary stance. I prefer Elizabeth Warren at this stage because she is devoting herself to openly debating policy solutions, in a grass roots way, understandable and relatable to average voters. Whether people will listen and engage, I don't know. The Democrats will lose big if they misuse the primaries to scream at and denounce each other from their respective positions of ideological "wokeness". No one, least of all wavering trump voters, will be swayed by that scenario. The Dems must get their ideas out there, and vigorously debate them, and each other. That debate will be the one thing that distinguishes the Dems from the ongoing con game of the GOP & trump. Though no Biden supporter, there is one thing I'm sure of: if he loses in the primaries, he'll enthusiastically and vigorously support the ultimate Democratic nominee, unlike some other "Democrats" I can think of who think their ideological purity is more important that ejecting trump and his gop oligarchs, grifters and traitors from office.
karen (bay area)
Agree. The biggest reason Hillary lost was Bernie and his bros-- their unsportsmanlike behavior was astonishing. I will vote for any Democrat, but if it's Bernie I may make an exception. After all, the votes of .CA mean nothing in the general election.
ted (cave creek az)
@karen Karen the Democrats screwed Bernie he was the guy to beat Trump. That's what it will take to take him down Republican lite no way
EW (Glen Cove, NY)
Conservative columnists should get their own house in order before they lecture Democrats. How about a discussion on Mitt Romney possibly running again? Or Lindsey Graham’s motivations in flipping to backing Trump? What’s Ted Cruz’s position on the border shutdown? What really happened to the never-Trumpers? All weighty topics that Russ would be in a much better position to comment on than Joe Biden’s candidacy.
James (Germany)
@EW One Republican "crime" Ross D will never commit is apostasy. Suggesting he should get his house in order is pointless.
MARY (SILVER SPRING MD)
@EW Maybe Russ didn't have a choice He got stuck with Joe.
JohnBrews. ✔️❎✔️ (Tucson, AZ)
Biden hasn’t the ability to pull the Dems together, nor to galvanize the small percentage of folks who waver between more Trump or no Trump.
Chris (Colorado)
In Joe Biden is the best the Dems have to offer, we are in much worse shape than I thought, and we are in very bad shape!
Jack Lord (Pittsboro, NC)
I urge everyone to read and contrast the comments in reaction to Michelle Goldberg’s and Ross Douthat’s columns on Joe Biden with those responding to today’s piece by David Brooks regarding Pete Buttigieg. My reaction to any column is often better informed and more nuanced after reading the responses; thanks to all who contribute their thoughts.
Alex (Bloomington)
Conservative columnist advocates center-right party hew further right on social and economic issues. News at 11.
Irving Schwartz (Irvingville, CA)
My advice to Joe Biden is this: Pay not even the slightest attention to any advice that right-wing partisans offer.
Toms Quill (Monticello)
Heart-beat pro-life laws allow any woman to know and decide to keep her fetus in plenty of time: the pregnancy kit is in the grocery store, in the same aisle as the condoms. Not to mention the morning after pill. Trump did not take the moderate Democrat voter: they were abandoned by the Democratic Party. Besides, hard-working families are too busy to get involved in politics. The Democrat activists have too much time on their hands.
Captain Krapola (Canada)
This madness must stop. As the parents of three young woman, my wife and I believe that the “me too” movement, while meaningful and overdue, has become a slaughterhouse for reputation. This is the modern day equivalent to the salem witch trials. Soon handshakes will be judged as “creepy”, too strong or not strong enough. This is exactly what right wingers describe as liberalism run amok, and is what drives many to Trump. Political correctness gone wild.
matt (nyc)
Well said Captain. As parents of two 20 something daughters, my wife and I have the same reaction. We find the Biden circumstances reprehensible. No doubt hese women have genuine concerns about how they were made uncomfortable, but how they chose to address their feelings seems heavy handed and perhaps calculated. Private outreach to the Biden camp to discuss these concerns would be the right approach. Why the need to create a media circus and vilify a decent human being?
Mal T (KS)
Isn't it an astonishing coincidence that both Ross Douthat and Michelle Goldberg on the same morning toss Joe Biden under the bus for hair-nuzzling and being out of touch? And suddenly all the media are showing pictures of said behavior even though Biden has been known as a leaner-into and personal space invader for years. I think the media/dark state/whoever runs things are trying to give Biden the Kavanaugh-light treatment and blow his candidacy out of the water, even though he consistently polls most likely among the Democrat candidates to defeat Trump in 2020. That leaves Beto, Mayor Pete, Elizabeth, Bernie and a host of others who have declared their candidacy. I wonder which one(s) will be the media's--next target. And, of course, waiting in the wings for a groundswell draft by Democrats desperate to save the country, is...Michelle Obama.
Martino (SC)
Just how many failed attempts does Joe deserve? The presidency seems to have devolved into a "He or she deserves it because..." race. The truth, however is that nobody deserves the presidency. It should be earned and Joe hasn't earned it and probably never will.
Harley Leiber (Portland OR)
I'm in a blue bubble out here in Portland. So, take everything with a grain of salt. Biden's time has come and gone.
Robert B (Brooklyn, NY)
This piece is something of an object lesson in how people in positions of cultural authority abandon critical thinking and live in rarified bubbles with pundits they ideologically agree with and ideologically oppose. Douthat, like those in the rest of his class, (the real "Coastal Elite"), would have been sipping martinis a half-century ago. Today, they argue politics and sip expensive seltzer they call "designer sparkling water". It's no joke, Douthat hilariously engages in debates with left-wing colleagues on the virtues of such "designer sparkling water." This seemingly insignificant detail is telling. Most Americans, even those of us much younger than Biden, drink store variety of seltzer or club soda, and perhaps occasionally get a bottle of Perrier at a restaurant while thinking it outrageous to pay a premium for carbonated water which is somehow culturally superior because it's French. There's one thing Douthat is correct about and that is how the ascendant far-left of the Democratic Party determines what is and is not acceptable. It's not actually comprised of liberals but leftists, and will oppose Biden during the primary, and likely support a third party candidate (yet, again) if he becomes the nominee. However, that will happen if Amy Klobuchar is the nominee, and likely if Buttigieg or Booker are. It would certainly have happened even if Biden hadn't offended Eskimos everywhere by rubbing noses with someone, or kissing men and women like an old-world Italian.
bhs (Ohio)
Let's win the Midwest and remove the worst president in the history of the country (apologies to Buchanan, Nixon, and Hoover). Biden wins here, let's nominate him.
Len Safhay (NJ)
Biden is toast. Worse yet, as seemingly the entire political conversation turns from economic issues, issues of truth and integrity, embrace of science, education, environment, health care, infrastructure...i.e. issues with potentially universal appeal, to more parochial concerns centered on race and gender, there is an ever increasing chance that we are all toast. For example, the sound you hear in the background is 10,000 Republican apparatchiks simultaneously licking their chops every time the word "reparations " is uttered.
Chris (Brooklyn)
Democrats need to run on a platform other than "not Trump". Biden doesn't offer anything.
E delgado (Spain)
It seems Biden is not good enough, so someone from the new left will clinch the nomination. So you will have Trump for another four years, I am afraid.
Michael (Evanston, IL)
Let’s give Biden the benefit of the doubt for the moment and say that his touchy-feely behavior with women is just him being Joe – he’s just a nice, warm guy who expresses his feelings through physical contact. OK. But then you have to wonder why Biden – who wants to be President – is unaware, or out of "touch” with norms about touching that have been in place for some years now. The media has been awash for some time with the story about men making women uncomfortable if not threatened or feeling abused. And if Biden is out of touch about that – what else is he out of touch about? Joe Biden is a relic of a paternalism in which women are frail and need to be protected. “Lean on me baby.” He is out of touch. We don’t need any more Bidens or Clintons who are trapped in the amber of time. We need new visions.
Jim Panyard (Palmyra, PA)
I have known Joe since 1970. Covered him as a journalist. When was he opposed to forced busing for integration purposes? In his first reelection effort he was opposed by antibusing Republican Jim Venema and won handily as a pro busing advocate.
Martin (New York)
However Biden chose to run, to whatever degree against or on behalf of himself, he would represent Democratic insider politics as usual. Strategize & triangulate to assemble your various markets, compromise with the Republicans who only want to destroy you, throw ingeniously crafted bones to the public while sounding the dog whistles to Wall Street that reassure them they are in charge. The strategy could win the nomination (again) because the Democratic base, unlike the Republican base, has large numbers who instinctively chase the siren of a defunct status quo & of "moderation." Those Democratic voters are motivated, I suspect, not by ideology or policy, but by fear of Republican extremism, and will believe, no matter how many times they are proved wrong, that a middle route between lies & honesty is the way to unite the country. Of course these voters will be egged on by Mr. Douthat and the other Republican columnists in the Times, who would rather see the new fascist GOP opposed by the traditional conservativism that they, virtually alone, uphold, than to see them defeated by the traditional American Left.
Jay Orchard (Miami Beach)
If there's one positive lesson that can be learned from Donald Trump is that voters have no patience for phonies. Better for Biden to Be on the wrong side of history than to pretend to be someone he's not. Don't change a thing Joe (just try a little harder to keep your hands to yourself).
Roland Berger (Magog, Québec, Canada)
For most Americans, even Democrats, socialism is evil because it is evil. If the Republicans are bright enough to exacerbate this original sin, even if nominee, Biden will slide away.
Ron (Virginia)
When Obama became President, he gave us al a break. He picked Biden as vice president an sent him to that room with a desk and chair, vice presidents. Even then he had to tell Biden to zip his lips Too many flubs. As Senator, Biden was one sound bite after another about a variety of things but mostly about himself. In one committee meeting, a network counted the number of times he used the words "I" or "Me". They were more times than the minutes in his questioning period. It was barely days after the election that he announced that he could have won. It is his sense of entitlement that brought on the recent complaints of inappropriate touching, hugging, nose rubbing, hair nuzzling, kissing, etc. His answer? “Not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately.” You feel that way if you consider yourself entitled. There may be a lot of democrats that want him to run. He represents their image of a president. There are tons of other candidates but they are not sure any of them can beat Trump. Most of them preach a political concept which puts all the power in Washington. Trump will be talking of keeping the power in the hands of the people. But the chances are that we won't see Biden nominated even if he runs. This new crop of candidates will tear him to pieces in the debates.
