Age is just a number, but Biden comes across as having noticeable age-related cognitive decline. I don't think he has early dementia, but his weak impromptu speaking, struggles with debate sparring, and lack of specific nouns all signal that his brain has faded. He shows his age, and he won't be any younger in 2024 than he will be in 2020.
48
Life is complicated.
15
Rereading this article 4 hours after initially reading it, my impression is this is extremely damaging to Biden.
It provides robust examples, over and over, that Obama did not think Biden running this year is a good idea.
"You don't have to do this, Joe." Isn't that what people say to you when they're trying to dissuade you from doing something foolish?
And the report that Obama met with some of Biden's staff and advised them to make sure Biden doesn't "embarrass himself" or damage his legacy - that's deadly. Obama knows Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren. Obama has said Harris is one of the 5 people he believes are the Democrat's future and he encouraged Elizabeth Warren to run for the senate. Can you imagine Obama cautioning anyone on their campaign staffs to ensure they don't "embarrass themselves"?
I wonder to what extent people around Obama had Obama's okay to talk to the reporter about his obvious hesitation about Biden's campaign.
The Biden campaign must be fuming.
38
Didn't Biden lie about ....well, practically everything ?
Has this guy ever been on the right side of any issue?
I mean not right as a right-wing Republican which he always was.
14
This is the candidate the NYT and other mainstream media outlets are pushing as the most "electable"?
Thanks but no thanks. I'll stick with a candidate whose campaign team doesn't spend most of their time trying to hide them from the public because of all the gaffes, stumbles, and bumbles.
31
Joe Biden seems like a wonderful person although as a candidate I believe he is very middle of the road & close to Wall Street, lobbyists, corporate CEOs and represents the status quo. Very much in the same vein as Hillary Clinton which is why she lost the electoral college. For example, while Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders have announced their disapproval with Israel for not allowing US Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib & Ilhan Omar to enter their country, Joe Biden waited several hours until he could tell how Warren & Sanders condemnation played out in the press. Biden would be 79 years old if elected President which is over twice as old as Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang. Not to be politically incorrect although I know being in my 60s that I am not as mentally alert as I was when I was in my forties or fifties. I am reluctant to have a figurehead as President who rests on his laurels on his time being VP under the charismatic Obama. The reasoning behind Obama's pick of Joe Biden seemed to be in order to appeal to the more conservative, mainstream, status quo Democrats who are too afraid to think outside the square box. Progressive Democrats like Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders have complete thought out policies on every issue with the idea of lifting the hardworking middle class family out of it's current stagnation and economic decline.
21
... complete and cement the Obama legacy... [?]
I cannot help but to view the unmitigated disaster that is the current state of affairs in US government, and the resulting effects that have increased human suffering here and around the globe, as a significant and enduring feature of Barack Obama’s legacy.
Virtually all of what we’re living through right now began to take root during the Obama/Biden administration, on their watch: The compromising of the 2016 election process; the lack of meaningful pushback—authority? leadership?—against the obstructionist Republicans controlling both houses (“his hands were tied” is the common refrain) on legislative matters; and the absence of will for government actually serving a greater good, and meeting the needs of the whole of the electorate, regardless of political persuasion.
Let’s please move beyond the Clinton/Gore, Obama/Biden, H.R. Clinton Democratic Party, and elect the next generation of leaders who are capable of listening to, responding to, and working with and for the American people, and a better world at large.
22
Biden is a work in progress. Let's wait and see if he can capture the mood of the country. Why rush to judgment now? There's plenty of time for him to stumble or rise.
25
In 2016, Obama chose wrong, and the Democrats' anointment of Clinton brought us the Trump presidency. It thus behooves him to correct that mistake by supporting the most electable candidate this time around -- Biden.
16
Jonathan Capeheart recently reported on a large reunion of his Democratic African-American family. More than one responded very well to Pete Buttigieg, noting his authenticity, lack of manipulation, humility and depth of listening.
Sometimes I think pundits are not aware of deeper groundswells. Pete Buttigieg may turn out to be the ideal foil for Trump.
15
Excellent article. If Biden is the nominee, I will certainly vote for him to get Trump out. But the idea of two 70–plus-year-olds running for President is disquieting. The Democrats need a younger, center-left candidate with the chops to take on Trump.