Andrew (NY)
Amid all this division and uncertainty, maybe the most important step that can be taken now is for all stripes and shade of Democrat to COMMIT NOW to getting out the vote in 2020, in support of WHOEVER is nominated to take on/out Trump. All else pales compared to this point. We are in this predicament because of low voter turnout. That said, nominating someone like Hillary breeds low voter turnout, and that was an important factor of course. Point is, even if we have to hold our nose while casting the ballot, NO EXCUSES, NO EXCUSES, NO EXCUSES for staying home. Not voting is a vote for Trump, and it will be on your conscience. This is not just about each of us voting, but *making sure* ALL our fellow Democrats vote! If that means offering rides, pestering lazy relatives and neighbors, whatever it takes! Pay them money if you have to. Just get EVERYBODY to vote, no matter what! NO excuses!!!
Luciano (New York City)
This is exactly right. Old Joe has already pretty much apologise for being a white male. He has floated the idea of naming Stacey Abrams as his running mate. He apologised for the Anita Hill debacle. He has distanced himself from the crime bill he championed and bills that protected credit card companies. Biden's coordinated effort to appear 'woke' looks just as phony as Mitt Romney's well publicised efforts to contort himself into a primary palatable conservative or Marco Rubio's failed descent into the insult swamp with Donald Trump Thank you for your service Joe
Ellen Ochs (Bethesda, MD)
I do like and respect the writing of Ross Douthat - but i cringed at his nick-naming of Dem. candidates (i.e. "Texas Jesus"). Just because the current President belittles all, does not mean it's a thing we should all do.
Stephen (New York City)
It's time to say good-bye, Joe. You've made too many compromises, kissed too many women (Did you kiss the men too? I don't think so, my point exactly) It's time for a new generation. with vision and without the baggage. Old school won't beat Trump. It's time to say good-bye, Joe.
Critical Thinker (NYC)
The polls in all of the battleground states show Biden and no-one else beating Trump by wide margins. What is the objective here? To give broad audience for a woman from the progressive wing of the party who is currently supporting Beto, or to get Trump out of the White House and into jail. The progressive movement is in the process, as it was in 2016, of handing us an anti progressive Supreme Court who will follow these kids for 40 years. Unregulated machine guns, death penalty, outlandish control of our elections by corporate interests, shameful disparity of income and more will be locked in by the, at least, two more Supreme Court appointments that Trump will get to make if he is reelected. A whole generation will have grown up without a clue as to how abnormal Trump has been. There should be one focus only in this election and it should not be whom Biden made to feel "uncomfortable" by inept but non sexual behavior in pre "me too" days
Carl (Philadelphia)
Have these women been put up to this by the Republicans or right wing activists? Is this the same situation where Monica Lewinsky was coached and assisted by the Republicans who wanted to harm Bill Clinton? Why didn’t these women speak up earlier? (Please no MeToo indignation comments). Why do the Democrats like to “eat their own”? Do you see the Republicans crucifying Trump because he slept with prostitutes? I hope Joe Biden doesn’t run. I think his time has passed (the same for a number of older Democratic candidates). , I am over 65, and I want a president who is younger than I am.
Sports Medicine (Staten Island)
"He also has a record that’s completely out of step with his party’s activists and ideologists' If thats really the case, then the New Democrat Party has become the party of extremists - socialists. The Party of Joe Biden would never support open borders, sanctuary cities, socialism, and higher taxes to pay for it all. This new Democrat Party does. So be it.
Ernest Werner (Town of Ulysses NY)
As you conclude, Biden's running would divide & alienate the Democrats. No mention here of women running but for myself I prefer Elizabeth Warren. She could do for America what a German intellectual, Angela Merkel, has done in keeping Germany to the fore among is European neighbors. So for me it's No, Joe. No.
Sequel (Boston)
Biden offers Trumpists a paid testimonial to Democrats' inability to get beyond identity politics. The anger and vitriol of red hats will be so much more appetizing by contrast. Biden should go away.
RJG (New York)
You forgot in your article that Biden has been on the government dole since he was 29 years old. Relatable to the average person trying to earn a living or not be eaten up by high medical expenses? I doubt it.
Lefthalfbach (Philadelphia)
It has to be one of the Younger generation moderates-if that is still a thing- for the top job. Once the race goes South, there are going to be landslide wins Booker. What the race is really going to be is the leftists with the most votes v Booker, with a second stringer white moderate and a second stringer leftist. It should be a fascinating convention. There is one point that Ross Douthat has dead right. Blacks and Latinos hate Trump but they are not social and cultural Leftists by any means. If we Dems cast aside Booker ( I think Booker will eliminate Harris) then we will not carry PA, MI or WI. We will not. Black voters will stay home.
Carter Nicholas (Charlottesville)
Here are two mutually extricable strands of advice. Not to run at all is sound. To run heroically yet obtusely is not sound advice.
Dave (New York, NY)
Couldn’t agree more with this article!!
Bill Brown (California)
In general election matchups between President Trump and the top potential Democratic challengers, Biden beats Trump 55% to 45%." So why destroy your best canididate? This election is the Democrats to lose; the country is ready for a return to sanity - which means political centrism. The party needs to promote its mainstream, mass-appeal candidates if it wants to win! The way to identify those candidates in not to apply some life-long moral purity test, nor put X chromosomes ahead of Ys as a default! The wrong time for Joe Biden? According to who... The SJW? Why not let voters make that call. Historians will look at this time as an example of the sanctimony of the left & how it set back progressive causes with pettiness & self-congratulatory rectitude. This feels like a premptive progressive hit on Biden. Everyone is piling on. Flores is a Bernie supporter anyone skeptical at the timing of this announcement. The only reason to raise this issue now is to try to force Biden out of the race. Some politicians are touchy feely, it goes with the job, & they mean no harm. Motive always matters & this recent blanket concept that a misdeed is entirely defined by the receiver's interpretation alone is postmodern irrational nonsense that doesn't hold up to even superficial critical evaluation. This is just another situation where political correctness" has run-amok, &, alas, Dems worship at the Altar of Political Correctness. Voters hate this. Keep this up & we will lose in 2020.
RjW (Chicago)
“He also has a record that’s completely out of step with his party’s activists and ideologists, “ This is his greatest asset as the Democratic Party needs to jettison our intolerent overidealigical finger pointings. Cultural progress occurs on its own, mostly. Forcing it by shaming or guilt only insured the loss of political power when the voters go to the polls.
Janyce C. Katz (Columbus, Ohio)
Why on earth would anyone want to run for any office, especially president and especially on the Democratic ticket? At this time, the goal is to find a perfect person who is pretty much asexual, has never touched others in any way or been touched by human or other hands, whose opinions are correct on every issue currently important to every voter and who can raise the millions and millions needed to run without looking at anyone wealthy, using a PAC or any money from Wall Street or any of the other options that have become legal in the post Citizens United world. It would be nice if this person had some experience in governing a large body, say a state, so the person knows how government works and it would be nice if the person had a strong background in issues, like would a Senator or a Representative from Congress, but the issues taken in one era may not be correct totally for this era and so experience in government is a disqualifier. Best that this candidate has the right kind of personality to get in the news every day in every way possible so that like the ads that sell soap, person's name becomes a household world and people, who can't remember the context, remember the person. The person should look good in a conventional way and have the right kind of voice - see the last statement as this is an essential part of the "sell" - to make everyone remember the name and what the person looks like as they will forget the other information quickly. Who meets this test?
Richard Mclaughlin (Altoona PA)
Wait, the people who think the Pro Choice movement has gone to far, the people who think the #MeToo movement has gone to far, the people who know Biden is running away from his record, would actually vote for the alternative? If Biden is the Democratic nominee, he beats Trump period. Millions of Democrats stayed home in 2016 because they did not want to vote for Hillary, but thinking she would win anyway. That won't, can't happen in 2020. They'll come out to vote for Joe.
Sheron Quigley (Evanston, IL)
@Richard Mclaughlin Permit me to doubt. I think he would beat Trump IF the election were today. But after seeing the mindless enthusiasm in his own party for beating the guy up before the right even gets started on him, it looks like he will be ripped to shreds if he runs. If he were 48, or 50, that would be bad enough. But in his late 70's, this is just a bad idea. No do-overs.
Renaud (California USA)
@Richard Mclaughlin ...or vote for Andrew Cuomo if Biden drops out.
Diana (dallas)
@Sheron Quigley The people in his own party are acting like a pack of fools because they have their own dog in the race. They've already splintered into factions because they are assuming Trump will be so easy to beat that anyone can do it. They are wrong. There are plenty of Democratic voters who will not turn out for the other declared candidates. Not a single one stands out from the pack.
Rita (California)
Would I support Biden against Trump? In a New York minute. Do I think he is the best nominee. Maybe. Let’s see how things develop. Any politician with significant experience in elected office will have a record to boast about or defend (or explain). But as we see with each Trump blunder, experience counts. Any politician in this era of Gotcha politics will have people from the past (paid, opponent’s supporter, or on a mission) pop up and report unseemly behavior but which is positively angelic when compared to Trump, the Unwoke Sexual Harassment King. For me there is only one purity test in this age of crisis: Can this person beat Trump?
RichardHead (Mill Valley ca)
@Rita I think this is a very important criteria. 40% or so of the voters will support trump regardless. we need to get the other 60% to the polls. Trump will then lose for sure. The Repubs only hope is apathetic dem voters and voter suppression techniques.
AutumnLeaf (Manhattan)
@RichardHead 'we need to get the other 60% to the polls.' Do you really believe that 60% of the country will line up and vote blue? are you that far gone? You have 24% at best. You have to still convince 16% more that your guys is the solution. Maybe. But convincing 60% is never going to happen.
AutumnLeaf (Manhattan)
@Rita 'For me there is only one purity test in this age of crisis: Can this person beat Trump?' I thought the purity test was - this person's policies, are they good for every one? is this the person to lead this ship? If the entire thought is to replace Trump, you loose.
Robert (Coventry CT)
To say the Democratic Party has embraced left wing ideas sounds like most Democrats have taken a sharp turn in their core beliefs. For the most part, they haven't. The nation has many serious problems--economic inequality, health care, environment, among others--but candidates flirting with radical solutions are ignoring tens of millions of voters who just aren't ready for an "overnight" identity make-over. The radicals of the party have some good ideas, but it will take more than two years for those ideas to go mainstream. In the meantime, next year, the radicals as we know them today will find a way to lose.
MD (DT)
Joe Biden will run. His lived history has directed him to this moment in time. Then, he will harbor no regrets. If Mr. Biden wins the primary, chances are that he will not prevail over the incumbent.
Rick Spanier (Tucson)
When there is no room at the inn, it is time to rethink the notion of traditional hostelry and invent new means of accommodation. Airbnb understood this and reinvented a large segment of the travel marketplace. That there is virtually no room in the Democratic organization for left-progressive candidates is becoming more clear as the primary season looms ion the horizon. Fewer voters align with the two dominant political parties now and those identifying as independent and non-aligned are in a clear majority. "A pox on both their houses" echoes the sentiments of many and especially those in the demographic groups absolutely needed to win back the White House (and Congress) from Trumpism. Deals will need to be cut, fleeting alliances forged for the election season, and gallons of bile swallowed to settle on a Democratic standard-bearer with the mojo to win the next national election. The party is not fractured, it is atomized. Joe Biden? Really?
No Pasaran (New York City)
Biden could argue that lofty ideals sound great on the campaign trail but don’t easily translate into legislation in today’s Washington. He could argue that he is the only candidate, with the political experience and the hands-on (not a slip) approach, who can give life to those ideals in a real way in the real world.
J Clark (Toledo Ohio)
Umm I think he’s the only one who can save the democrats. They have gone to far left of center and that my friend usually ends up in a crash and burn. It used to be anyone but Trump ,not so much any more with the house finally able to check him. I will be watching how the dems handle them self’s and if they go soft on immigration and military , well being an independent I will vote accordingly.
mike (Massachusetts)
@J Clark >They have gone to far left of center Because choosing the moderate/conservative Democrat worked so well for them last time?
Bill Van Dyk (Kitchener, Ontario)
Joe Biden is well-liked precisely because he has never been president. That will end in a hurry if he runs. Democrats also need to ask themselves why they would choose a leader endorsed by so many conservatives. Another eight years of Republican-style bipartisanship? You do what we want and we're all statesmanlike and happy? The reality is that if Sanders were elected, he would be no more able to pass a reckless agenda than Trump actually is, and the rest of his agenda would at least be rational.
It Is Time! (New Rochelle, NY)
"It’s not whether to run, but whether to run against the emerging consensus of his party." ???? I disagree. The only consensus today is to unseat Trump and his swamp! And it is absolutely not just emerging. Nothing else really matters much as we are in a fight to save our democracy and the our Constitution. The calculus isn't so much about who can win the primary, but who can pull our country together? Who can win back Obama voters that voted for Trump? Who can win over non-MAGA hat wearing Republicans? Yes, Biden is an imperfect candidate but less so than everyone else because the people who voted for Trump are more likely to vote for Joe than the others. I don't know if this has yet been polled so for now this is a gut call. I believe that Joe is the Democrat's best way to win back the White House but that is just the starting point. His running mate might end up running for his second term - a very good strategy (I like VP Mayor Pete). And I would love a cabinet composed of several who are also in the race. Talk about a dream-team (Harris as AG, Warren Sec. Education, etc.) And in 2020 say VP Pete picks a woman as VP, a crack in the glass-ceiling. And in 8 years, she becomes President breaking the ceiling for good. For decades Republicans have been playing the long-game. It is time that Democrats do as well. Our problems are longterm and swinging every 8 years isn't going to work. The next election is just the first step of what has to be a much longer-term plan.
Hubert Nash (Virginia Beach VA)
Joe Biden is a Democratic version of Mitt Romney - Republican-lite. Biden’s primary agenda is achieving the presidency by espousing whatever issues he thinks will appeal to voters. He has no vision whatsoever of what America’s future should be. His presidency would (in different ways of course) be as disastrous as Trump’s has been.
MS (DM)
@Hubert Nash Your characterization is applicable to the other Democratic candidates--with the exception of Sanders and Warren.
Heckler (Hall of Great Achievmentent)
Joe and I were schoolmates, two schools. I suppose he would handle key presidential decisions admirably, but I cannot support him. He has no style. Style is a critical ingredient for the POTUS.
Mind boggling (NYC)
A moderate who shares the views of a majority of Americans versus the far right and far left who have taken over their respective parties. Shutter at the thought of someone who actually represents the majority of Americans having a chance to win his or her parties nomination!
nicolas (massahusetts)
@Mind boggling The 'center' is farther 'left' then you think. Just because some are to afraid to vote for candidates who share their values in fear of losing to the far right doesn't mean that someone like Joe Biden represents that majority of Americans. 80 percent of Americans think some corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes. (PEW) 59 percent of Americans—and 43 percent of Republicans—think corporations make “too much profit.” (PEW) 82 percent of Americans think wealthy people have too much power and influence in Washington. (AP) 87 percent of Americans say it is critical to preserve Social Security, even if it means increasing Social Security taxes paid by wealthy Americans. (NASI) 63 percent of registered voters think the minimum wage should be adjusted each year by the rate of inflation. (Voice of the People) 60 percent of Americans believe “it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage.” (PEW) 72 percent of voters think it is a “bad idea” to cut funding for scientific research on the environment and climate change. (Quinnipiac) 84 percent of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun buyers.(PEW) And many other studies show that Americans are for full expansion of Healthcare, no more regime change wars, etc. Biden authored the Patriot Act, supported 1994 Crime Bill, Voted for Iraq War, etc. He is no longer 'center' in America.
DL (Albany, NY)
Ross's article is agnostic as to whether Biden, were he to win the nomination, would stand the greatest chance of beating Trump. That's his biggest selling point to many Democrats, including this one. It isn't necessarily so but it seems to be one piece of conventional wisdom.
Erica Smythe (Minnesota)
@DL You have to win the primary first. He can't win, even if he presents the best chance to beat Trump. Progressives and Intersectionalists and SJW's will not support him. Voter apathy will rain on the D parade..same as Hillary. The nation wants non-Establishment candidates to take on the Establishment and Joe Biden reeks of Establishment. Best go with Howard Schultz. I'm a Trump supporter but believe Schultz has the best chance of unseating Trump..and he's somebody that wouldn't tear down the rest of the institutions in America like Kamala Harris or Bernie Sanders will.
John Dennis Chasse (Brockport, NY)
The Clinton era compromises were good? The bipartisan gutting of financial regulations set the stage for the 2008 recession. Ending welfare as we know it contributed to poverty rates that include 5 million people living on $2.00 per day. Any time anyone talks to me about "reaching across the aisle," I mention the disasters of the "Third Way."
Terry Belanger (Mishawaka, Indiana)
As a (nearly) 70 year old lifelong Democrat, I hope Biden runs. But not many in my circle agree with me. A decent, experienced center left candidate who runs on health care access for all (NOT Medicare for All), protecting the environment, strengthening (and shoring up) Social Security, free (but fair) trade, reducing the cost of health care generally and prescription drugs specifically, support for our allies, reforming our immigration system, and real criminal justice reform will stand in stark contrast to the current occupant of the White House. It should not be difficult for even the most "woke" of Democrats to support a decent man like Biden. Then again, I'm old enough to remember George McGovern and Walter Mondale so the possibility of the pure left leading us to resounding defeat is very real.
Joel (Ann Arbor)
Why do you assume that the wokest, loudest cohort of Democrats represents a majority party as a whole? As opposed to merely the most recent slice of the political spectrum to receive temporary amplification by the media megaphone?
alan haigh (carmel, ny)
Let the man run and stop talking about "consensus" before even the first primary. I don't want the media to have the same influence on this process as they did in the last catastrophic presidential. I also don't want the Dem party elites pulling too hard at the strings to the point that voters feel they are being overruled. We may not end up with the best candidate to beat Trump- but that should be the decision of the voters and not the media and party insiders. I'm equally weary of media definitions of what is moderate and what is radical when radical or leftist is applied to policies the vast majority of Americans support, such as universal medicare. Let's not let right wing media and corporate interests run the narrative this time around.
Raj Sinha (Princeton)
Thanks to Mr. Douthat for analyzing the current diverse ideological trends of the presidential hopefuls for the Democratic nomination. From my vantage point, our country has reached an inflection point because we are becoming increasingly devoid of probity and comity. Therefore, the virulent partisanship and the resultant polarization are the major contributing factors towards the current rancor driven dystopian national political climate. Consequently, our cherished democracy is tilting towards a repulsive kakistocracy. I’m just very TIRED of this environment! Unfortunately, there is no panacea from this multi-dimensional political abyss. Biden’s prior presidential runs were underwhelming at best. His one term presidency proposal with Ms. Abrams as a running mate reeks of political expediency. Furthermore, the ascendency of his candidacy represents political gerontocracy - we need a succession plan from today’s septuagenarian leaders. In my estimation, the current Democrat field is a good representation of diverse viewpoints and backgrounds. The democrats should offer incremental solutions as opposed to overnight transformation to idealistic proposals like “Medicare For All”, “Green New Deal” etc. Additionally, the democrats need to present a cohesive (not just left wing that is) and a constructive legislative roadmap for the country. Finally, they should definitely be cognizant of the fact that there is a big difference between campaigning and governing. My 2 Cents
Ellen (Colorado)
@Raj Sinha There is not time for "incremental solutions" to climate change; and since there will not be "overnight transformation" to this planet's survival, it is all the more important to get started on saving it now. The Green New Deal is about survival. It's sad that you consider surviving "idealistic." Medicare for all is also about surviving, and thousands of people won't survive with your "incremental steps." If something is necessary, there isn't time not to do it. We must have a candidate who knows that.