25
@Mark Siegel Three with Warren. I'm all in on Pete Buttigieg so I can't say my heart's broken that some of the others aren't catching on, but I'd have thought half the field would be more enticing than the three people currently at the top of it.
7
In a way, I see a silver lining to Trump getting re-elected. Republicans will be held accountable for the results of their incompetence and corruption. The consequences of this administration have yet to be reaped. And conservatives lack the self-discipline to reflect logically on their own actions. Unless Republicans control everything, Democrats will get blamed for the fallout of republican policy - as usual.
3
Great, relaxing article to read about two normal guys. Those were good days. A nice break from the constant chaos & conspiracy theories we live in now! Ughh
31
Several commenters point out that Biden and Sanders aren't the only "oldsters" -- that Warren (70) and Trump (73) are old too, and yet nobody argues they're "too old."
In reverse order, Trump indeed is 73 but he'd be on his second term if he wins. As for Warren, I acknowledge that she IS fairly old but she never looks old, as Biden does. As for Sanders, he IS simply old.
Bottom line: Biden and Sanders are too old. Warren is a veritable spring chicken. Trump is old too, but he has only one term to go. The others would have two.
2
@Commenter What do you mean nobody? They're BOTH also too old. No question.
1
Biden is not perfect but one thing is for sure he's decent.
Yes he makes gaffes but they are gaffes that no one thinks are meant to hurt.
The man in the Oval Office today makes gaffes too but besides his silly gaffes he's evil and only cares about himself.
Biden respects the rule of law and will not undermine every institution that we have. He will not tweet every minute and I for one would be happy with "sleepy Joe". Volcanic Trump erupts everyday and we all need a rest from his constant erratic behavior.
42
@Charna
I agree with you about Joe Biden. But I don't regarding Donald Trump. I maybe wrong, but I don't think Trump is evil. He's narcissistic and only cares about himself. But he can't hurt people unless they wound him first. He wouldn't "initiate" cruelty. Evil people like say, Ted Cruz wouldn't hesitate to be cruel to people just for the heck of it. Read an important article by David Brooks in February 2016 NYT, I think, entitled, "The Brutalism of Ted Cruz."
2
@A.G.
"Trump can't hurt people unless they wound him first."
Tell that to the people gunned down in the El Paso Walmart. What did they ever do to Donald Trump?
I also remember Trump dragging his first wife Ivana through the mud in the New York tabloids when he wanted to beat her down before their divorce settlement in 1991. Their divorce was on the cover of the NYC tabloids eleven days in a row, featuring Donald Trump commenting to reporters that he wasn't sexually attracted to Ivana, criticizing her in very crude terms about her plastic surgery and breast implants and implying she was stupid. The mother of his 3 young children! I imagine Donald Trump hurt her plenty before their divorce was final. Plenty of cruelty initiated there.
37
I suspect that Obama has a favorite on the left whom he is supporting privately and the consults with Biden are just for show. His refusal to make an endorsement after Biden served him for 8 years is telling
7
@Abbott Hall There is 14 months before the election. President Obama has time to endorse the primary winner.
10
So what if it wasn’t rosy? Why should we care?
3
Great read. Biden needs to make sure he is in full attack-mode when he goes against Trump. Give Trump a nickname like "Bankrupt Don." Trump bankrupts his companies/casinos, and he's bankrupt morally. That nickname would really get under his orange skin.
Also need to make fun of his hair, weight, everything. You need to bully the bully, then the bully will back down. Joe is going to win this election! #DumpTrump
16
@Dave I hope you're right.
Biden's natural sense of humor would allow for to poke fun at Donald Trump, thus getting under his skin & shaking up his game, while not appearing to be a crude "Trump Lite." He can mock Trump without coming across as unPresidential, which is how Trump is seen.
We should still go high when they go low, but we can have some fun along the way.
8
Donald Trump is an abomination. This cancer that must be removed. Not only must we ensure he is not re-elected, but we must also banish him, and silence his voice for the rest of his days! So, my answer to all you left wing supporters making excuses for not supporting the Democratic nominee, no matter what, get a clue. Another 4 years of Trump will split this country in half. So get on board or get out of the way. Nothing you say or believe can justify you all staying home or complaining. Nothing. You all stayed at home last time out of protest because you truly believe that some of your neighbors were crazy, but not insane and that Hillary was probably going to win. Now you know better, so you have no excuse to stay home, write in, or whatever useless things you all do. In conclusion, vote like your life depends out it because it very well may.