Wilco (IA)
@Raj Sinha You need to read up on the climate crisis. We need major transformational changes now like the Green New Deal just to blunt the worst of our warming planet. Open your eyes and take a look at what is happening now with floods, extreme weather events, wildfires and loss of species. Also, not having universal health care, like every other developed nation on earth, does not make Medicare for All an ideal. It would simply put us in the mainstream with every other developed country.
Barking Doggerel (America)
While this is not a particularly interesting analysis, as usual Douthat gives us at least one highly revealing phrase. For today, I offer you, "The party has embraced left-wing ideas about structural racism . . . " One needn't be especially "woke" to recognize that structural racism, on vivid exhibit in our justice system, our economic system, our education system and our health care system, is not some "left-wing" idea.
James (NYC)
@Barking Doggerel Those who elected our current president disagree with you. Doesn't mean they're right, but a visit to your midwest in-laws can be very illuminating for a New Yorker.
unreceivedogma (New York)
Democrats should NOT be running on the so-called Great Awokening, if that is defined as issues of race, immigration and identity. They need to be running in climate, income inequality medicaire for all! On the other hand, Imo, its risky to pick the candidate who is “likeable” and centrist. Period. The times call for someone who can articulate a vision that will confront the problems we face (one more time?: climate, income inequality medicaire for all) squarely and sell that vision to a majority. Not for someone who condescends to what he or she thinks a majority is only ready for, or to virtue-signaling identity extremists.
14woodstock (Chicago)
@unreceivedogma Yes, well said. If the Democrats get hung up in running against Trump rather than articulating a clean, clear vision for a better America, they will lose again. And for heaven's sake, let's don't get hung up on who should use what kind of bathroom.
Janet (Delaware)
I am looking for a moderate candidate who can defeat Trump. Biden fits the bill in many ways, but not all. I am pro-life from conception to natural death. Democrats have made a brutal, radical turn away from protecting life. I agree with you that Biden can’t run a campaign that’s one big apology tour. That would be unsuccessful. The kinds of charges and allegations coming forth are likely to stick, even with denials, even considering running against a president with the kind of baggage he has in his behavior with women. Run, Joe, run? I’m not sure.
Philip Becker (Brooklyn NY)
I see the hand of our President, the great divider, abetting and reveling in the fracture of the Democratic Party into moderate and left tranches. I thought that Biden had the best chance of uniting these wings, but judging from the reactions to these disclosures, it now looks like an uphill battle for him. That said, it’s also clear that Biden must accept that his touchy-feely routine is not universally welcomed and more importantly inappropriate and offensive to those who don’t welcome it. He should acknowledge this and modify his behavior. I hope he does this. And I hope that he doesn’t give up. Let the voters decide.
AACNY (New York)
@Philip Becker Stop blaming everyone else for the extreme leftwing's behavior.
Barbara Miller (USA)
Just let the man run if he wants to. Let the voters decide.
Patrick (Ithaca, NY)
The issue faced by Biden, and indeed the Democratic Party writ large is can it be elastic enough to accommodate all the pulls in various directions, or will 2020 finally give us a true centrist party? Much as the right has dragged the formerly big tent of the Republicans to a much smaller though ideological purer conservative core, similarly, the Democrats may be pulled leftward. It is not too much of a stretch to see a defacto liberal party emerge from the Democrats. So this leaves a large opening in the political spectrum for a moderate party comprised of more right leaning Democrats, moderate independents, and moderate to liberal Republicans who have been pushed out by the radical conservative takeover of the GOP. If the Democrats go too far left, Trump gets a second term. Lesser of the evils, and now, warts and all, a known quantity compared to the utopian idealism of the left, never mind the bill for all of their promises.
Babel (new Jersey)
Voters in the blue wall Mid West, where the election will be won or lost, are looking for a reliable moderate candidate like Joe Biden. Journalist may be looking for an exciting new candidate that carries with them some far left of center ideas that will have very little appeal in that part of the country. Hillary ignored the Mid West and lost the election. Will a new face Democrat and progressive candidate reap the same effect? If so, another four years of the thoroughly corrupting Trump.
KW (Oxford, UK)
@Babel "Voters in the blue wall Mid West, where the election will be won or lost, are looking for a reliable moderate candidate like Joe Biden. " Which is why Bernie won the largest primary upset since JFK in Michigan?
Chris Rutledge (Toronto)
By presidential election time, the Democrats will have pruned out the radical stuff to create a reasonable package that might stand a chance of defeating Trump. The irony is that Biden's "on the record" centrism - which will be a curse in the primary battles - would be an advantage when the real race gets underway. A moderate Dem would scoop all Dems and some undecided. A radical Dem would get fewer Dems, and very few undecided. Noble platform, or realistic platform? William Jennings Bryan, anyone?
Almost Can’t Take It Anymore (Southern California)
So last week my hairdresser, who in all likelihood votes republican, said that “all she wants is to vote for someone in the middle” and that got me to see even more value in a strategy of sticking to the center. And she said that she likes Biden. I think we should pay attention to this. Don’t forget that while a centrist strategy may not bring the absolute leftists to the ticket, it may well bring back the Obama voters who turned away and voted for Trump. Job One is winning elections! And returning our country to the laws and regulations of 2016. THEN we can roll forward on more progressive things. Unfortunately this is asking a lot of people to delay gratification - not a strong suit for many these days. I’ve dealt with sexual harassment as much or more than many my age. Biden is not that type. Like all of us he is a product of his tIme. He is an ethical, proven politician - and that is what we need. There are things I did 30 years ago that I’m not proud of, but that does not mean that: 1) I haven’t changed/matured to someone wiser, or 2) I haven’t become a better person all around since then. People seem to think that elections are about voting for someone who matches their opinions in every single way. No. There are too many opinions on too many issues these days. Elections are about voting for someone who matches your opinions in the most important ways. Prioritize! It is childish fairy tale princess thinking to expect a politician to match your opinion 100%
sdw (Cleveland)
Ross Douthat is right that voters look for some positive quality about a candidate to create a reason for casting their votes for that candidate in the primary season. That is true for both Democratic and Republican primaries. In the general election, it is enough to vote for a Democratic candidate because she or he is not Donald Trump. It is enough for a Republican to vote for Trump because he is not a Democrat. Coming back to the primaries, Douthat is right that Joe Biden has always been seen as a centrist who holds some, but not all, liberal views on social issues. He has backed and has been backed by labor unions, but in today’s diverse Democratic Party, union members are not always liberal when it comes to minorities. Without that one shining positive idea or trait, Joe Biden lacks appeal to younger Democrats and to Democrats of color and, now, to female Democrats. We are left with a potential candidate who is just too old, as are Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. All three men are approximately my age, and the only difference in my attitude towards them is that I would work to exhaustion to see Trump voted out of office.
Thomas B (St. Augustine)
@sdw Labor unions are progressive about the most important thing—money. Not everybody needs transgender bathrooms or gun control but everybody needs more money. The Republicans understand that and long after they accept socially liberal things, many of which which after all cost them little money, they will still fight unions tooth and nail.
Steven Blader (West Kill, New York)
Reagan and Clinton-era compromises are NOT actually good. By compromising we will go slow or never on critical issues that are undermining our democracy. We need an FDR-era vision and willingness to eschew compromise so that our government can effectively deal with issues such as income disparity, health care, immigration and climate change.
NM (NY)
Joe Biden was an integral part of the Obama administration - which is hardly ancient history - and we know he can keep the White House running, and work with Congress. There are plenty of us who aren’t quite in Biden’s own demographics, who would love to see him back in our highest office.
RayC (Grand Rapids Mi)
Another issue with Biden, let's be frank, is his age. Same problem with Sanders and Warren. History shows us that a non-incumbent democrat has never won if they were older than 52 - maybe now we could stretch this to 60. But as a greater than 60 year old myself I want someone with the energy and fresh ideas to lead our country.
GO (New York)
Age discriminator!! If a doctor says there is cause for alarm, ok. If a person is cleared by a doctor, they should be fine with all of us . He is 3-1/2 years older than Trump and infinitely more qualified and I would take chances on a great 70-something over a less qualified younger person. Especially now, as nothing less than a savvy, greatly experienced diplomat and statesman can repair all the relationships damaged by Trump.
Carl (Philadelphia)
I’m over 65 and I want a president who is younger than I am. Joe Biden had his time and now his time has past. There is nothing about age discrimination in this issue. Biden should find another way to serve.
Andrew (NY)
I suspect the defining characteristic of any victorious Democratic candidate will need to be a kind of pragmatic, non-ideological lawyerly mediator of all these competing agendas, with more a generalized loyalty to the spirit of progressivism than intense attachment to any one form of it. She or he must present her-/himself as committed to the best balance or synthesis of these agendas to defeat Trump, Trumpism, and the contemporary Republican party. It may come off as a soul-less cannibalizing of the other candidates, but still the best approach. I imagine perhaps an eminent law professor with strong liberal bona fides, hopefully with some experience in government, pulling this off. Ross is right that no one of the current crop of candidates has broad enough appeal across such a complex, in many ways internally contraductory spectrum. The best candidate will (perhaps violating the "law of excluded middles") will prevail by acknowledging this and saying "here is the best synthesis we can come up with, now let's go defeat Trump, which must be the main priority at hand."
David (Monticello)
Ross mentioned both Al Franken and Jill Stein in this column. What if Al throws his hat in the ring? There are so many of us who feel strongly that he was wronged, I bet he'd have a lot of support. Jill could be his running mate. Franken/Stein would make a monster of a ticket!
Andrew (NY)
Monster indeed. FRANKENSTEIN!!!
Juliana Sadock Savino (cleveland)
@David Stein is a horrible choice. She's played the anti-vaxx card, which makes her either ignorant, MD notwithstanding, or opportunistic. I find her untrustworthy.
David (Monticello)
@Andrew You got it!!
Joe Runciter (Santa Fe, NM)
If I was confident that a younger more avowedly progressive candidate could beat Trump, I would support that candidate in the primary - provided that candidate did not participate in the current attempt to smear Biden. So far I lack that confidence. It looks to me that presently Biden has the best chance to beat Trump, and beating Trump is the first step to restoring sanity to America. Who wins in the primary is up to the Democratic voters, not the pundits or the loudest activists. It is early, and a candidate stronger than Biden may emerge. If that happens, so be it. I would just caution that even if the most purely progressive candidate in the field were to win the nomination, and the general election, he or she would still be very limited in what that new president could accomplish without a senate majority.
JerseyJon (Swamplands)
Party’s Nominee needs to energize the base and make a clear distinction against Trump Biden’s mixed voting record and age/gender/race combo do not differentiate him enough from Trump Trump will be the OLDEST sitting president if re-elected. There has to be a clear contrast on age. Sorry no one over 70.
unclejake (fort lauderdale, fl.)
This column is "wishful republican think."Ross has adopted the Trump primary strategy of pander to your base only and the lemmings will follow. Not Democratic primary history, Ross, take a look see.
Benjamin Greco (Belleville, NJ)
If Joe Biden runs on his record and against the party’s Left-wing, he will split the party. If he doesn’t, he will come off as weak and inauthentic and lose, and the Democratic party will move to the Left. Moderates will have nowhere to go and will have to make a difficult decision. Anyone who has the guts to stand up to the Left will have my vote, but I don’t think anyone will. This is the Democrats so they can always find a way to lose. The Left has too much momentum now and will get the nominee they want. The question is, is Trump noxious enough to get a Leftist candidate elected? I will believe that when I see it, but if there ever was a time to take a shot this may be the year to take it. Many of us will have to hold our nose and hope the courts save us from the excesses of the social justice warriors, but moderate Democrats will stay with the party. On the other hand, if Biden stands up to the Left and wins, the Left will leave the Party, their loyalty is to their ideology. This will mean four more years of Trump. In the long run however, a political realignment that creates a strong moderate party may be good for the country because it will isolate the extremes and leave them to wither and fade away. One thing is for sure, no one can predict the future, but anyone can try!
Susan (Delaware, OH)
The magic of Barack Obama was that he was able to knit diverse constituencies into a coherent whole. That is what we need from the democratic candidate today. Through in a capacity to inspire people, and you have a winner.
Andy (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Actually, "Reagan and Clinton-era compromises" are exactly what Democrats should avoid at all costs. Biden is the walking embodiment of a bygone era. Someone needs to put him in mothballs. No matter how far left Democrats ultimately choose to go, every sane person agrees we do not want a return to the neoliberalism of the 90s and 00s. Furthermore, Democrats don't need Biden. As noted, there are other moderate voices in the race. He would have been a nice counter point to Clinton in 2016. However, personal reasons aside, Democrats discouraged him from running for fear of splitting the neoliberal vote and handing someone other than "My Turn" Clinton the nomination. That other someone would ultimately prove to be Sanders. And then Clinton lost in the most epic of fashions. Democrats should absolutely not support another neoliberal ticket. The irony of course is Biden and Sanders are roughly the same age. However, Sanders has emerged as a powerhouse among young voters while every time I see Biden I half expect to find cobwebs hanging from his suit. That doesn't make Sanders right in everything, or even anything, but the contrast is striking. Supporting Biden, whether on culture or economics, is a means to severely date yourself. Live in the now.
Carl (Philadelphia)
Bernie’s appeal is independent of his age. He is a sideshow carnival act and that seems to appeal to younger voters, who vote in small numbers. In fact the low Millennial turnout in 2016 cost Clinton the election. Their attitude was if we could have Bernie we were not going to vote. Besides all of this, Bernie is not even a Democrat.
Andy (Salt Lake City, Utah)
@Carl "Bernie is not even a Democrat." That's a feature, not a bug. Also, you have to admit Clinton deserves more than a little responsibility in her absence of Millennial support. She openly disparaged every issue Millennials were promoting. She encouraged unfair primary practices with a playbook taken straight from Republicans. When the DNC was found manipulating the primary process in her favor, she immediately hired the disgraced DNC chair as campaign staff. Ask yourself: If you were a Millennial, would you want to vote for Clinton? Just like Michigan and Wisconsin, Clinton's defeat was of her own making.
Carl (Philadelphia)
If you were a millennial and didn’t vote then you deserve what you got - Trump.
FunkyIrishman (member of the resistance)
''The second is whether he wants to win it, and at what cost...'' - The cost would be that he would split the party, and he would never win it. I would submit that the man is even MORE of a flawed candidate than the last won that lost the popular vote, but STILL got more than 3,000,000 votes overall. The midterms were a bell weather as to what candidate(s) is going to be successful, as true Progressive candidates won overwhelmingly against supposedly moderate Democrats and generally won everywhere - even in deep red districts. It was an historic win and changeover from republicans. His served his country moderately well, but can do so much more by campaigning for OTHER candidates.
Nick Metrowsky (Longmont CO)
The real Joe Biden Decision is that he is too whit, and too male, to be accepted by today's Democratic Party. Not the voters, but the party. The Democratic Party is now the polar opposite of the Republican Party. Each have their declining solid base of about 30% of all voters. The remaining 40%, and growing fast, are unaffiliated voters, many who are centrists. Joe Biden should not run, because the party, and its ardent liberal supporters, are going to destroy him, and his legacy. This op-ed is an example of what we will see, in the coming months. Once Biden is out of the way, the next target will be Sanders. than Hoceknlooper. Eventual plans to drive out white, and male, over 60. And, as each candidate is tossed out, because they are too white, more people will join the unaffiliated. Who will emerge will make it very easy for Trump to win a second term. Why? Despite all the faults of Trump, and his party, the GOP is far more united than the Democrats. In the end, the Democrat candidate will lose as bad as McGovern did in 1972.
dave (san diego)
Sadly, In today's world , no one can run on their past. The only people who can win are those with no real track records. Learning from past mistakes is no longer allowed, today we place more value on inexperienced ideology.
Joe Runciter (Santa Fe, NM)
@dave Sad but true!
Walking Man (Glenmont, NY)
Look at all the adult children whose fathers have had a death bed conversion. After their father passes, they soon forget all about the man who screamed and yelled at the dinner table or forbid their children from attending the rock concert or who took the boy's side when the daughter felt mistreated by her boyfriend. And they fondly recall who dad had become. And focus on the good times instead. The question , I think, for the Democratic party is do they want to go from way over there to way over here without stopping somewhere in the middle to see if 'here' is really where we want to go. I would like to point out the country had the radical Gerald Ford after the Nixon resignation. Perhaps, just perhaps, the country would like to avoid whiplash. I, too, want to get as far away from Trump as I can as quickly as possible. Stopping at the rest stop along the way seems like the prudent thing to do. Even if it's not the most luxurious place we have ever been.
Mr. Wemmick (Baltimore, MD)
The demands of narrowly-defined ideological purity have made the Republican Party what it is today. Those litmus tests, and the voters in gerrymandered districts who enforce them, help explain why Republican officeholders are unable to offer even faint criticism of President Trump's rhetorical atrocities and horrific policies. More frightening is the degree to which my Democratic Party is becoming just like them. At a time when Trump's excesses would seem to make the 2020 election ours for the taking, candidates are rushing to stake out their support for issues likely to alienate moderate voters who could be pulled away from Trump if they are offered what they consider a reasonable alternative. Sure, we can wax poetic about Medicare for all, reparations, abortion without question, and a return to Eisenhower-era tax brackets, policies that will make us all feel really good about ourselves -- right up to January 2021 when Donald Trump takes the oath of office for the second time. We need to remember that "the perfect is the enemy of the good."
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@Mr. Wemmick A Trump voter isn't moderate. Dem's tried pandering to Right leaning moderates last time. As they have done so the last 40+yrs. More of the same is a non-starter for those looking for change. Seems lesson unlearned. Still. Could be time for moderates to hold their collective noses. Here, we'll gladly loan you the nose clips we've been using for 40yrs. of DNC candidates. "We need to remember that "the perfect is the enemy of the good."" applies to moderates too.
TL Moran (Idaho)
@Mr. Wemmick Sure, the perfect is the enemy of the good. That applies to squishy moderates even more. The Moderate is the enemy of progress. What this country needs is progress, not Democrats rushing back to a mythic past (like the 90s, which plunged us into the problems we have now, or Obama/Biden, which failed to stem the tide). The Republicans trying to take us back hundreds of years. Moderating this by a decade or two is still backwards. The sea is rising. Time to move upward, and forward!
Smotri (New York)
While I agree with your principles, I find that it is precisely this accommodating moderation by the Democrats in the past, notably with Clinton and then Obama, was precisely a major part of why we have wound up with the likes of Trump. These moderate, incremental-change Democrats have benefited the elites, paid lip service to the marginalized, and basically ignored the middle classes. I for one do not want yet another so-called moderate Democrat to promise change and hope, only to deliver what has turned into regression and hopelessness. The dismantling of our democratic republic continues apace with Trump and the Republicans, while moderate Democrats only seem to slow things down for awhile. The American society can’t afford this any longer.
esp (ILL)
"because he has a moderate record, because he is closer to the political center". One other "because" he can beat Donald Trump (and is probably the only one that can) and in this campaign that is the primary goal.
Earl W. (New Bern, NC)
@esp Bernie Sanders has a much better chance of beating Donald Trump in 2020 than the other Democratic nominees. The same was true in 2016. Unfortunately, the DNC had its thumb on the scale and we got Hillary Clinton instead (and we all know how well that worked out). P.S. A smart move during the primaries would be for Bernie to offer Tulsi Gabbard the VP slot in advance of the nomination to bolster his defense and foreign relations credentials.