35
@Charles Buttigieg or Harris given he referenced them as the party's future after Trump won, but they're both long-shots so endorsing them if they can't make it on their own would just increase Trump's odds of winning.
1
Applauding your rant. It’s excellent. Our lives do depend on getting rid of not only Trump, it also enough Republicans to get the votes for getting to work on climate change and infrastructure.
10
If Obama doesn't get engaged and vocally get behind get rid of the Trumpian Thugs, voter's rights, fair unimpeded elections, he is going to fall in the category of no use. Michelle, are you still there??
6
VP---second prize---bucket of warm spit. Except, heaven forfend, when they get thrust into it. Some turn out great---LBJ, T. R. , Harry Truman. Some not so much...Tyler, A. Johnson, Coolidge. Which is Biden?
2
"While paying homage to Mr. Obama, [candidates, including Warren, Sanders, Harris & Booker] are urging the party to move FAR beyond his administration’s positions on immigration, criminal justice, health care …."
This is the problem. They feel & falsely believe the country is ripe for a REVOLUTION! They fail to see the HIGH poll numbers of Joe Biden who didn't register in the polls in 2008, is because he's MODERATE, despite all his well known negatives:
Uncle Joe told Evan Bayh, after dropping out, “You were a whole hell of a lot smarter than I was! I never had a goddamn chance!” But he decided to run only because he believed he could beat Donald Trump.
All this show the country is still averse to revolution, but around 25% feels the country is ready because they're ready. And Elizabeth Warren shines by that 25%. She couldn't win, not because of Trump but because of her radical policy positions.
Moderates look weak because they are too many to cut into Biden's lead. The only one who stands out is Pete Buttigieg who unfortunately is too young, as Biden is too old, also gay.
Still a Buttigieg-Klobuchar ticket, if achievable, will be a sure bet to capture the White House for 2021. I'm not hopeful for Uncle Joe to win in 2020.
I hope Democrats won't forget that winning the White House is the most important goal, which ain't easy.
5
The piece is fine, but I'm apprehensive about Glenn Thrush having an important role in narrating the primary, given his (handsy) history with female colleagues. Is he really a credible voice on some of the important issues in the campaign?
*grimacing emoji*
4
Joe Biden is a nice guy, who has done reasonably well in old-style politics, with the backroom dealing and go along to get along of the old white male dominance. He's made a few too many compromises, but in the circumstances they're perhaps not quite as bad as they look. Anita Hill and a good few others have good reason to complain, though.
But what's really important is that he is very good at losing his presidential bids, and he appears to also be aging faster than some others. Bernie, whatever you think of him, is sharp as a tack. Joe Biden, not so much.
If you're looking for electable, my money's on Elizabeth Warren. She needs to let everyone know she's practical despite her high principles and ideals, and knows how to get things done. She listens, and she's spent a lifetime solving the problems of regular people faced with a kleptocracy.
Enough with folksy Joe. Republicans love him. Democrats, not so much.
"Electability" has become the buzzword of the age, and it is not helping one little bit.
34
@Susan Anderson The pocahontas issue is bad,it's her big weakness. If she can't win the black vote she has no shot at winning the nomination.
6
@Susan Anderson
I'm sorry, but people need to come out of this bubble where they believe this fiction that "Republicans love him. Democrats, not so much."
If that were so, someone else would be twenty points ahead in the race.
7
@Susan Anderson That Democrats are "not so much" in love with Joe is scary. Actually, it's not completely true. Most Democrats like him. And most Democrats support his Obama-esque policy prescriptions.
It's the Twitter mob Democrats on the left that disapprove of a man who has fought for working people his whole life. And those folks have their ideal candidates, bizarely & naively believing a self-described socialist who looks even older than Biden or Elizabeth Warren whose policies are totally out of lockstep with the American citizenry will win the day.
If you secretly have a desire to see Trump re-elected, I can see why you go head over heels for these folks.