N. Smith (New York City)
@Earl W. First of all Sanders was not/is not a Democrat and he never stopped saying so in 2016, which is also why it wasn't so unrealistic that the DNC decided to go with one of "their own". Second. Sanders didn't get the votes of the Black and Latino communities because he focused too much on a different demographic. Third. I doubt he'll get the Democratic nomination and could beat Trump as handily as you seem to think -- because by and large, he's too far "left-progressive-socialist" for too many Americans who are scared off by those labels. So stop blaming Hillary and stick to the facts.
Michelle (Boston)
@Earl W. You underestimate what a huge turnoff Bernie is to moderate Dems and independents. I like my employer provided healthcare and want to keep it. Let's expand and shore up the ACA. Meanwhile, Bernie wants gov healthcare for all and to blow up the current system that works for tens of millions of us. No thanks.
MWR (NY)
A male candidate can’t run on the Democratic ticket. It’s not even worth explaining why except to say that this column is right - he’d spend his entire campaign apologizing for his own actions, his gender and the patriarchy. You cannot win an election by apologizing all the time so please, I hope we are spared the suffering. A female candidate who isn’t so quick to pander to the progressive left might stand a chance. Amy Klobuchar comes to mind but boy, she has managerial baggage that can’t be ignored. Problem is, with the possible exception of a Harris, the other female front-runners are already DOA as viable national candidates. And we have an emergency. I hope the Democrats can figure this one out.
A. Human (Washington DC)
@MWR "A male candidate can't run on a Democratic ticket? "Hold my beer." - Pete Buttigieg
Midwest (South Bend, IN)
@MWR Well, there is Pete Buttigieg, who also happens to be the best candidate and only statesperson of the bunch.
ScottW (Chapel Hill, NC)
He supported W lying us into the war in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians are dead because of this disastrous vote. Acting like this vote was inconsequential, or excusable, makes no sense. Biden was not out front on Medicare for All. Biden was a leader in making sure students can never discharge their student debt in bankruptcy. He led the fight for Clarence Thomas as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. And last primary season, he campaigned for a Republican candidate. Biden needs to take the Acela back up to Wilmington and enjoy his retirement.
RJG (New York)
You forgot to mention his entire career (since 29 y.o.) as a government employee. Have trouble relating to those suffering in today’s economy.
Ann (Brookline, Mass.)
@ScottW Thank you for this comment. Many commenters expressing support for Biden do not refer to his actual record and policies, but allude to his so-called moderation and pragmatism. "Moderate" and "pragmatic" have become euphemisms for right-of-center, status quo, and anti-reform politics. There is nothing "moderate" about wars of choice or deregulating Wall Street.
Badger (Saint Paul)
@ScottW Biden should be held accountable for his support of the tougher bankruptcy law of 2005 and his mercenary speech for the Republican Upton, but he did not "lead the fight for Clarence Thomas". While he shamefully sat by while Republicans attacked Hill, he challenged Thomas during questioning and voted NO on confirmation. He did not use the phrase "Medicare for All", but he's long supported universal health coverage. He voted for the Iraq resolution, like almost all the Dems did, but has admitted it was a mistake (perhaps "my greatest" mistake). He also proposed the only sensible solution to the Iraq situation after Bush's "Mission Accomplished" (dividing Iraq into Kurdish north, Sunni west and Shia east).
Ludwig (New York)
More important than Biden is to preserve America's traditional values which are a mix of liberal and conservative. It feels odd when a Republican, and Trump nonetheless, is the one who has to defend free speech on campuses. That it is Trump who insists on our immigration laws being enforced. At the same time, the new left does have good values. They protest the extreme division of wealth in America and they want a better health care system. When all the Republicans can come up with is abolishing Obamacare with nothing to replace it with, then one cannot realistically look to Republicans either. And yet the sensible, part liberal, part conservative center does exist. It just does not have a voice in either party. THAT question is more important than the fate of Joe Biden.
WER (USA)
@Ludwig It's called Libertarian.
Matthew Carnicelli (Brooklyn, NY)
Ross, if the truth be told, Joe has always been an uninspiring Presidential candidate. That's the real risk that he runs - putting Presidential primary voters to sleep. He was doing it thirty years ago - and I can't see that either he or we have changed enough to alter this dynamic. Joe will additionally have a number of votes to explain, not least of which was the bankruptcy reform bill of 2005, which many advocates for economic fairness have had in our cross hairs now for over a decade. The tax code is riddled with loopholes that rich people routinely use to avoid paying either taxes or debts - whereas, thanks to that 2005 bankruptcy bill, ordinary Americans are unable to completely discharge their liabilities after a financial or health disaster. It's this kind of velvet globe treatment of the rich that allowed Donald Trump to remain on our national radar long enough to despoil the American presidency. Ross, the Senator from Delaware needs to answer for his support of the bankruptcy reform bill that destroyed countless American lives - yet allowed a Donald Trump to continue on his irresponsible merry way.
Jack Lord (Pittsboro, NC)
@Matthew Carnicelli Thank you for making the point of his support for the 2005 bankruptcy bill; from Wikipedia: "According to George Packer in his book The Unwinding, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Hillary Clinton helped pass this bill. (Of the three, however, only Biden voted for the final bill. Dodd voted against, and Clinton did not vote.)"
Disillusioned (NJ)
So we have two Times Editorial writers asking Biden not to run for the Presidency. Neither, however, identifies another candidate who will be able to achieve that most important result of our lifetimes- the defeat of Trump. The Democratic Party, as is the case with the Republican Party in recent decades, can adopt a platform that will reference the goals and objectives of various party wings. But it must nominate the one person who will be able to defeat Trump. I don't know if Biden is that person, but I am not ready to throw him under the bus at this early stage.
Hugh Massengill (Eugene Oregon)
This is going to be a fascinating primary season for Democrats. We get to choose from a list of candidates who are not cookie cutter liberals, they range from outright socialist to...well, Joe Biden. I think my bottom line has to do with the bottom line on the economic pyramid, you know, those of us with little, who actually will work to help those at the bottom get food, housing, educations, health care, and a sense of belonging to the main. Not sure there will be a consensus of his party, just someone with the most primary votes. Hugh
Glenn Ribotsky (Queens)
Ross can really nail it when he stays away from the catechism. I too think the Biden sort of 90's triangulation has had its day, and that day is gone. The baggage he'd be carrying, added to now with the #MeToo type accusations, should probably encourage him not to run. Not that a lot of the older Democrats out there still wouldn't be in his camp, but there are fewer of them each day, and more younger/progressive/woke/intersectional ones--and those are REALLY the throwbacks, because they want to return to a more FDR/LBJ type of Democratic agenda. Nobody ever said that it would be easy for the big tent Democratic party to coalesce on a Presidential nominee. We can only hope that when it eventually does, said nominee has the sense to pick a VP from another diverse part of the party--a lot of turnout, unfortunately, is still tribal--and that voters don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Fortunately, reminding them of the big orange lightning rod should help with that.
LTJ (Utah)
“Older” citizens tend to be wealthier, have children, own homes, etc. “Older” citizens have the most to lose personally, via politically driven confiscatory policies now being proposed by “the new generation” of progressives. Listening to the rhetoric from the likes of AOC puts a fine point on it. And yes, “older” citizens are more likely to vote, though less likely to make a social impact on Twitter and thus their influence is underestimated. Biden and the moderate Democrats are thus simply the better choices for “older” folks, not only because of self-interest, but because the moderates are the only adults in the room.
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@LTJ Sure. It's not like the "Older" citizens don't see their children and more so their grandchildren don't have the pensions, the job security, the HealthCare access, the affordable housing the lack of debt etc. Many of us "Older" folk know America has gone too far over Right. It is well past time for a course correction. Many of us "Older" citizens love and applaud our young up 'n comers for speaking out finally about the state of America today. Along with some of those old(er) politicians who have been telling us the same for...ever. We had/have it good. Our grandchildren...not so much. Time for a course correction.
AACNY (New York)
@LTJ Americans crave adulthood in their politicians, I believe. Even Trump for all his boorishness and vanity, is more a grown up than most of those democratic candidates.
Julie Carter (Maine)
@AACNY "Grownups" don't call names and ridicule others. And Don Jr. is trying hard to follow in the ugliest of his father's footsteps!
Thomas B (St. Augustine)
I’ve been a Democrat all my life, 70 years. I’m looking for someone who’s left wing on economic issues and I don’t care much about social ones. I figure that when people have enough dough they can work their social issues out. Or if they can’t they can suffer their social problems in economic comfort; there are worse things.
Joshua Schwartz (Ramat-Gan, Israel)
@Thomas B Social and economic issues pretty much come together: socioeconomic. Your left winger on economy will influence society. Package deal.
Bill (New Orleans)
There are seasons in life and Biden’s season has passed. He had an amazing career and I admire him. But, he should serve in another way.
Jane Wilson (Ottawa Canada)
I think Biden would make an awesome Secretary of State....
Aurace Rengifo (Miami Beach, Fl.)
I like Biden. That said, he has to personally address, now, his behavior towards Lucy Flores, Amy Lappos and all the ones that will come after them. Being misinterpreted is not enough. In this #MeToo era or not, women are to be taken seriously. Then, Biden will be ready to change his behavior and start campaigning. I can see clearly see the strategy you designed and agree with a twist. Even if that is how Trump won. If Biden does not pick a much more liberal running mate, Sanders will still run as independent and serve Trump his second term in a platter. Take into account that even having a "united" Democratic party, Trump can win easier than the first time.
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@Aurace Rengifo Sen. Sanders will NOT run as a 3rd party candidate. He has stated this previous (kept), and again for this run.
Joe Runciter (Santa Fe, NM)
@Dobbys sock Absolutely correct. If he loses the Democratic Party nomination, Sanders will not run as an independent. That is one worry off the table. Let's just hope that the conspiracy theorists will not reemerge if Sanders loses the nomination again.
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@Joe Runciter The Democratic MO for decades is point fingers elsewhere and always scapegoat. The Party doesn't fail, it's voters (Left) fail them. As Dems pander to the Right. Dem. Senate leader Schumer in '16, “For every blue-collar Democrat we lose in western Pennsylvania, we will pick up two moderate Republicans in the suburbs in Philadelphia, and you can repeat that in Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin.” Gee...that turned out well for HRC. (Lets blame Sanders...yeah! That's the ticket!)
Gerard (PA)
New ideas, vigor, energy. These are not words I associate with Biden. We have to move on. Anyone older than I (59) should not be leading the country; because if I could have done the job, I would have done it already, and because those who are younger will be living with the outcome of the next President’s policies far longer than I. The fact that Biden is still thinking about it means that he should stop.
Luciano (New York City)
Kamala Harris is the biggest political talent in the race. Smart, charismatic, experienced, gregarious, sweet, tough and beautiful
Bill Bluefish (Cape Cod)
I know Joe Biden. He has tremendous experience serving our country in the real world. He can be trusted. If the Democratic primary process splinters the way the Republican process did in 2016, with chunks of votes chasing little noisy, fast talking, pretty pennies who have no experience, we Dems will blow it in the general election. A lack of realism among the very noisy, very active, very shame hungry 10% who are progressive idealists will cause the loss.
Alex (Washington D.C.)
@Bill Bluefish We very noisy, very active, very shame hungry 10% who are progressive idealists have a right to express our hopes and push for our ideals just as much as anybody else. The question will be if the vitriol between the progressive-left and the democratic-center will be so alienating that we won't all vote for the Democratic candidate. That would be horrendous. I plan to continue to voice my support for better and affordable education, green energy, women's rights to choose, etc. But come 2020, I'm voting for the Democratic primary winner... whether I like him/her/it or not.
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@Bill Bluefish Whom is attempting shaming who here Bill? Kettle, meet Pot.
John (Columbia, SC)
The Republicans had many candidates last time and only one could relate and win. The Democrat's have many more candidates this time and regetably none that can relate enough to win.
FB (Norway)
I don't think that the stance on identity issues etc. is Biden's main problem. This may cause some social media heat but in the end doesn't really concern most voters. What's much more serious is that he is just not very believable on core issues such as health care, voter's rights, tax reform and equality, etc. I feel what most democrats long for is someone they can for once trust to really make a push for what they want, and not someone who tries so hard to be "moderate" that he mainly focuses on appeasing the GOP with watered-down policies, balanced budgets and "moderate" SCOTUS picks, ultimately becoming a better Republican than true Republicans. Biden just has the same problems as Clinton but without her strengths and this will become pretty clear once he descends from his cloudy former VP state into the tough reality of a scrutinised candidate.
Joe Runciter (Santa Fe, NM)
@FB Given the choice between Trump and an old fashioned type of "Republican" that you paint Biden as, I'll take Biden. And that could be our only realistic choice. We will see though. I suspect Harris might just be able to pull it off.
FB (Norway)
@Joe Runciter Of course I'd also take Biden, immediately, no questions asked. Many else would too. The question remains whether that will be enough. Obviously the same question applies for all candidates, but I think that Biden - despite looking like the "most reasonable" and strongest candidate - could easily end up as easy target, similar to Clinton. In the end there's plenty of (fake) dirt to dig up from decades of political life and while dirt doesn't seem to hurt Trump, it will destroy Biden quite easily.
Choice V-1 (Florida)
It’s not about Joe running It’s about running Joe The primary outcomes in a fragmented party leaves the marathoner towards the presidency compromised. It’s not about beating Trump he will implode It’s all about what Americans need Health Care and economic makeovers to put all skill set workers on the job
cherrylog754 (Atlanta, GA)
"a base of support that’s roughly as old as he is." And that is why he has the best chance of getting the party nomination. Old people vote, every year, every election, whether it;s local, state, or federal, they vote. On the other hand young people don't historically. So will they change?
Alex (Washington D.C.)
@cherrylog754 Good point. Apart from the free-for-all-ageism that nobody seems to mind, the question of losing older voters is a valid one. Living near the beltway, I've noticed a strong upturn of young people active in politics. True, it's mostly about gun-control, but it seems to spill out towards climate change and education, as well.
Eric Caine (Modesto)
Joe Biden is the comfortable alternative for Democrats who would like to return to the 90s, when the political playing field was simpler and veering right was the safe strategy. Mr. Douthat has explained precisely the costs of that comfort: a divided party and a loss in the General Election. If there's a future for the Democratic Party, it will be defined by looking forward and casting aside the baggage acquired when it abandoned working people and embraced the donor class. Time for the old warriors to move aside.
f (austin)
Please remember that the Democratic Party exists outside of consultants, beltway insiders and activists. It consists of the millions of registered Democrats who, among other things, voted moderate Democratic Representatives into office.
Tom Meadowcroft (New Jersey)
@f So vote for Buttigieg or Hickenlooper, not crazy uncle Joe. There will be moderate alternatives to the Senators who are not in their 70s and can exercise self-discipline. The point isn't that he's some sort of predator; the point is that he's known better for decades but can't exercise self control. Presidents need self control.
Dean M. (Sacramento)
Joe Biden has had a very distinguished political career. the problem is that he's never been successful at running for the Democratic nominee for President. The Democrats need to get younger. They need to fashion a more centrist vision that folds some of the best progressive ideas that people are looking for that can actually be implemented. I'll reserve judgement until Biden decides what he's going to do in 2020 but from what I've seen so far it's not much more than it was in the past.
Stephen N (Toronto, Canada)
I never know whether to take Douthat seriously. Is he honestly interested in seeing a Joe Biden candidacy mounted along the lines he suggests because he favors that version of Biden as an alternative to Trump? Or is he the mischievous conservative sowing discord among the hated liberal opposition? Whatever Douthat's motives, his advice (if taken) is more likely to fracture the Democratic coalition than bring it together. What Biden (or any other candidate) needs to do is to find a way to unite progressives and moderates. Pitting moderates against progressives in the primaries is a sure way to lose the general election. Any politician who has been around as Long as Biden has will have to answer for his past. Times change and the changes often cast an unflattering light on what came before. Voters know this, which is why they care more about who the candidate is today and what he stands for now than who he was and what position he took on the issues of the day way back when. If Biden wants to win the nomination and the presidency, he needs to convince the voters that he possesses a realistically hopeful vision of the future and the ability to get us there. Substance, not flash, noise and confusion, will carry the day.
Delores Porch (Albany Oregon)
@Stephen N I've lived on this planet 69 years and I just don't trust candidates who are "born again". Talking about how they now regret what they believed in the past sets up a red flag. Not that I can find some who truly have seen the light but those are few and far between. I'm an Independent so I believe I have an outside perspective. I want the baton passed on to a new generation to lead Americans into the future, if there is one. Now is not the time for moderate leaders. Anyone can point out why Trump is a disaster for this country.
Peter (CT)
Some of the least wrong conclusions from Mr. Douthat I’ve seen in a while. I like Joe, I hope he drops out. I’ll vote for him if he’s nominated, and if we had ranked choice voting, he wouldn’t be at the top of my list.
Concerned MD (Pennsylvania)
The presidency is not a reward for sticking around long enough. Joe Biden has had his run. I look forward to the new Dem candidates and their ideas.
Jim Cricket (Right here)
@Concerned MD Translation: The presidency is now a reward for having the least experience. Worked for Trump!
Joe (New York)
With all due respect, Mr. Douthat, I'll say it again: Democrats don't need advice from Republicans in sheep's clothing. We can make our own decisions. The base wants change and the base wants to win. Joe Biden will never get grassroots support and he will lose to Trump. In fact, him winning the nomination is what Trump is hoping for.
Joshua (DC)
@Joe Any "base" voter that sits out 2020 election instead of voting for a Biden candidacy is nuts at best. No, Joe is the strongest chance we have for defeating Kaiser Trump.
James (NYC)
@Joe Maybe you and some other Democrats should listen to Douthat. The race is not for California and New York; it's for Ohio and Florida and Wisconsin. Biden beats Trump by 10 points per RCP average of multiple polls, a wider margin than any other candidate. A moderate Democrat is the key to pulling votes from moderate states who will decide the election. If that's not good enough for you, keep veering hard to the left and watch what happens.
Quiet Waiting (Texas)
@Joe President Trump has voiced only one preference for his 2020 opponent and that bears repeating: "Give me Bernie. Oh please please God give me crazy Bernie." In this instance, Trump knows whereof he speaks.
Alex (Brooklyn)
All Douthat is really pointing out is that there is a large appetite in this country for a moderate, pragmatic, realistic center-left economically literate Democrat like... Hillary Clinton. Well, we knew that, because if America were a democracy she'd be the president by a healthy margin of about 3 million votes. Mayor Buttigieg is in many ways the uniting moderate figure Douthat describes, but with none of the baggage and, perhaps most importantly of all, is not 76 years old. How do we still not have an age cap for candidates? The founding fathers set a minimum of 35 in recognition that wisdom and temperament need to develop past early adulthood, and yet anyone still needs convincing that putting men (always men) in office under high stress during the period of their cognitive and physical decline is a good idea? No to Biden. No to Sanders. No to Warren, who has very good ideas and might actually have answers to implementation questions Sanders can only shout slogans at. No to every single candidate who can't say with a straight face "if sea levels rise an inch per year, my coastal city will definitely be under water in my lifetime." They simply lack the necessary skin in the game, on top of everything else. Twenty years into the millennium, it's time for a president whose formative political experiences are born of this millennium too.
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@Alex Mayor Pete on policy specifics... VICE: I listened to you talk today. On the one hand, you definitely speak very progressively. But you don’t have a lot of super-specific policy ideas. BUTTIGIEG: Part of where the left and the center-left have gone wrong is that we’ve been so policy-led that we haven’t been as philosophical. We like to think of ourselves as the intellectual ones. But the truth is that the right has done a better job, in my lifetime, of connecting up its philosophy and its values to its politics. Right now I think we need to articulate the values, lay out our philosophical commitments and then develop policies off of that. And I’m working very hard not to put the cart before the horse. VICE: Is there time for that? They want the list. They want to know exactly what you’re going to do. BUTTIGIEG: I think it can actually be a little bit dishonest to think you have it all figured out on day 1. I think anybody in this race is going to be a lot more specific or policy-oriented than the current president. But I don’t think we ought to have that all locked in on day 1. Somebody is fence sitting with his finger in the air and listening to 3rd Way pollsters and consultants. Been there, done that. Obama 2.0 The return of the Reagan DINO.