7
Brilliant article. One of the best I’ve read all year!
2
The tidbits and anecdotes contained in this article describe two politicians who governed during a terrifying financial crisis where millions lost homes and jobs. The recovery allowed by Republicans in spite of Mr. Obama's efforts has millions working two or three jobs. Whatever your age you fear getting sick. Our personal safety is threatened because anyone can have an assault weapon and hundred round bullet drums. The arctic is melting. I beg political reporters to avoid snarky hit jobs and comfortable shade throwing as we hurtle to the 2020 election. Most of us are unable to care about what you find compelling.
18
I find it exasperating that supposedly progressive publications seem bent on undermining efforts to return our democracy to a semblance of normalcy by pointing out minor flaws in presidential candidates who have the best hope of defeating Trump, or should I say any who have a hope of defeating him.
In the end they will wring their hands and wonder how it all went wrong, as republicans continue to bleed the country dry for every penny that can get, while promoting the destruction of our environment and the demolition of our democracy.
21
The country has suffered very much since the GOP implemented their Reagan revolution of giving the ultimate power to the countries evil plutocrats. The system is truel rigged for the GOP plutocrats. To undo our destructive and the half century GOP plutocracy in which the GOP has the ability to elect a monkey when they want, we need to go in the opposite direction.
There are ONLY two candidates that can systematically undo, Reagan's plutocracy, Sanders and Warren. Warren can and will save capitalism from itself, while Sanders will have a difficult time because he calls himself a socialist. To the average voter, democratic capitalism sounds better than democratic socialism.
I supported Biden when he first ran for president. However Biden hasn't changed his core politics since, but the country and the world has. Biden is the past and Warren is the future, moreover the country is sick of Trump and longing for some who is the absolute opposite of him in every manner. That person is professor Warren.
10
@beachboy I can appreciate you like her platform, but why do you think a 70 year old legislating professor is most likely to excel at one of the most intense administrative positions on Earth?
Put another way... the political piece aside, I can do the jobs Warren has had. I couldn't hold a single high level administration position and be great at it....
2
Another headline and story that seeks to undermine Biden. Referring to him as a "fragile front-runner" when he is consistently polling double the numbers of Warren and triple the numbers of Harris, seems disingenuous. This is opinion masquerading as news. Again, we are getting this not-so-subtle manipulation of the obvious facts on the ground.
25
@twofold I mean.. if you look at the enthusiasm based tradition of Iowa's Kernel Poll he's not looking like he's in the most solid position in the world.
@twofold Perhaps the "fragile front-runner" comment pertains to the insults and fabricated stories the grifter from Queens will tweet and use in his hate rallies.
Any candidate that becomes the nominee will need to be able to fire back without mercy.
5
I'm still trying to figure out what Joe Biden has done in his long career that legitimately earns him any plaudits. His coddling of the financial industry has given us sky-high credit card interest rates and impoverished hundreds of thousands of Americans, and his strong support of the bankrutcy bill then made it much more difficult to get out of the whole Joe and his financial buddies dug for them. Black people especially suffered from Biden's vote to end the protections of Glass-Steagall; 2/3 of all of black Americans' net worth, the little they had, was demolished by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. And his political decision to support the Iraq War, like Hillary's, was not a "mistake," and it caused thousands of young American men and a million Iraqis to die and markedly hurts the Middle East to this day. Why, tell me, SHOULD I support Biden? If it's because cowards are afraid he's the only one who can beat Trump, that's a pretty sorry answer--and it's probably not true, anyway.
13
WOW - name me two of any persons working or living together without disagreements and even resentments over who have the ultimate power; husbands - wives?
5
Yada! Yada! Yada! One thing is certain the rest are "lies". To beat Trump there is only one choice. The VP. President Obama knows this. That is why he is helping. Above all, the voters know this. That is why the VP is leading in the polls every where despite all the efforts to tear him down.
8
Wisdom, experience, loyalty, courage, heart...given the Trump presidency and the state of our nation - with Trump's administration tearing at the very fabric of our democracy, our values, our foundations every day - is there really anyone who can offer more - or better - than Joe Biden at this fragile, precarious time?
Really?