Susan Anderson (Boston)
@Alex I disagree about Warren, who is way ahead of the field in practicality and wisdom, and has spent a lifetime acquiring that knowledge. As for climate change and sea level rise, she has always been informed and solid on that. If you want that to be a priority, you should be looking at Inslee. I'm interested that nobody mentions that a good portion of the population will not vote for a gay, no matter he's married, a veteran, and has a range of useful experience and people skills. I'm sure the playbook will appear, though. Trump has done his darnedest to restore and encourage prejudices of all flavors in the military.
Prant (NY)
@Alex Can anyone imagine Biden and Trump going head to head? Two old gropers, waxing poetic about the good old days, and not a clue as to how to get back there. Neither, is twenty first century America.
Marty f (California)
I am a progressive democrat close to Biden’s age. My demographic actually votes. We have lived long enough to see what is real and what is ideal. We have seen what works and what does not work. Yes we made mistakes. Yes wisdom and time changed our mind on issues. With all due respect to the Sanders voters please challenge him to DETAIL how his visions will actually be implemented in a polarized republic. If he does not have a credible path then move on to someone who does have the history of getting things done whilst compromising. Biden is the right candidate to right the ship of state. The left wing will age and mellow then their time will arrive
Moira (Los Angeles)
Younger people will vote when they feel like there is a difference between Democrats and Republicans. We have had 40 years of stagnant income for most and runaway inequality. Dems need to regulate financial industry and tackle climate change.
Dobbys sock (Ca.)
@Marty f As Pres. O. found out, compromising isn't possible with most Republicans. The man bent over backwards to the point of offering up Social Security to negotiations even. No, Biden likely would likely have as much luck as any Democratic nominee. But if his true DINO tendencies come to the fore, then America would be still worse off. As for Sen. Sanders, The Amendment King; nobody has passed more amend., under a Republican controlled gov., than Senator Bernard Sanders from Vermont. “The reason he has been so successful is that he built very strong left-right coalitions, ” said Warren Gunnels. “He doesn’t see himself as on the left. He sees himself exclusively as fighting for working people.” Counter to his reputation as a far-left gadfly, Sanders has done much of his work with Repub. partners, generally people with whom he has little, but sometimes just enough, in common. Sanders has been pushing basically the same legislative agenda since he was the mayor of Burlington, in the 1980s, one that favors workers, veterans and college students. Democratic's have finally listened to words he has been repeating for decades, not so much because his legislation has been in constant step with the nation’s, but rather because much of the nation has come around to the things he has been legislating. Bernie has been talking about income inequality since 81. Now that is a message whose time has come. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/us/politics/bernie-sanders-amendments.html
bhs (Ohio)
@Moira Dems believe in science, climate change will be addressed; Dems believe in a woman's right to choose; Dems support unions; Dems are working toward health care for all; Dems have been the party to make progress on civil rights for 80 years. Republicans are the opposite on each issue. There are vast, structural differences in the two parties, and people who don't understand that must need more information.
Tom J (Berwyn, IL)
I don't want to reward Biden for being the nicest guy in the world, I want to be inspired by a candidate. Someone who understands what's happening right now, appreciates the shift my party and this country has taken. If we settle on Biden he gets my vote, but I'd rather it be someone else.
Srose (Manlius, New York)
@Tom J...you're 100% correct...someone must be able to make the case that Trump needs to go...if it's just a matter of opinion and there are no sincere or serious arguments of why he needs to go - as if a prosecutor were pointing his finger at Trump - then forget about claiming a moral victory over Trump.
Theodora30 (Charlotte, NC)
@Tom J Biden isn’t nearly as nice as the media wants you to think he is. Just ask Anita Hill. And nice guys do not tell a person who asks how they did in school “I think I probably have a much higher IQ than you do” the way Biden did the first time he ran for president. He said that right after he told the crowd several whoppers about his academic achievements, claiming to have been a top student in college, earning three degrees, etc. He then excused his lies by saying he exaggerates when angry but has never lied about himself! So he list his temper, lied about his achievements then arrogantly told the man who dared ask him that question that he, BIden, is much smarter. He did all this knowing he was being filmed by C Span. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-21-mn-6104-story.html Margaret Sullivan of the WaPo recently pointed out in a column about sexist media coverage of candidates that Biden is known for having a temper but that the media does not make a big deal about it the way they did with Klobuchar. Good ol’ Uncle Joe also tried to use the tragic death of his son to further his political ambitions. https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/joe-biden-beau-2016-214459 Biden gets a pass because he schmoozes the media and leaks to them.
AACNY (New York)
I think Joe Biden is precisely the right person to take on the extreme leftwing of his party. And he could just get elected by grateful Americans who feel it's long overdue. Consider Biden has the quiet backing of millions of Americans who are fed up with identity politics. They don't march or shout, but they do use common sense, which is something missing from today's leftist identity politics. And if he cannot overcome his own party's leftwing, he doesn't deserve to be president. He'll never beat Trump if he cannot even beat them.
ScottW (Chapel Hill, NC)
@AACNY Is Medicare for All, free higher education, a living wage with benefits, effective policies to fight climate change, pro-Union, etc, "left wing?" If so, count me in. As for all of those who oppose these policies and consider them "left wing," we already have someone in the White House who agrees with you.
AACNY (New York)
@ScottW Abolishing private insurance, crippling state economies in the pursuit of "clean" energy, inflating college tuitions even more than easy loans. You're all in? Given a utopian dream or a realistic solution, rational Americans will choose the latter every time. Progressives, on the other hand, believe. It's what they do.
Oliver (MA)
@AACNY But why, why, why can every other industrialized country have cheaper health care costs with better outcomes? Those of you who don’t want “government” health care are OK with corporarations skimming profits that could be going to care. There is an inherent contradiction in for profit health insurance.
Mark (Philadelphia)
Emerging “consensus?” Talk about taking liberties with the English language. Biden is easily the front runner and it’s not even close. Look at the polls. These are the voters that are sick of Trump and want a candidate who can take back Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Florida with his legitimate blue collar appeal and willingness to go on the offensive against our current President. Considering it’s a primary, Biden will inevitably have detractors. That is how primaries work in a democracy-at the risk of stating the obvious. Let’s not forget in the 2008 primary, Obama had his critics and there was an actual consensus that he should yield to Hillary Clinton. Good thing Obama pressed on. He picked a good VP, too.
mj (somewhere in the middle)
@Mark I'll never vote for Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders. We've moved on. They both represent a past I no longer choose to support. I am not a white man. And in this election that will matter.
Cass (Missoula)
@Mark In any other political year, I probably wouldn’t even think about Biden. This year is different. If he ran, Biden would be my choice, hands down. Trump has created so much chaos that it will be take several years just to build back our governmental institutions and restore a semblance of normalcy among our allies. Biden has proven his stability over the past 50 years. The other candidates don’t have his resume. He should make a statement that he will be “More careful going forward, given our shifting culture sensibilities,” and jump the heck into the race.
Cass (Missoula)
@Mark In any other political year, I probably wouldn’t even think about Biden. This year is different. If he ran, Biden would be my choice, hands down. Trump has created so much chaos that it will be take several years just to build back our governmental institutions and restore a semblance of normalcy among our allies. Biden has proven his stability over the past 50 years. The other candidates don’t have his resume. He should make a statement that he will be “More careful going forward, given our shifting culture sensibilities,” and jump the heck into the race.
N. Smith (New York City)
Speaking quite honestly, I have no idea what the "consensus" of the Democratic Party is these days because it's being pulled in so many directions. You have the progressive left, moderate left, center, center right -- and every stop in between that seems to forget or omit someone. Let's face it. This is not a one-size-fit-all Party, like say, Trump Republicans, which is why it's so difficult to get a handle on just whom would best serve the past, present and future goals of the only available alternative to the G.O.P., which is content to maintain its strangle-hold on our country's political fate. There are many pros and cons to Joe Biden's decision to run or not. Let's hope he makes the right one.
AACNY (New York)
@N. Smith Trump supporters are hardly one-size-fits-all. There are plenty of former democrats -- Obama voters, in fact -- who voted for Trump. Women too. Trump won because he could appeal to a large swath of Americans. No progressive candidate will achieve this. Bernie had his chance but now his space has been filled with extremists who are all starting to blur.
N. Smith (New York City)
@AACNY From what I've seen of both this president and those who support him, they're pretty much all the same. Besides. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Chris Rutledge (Toronto)
@N. Smith As you point out, the Dems are certainly not, at this point. prepared to settle on a one size fits all message. But to have any hope of winning, they will have to hammer out what their one size is going to be. The far to the left stuff will get dropped. In the list of contenders, who will sell the most convincingly when the policy deck is reshuffled to an electable middle core?
EC (NY)
Biden just isn't dynamic enough. He rode Obama's coattails. HIs polling right now is based on name recognition alone. I just don't believe he will be able to carry a campaign on his own. I just don't.
AACNY (New York)
@EC Biden's polling is more likely based on a rejection of extremism in the Democratic Party. An inconvenient truth.
Charlierf (New York, NY)
@AACNY “The Great Awokening” has alienated, not transformed this Democrat. It promises to re-elect President Caligula.
Chris G (Los Angeles)
@EC Biden ‘rode Obama’s coattails’? That is rich. First, Biden was a very respected US Senator and had been a serious candidate for POTUS well before President Obama begin his political career. Second, It’s impossible for someone on the same ticket to “ride the coattails” of that ticket. Lack of basic knowledge of that political chestnut makes me wonder if ‘NY’ might mean ‘Now in Yaroslavl’ or some such.