Anyone who has ever believed Joe Biden is stupid...isn't paying attention. Yes, he leads with heart, but also with his head. I have no fear about his ability to answer that cliched "middle of the night" call wisely and well.
We have a man who can barely feign to have heart in the White House...how's that workin' for us?
This is a beautiful story about how real relationships are navigated and strengthened; about genuine friendship and the true power of partnership...thank you.
20
The only other picture that could top that winning one of Obama and Biden, side by side, would be one of Warren and Harris. Whatever looks good on paper and checks off all the right boxes.
1
@John Doe Misogyny likely played a role in Clinton's loss but instead of a balanced ticket your approach is to double down?
I'm not so sure that checks all the right boxes. Warren/Booker might, Warren/Castro could, Buttigieg/Harris or Abrams or Harris/O'Rourke.
Think those get more boxes.
Neither Joe Biden nor Hillary Clinton were as superb effective national political operators as Barack Obama. Bill Clinton wasn't as great as Obama.
In the last 70 years only two American Presidents managed to win two terms with 'popular' vote and Electoral College majorities. Dwight David Eisenhower and Barack Hussein Obama.
7
@Blackmamba Didn't Reagan too?
3
I quote Joe Biden from early in Obama’s 2008 campaign:
"I mean, you've got the first sort of mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a story-book, man.”
[This prompted the Rev. Sharpton to complain to Biden that he “took a bath every day”.]
In fact, with Obama’s tendency to reach out (as in nominating his rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state), it makes one wonder if that is how Biden got chosen to be his running mate. There were certainly others he could have chosen who were knowledgeable and experienced with foreign policy and affairs.
If Biden hadn’t made the crack, he may never have been asked to be a running mate.
4
@srwdm
You do yourself no favors by trying to validate a point by quoting Sharpton, the 2nd biggest con artist in recent memory, though it's true he badly trails #1, Trump.
I don't understand when or why the editorial staff at the New York Times decided that Joe Biden must not be the Democratic nominee for President in 2020. But this piece is yet another nail in the coffin of the NYT's impartiality on the topic. How many negative articles and op ed pieces in a row now? Ten, twelve, fifteen?
And since attacking his policies and track record have done zero to reduce Biden's lead, you now go after what you perceive to be his greatest appeal, his relationship with Obama.... with unsubstantiated opinions and not one actual quote from the former President himself.
Let's get real. This election is going to be decided by the same 0.5-1.0 million people, in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, who voted for Obama in 2012 and for Trump in 2016. The reason that Biden is leading the polls is that many sensible Democrats intuit that he can win those people back.
Biden supporters are not swayed by hack jobs, nor by progressive policy proposals that, no matter how appealing, won't happen in their lifetime no matter who is President.
Neither am I.
18
A glimpse into the sausage factory..
5
What a mean spirited, condescending and disrespectful boatload of political pablum!
Joe Biden deserves far more than this unpolished rubbish and political character assassination.
13
Obama and Biden's relation was simply one of convenience and mutual benefit during the 2 terms of the Obama presidency, both had a jolly good time and the best of times in their lives.
1
How can you write an article about their relationship and ignore Biden’s inflammatory comments about Obama and his clean and articulate appearance.
1
Joe Biden is not my first choice as the Democrat candidate for President, but there is much to say in his favor. He has voted for bills that, today, are much out of favor, however, his votes must be considered in the contect of the times in which they occurred.
In the absence of the ability to nail Biden's feet to the floor, he will continue to make verbal blunders. His blunders, however, are grammatically at the level of an adult, whereas our present idiot in chief's verbal remarks and tweets have been scientifically analyzed and found to be at the language level of a fourth grader. Trump talks like a child, throws tantrums like a child and governs like a mentally disturbed child.
Biden exudes humanity, warmth and empathy. Biden is a "mensch", Trump is a monster.
21
I keep beating the same drum—in comments sections, in my local Dem meetings and among family and friends. At this juncture we do not need another elderly, vain white male in the Presidency. (If you think Biden isn’t vain, revisit his 1980s hair plugs.)
Biden has said repeatedly that he has asked ex-President Obama not to support him in his primary bid. I believe the truth is more complicated. As close as the two men are, I think Obama is right to to refrain from supporting any candidate until we have a Democratic nominee.
13
I don't have to read all the comments here to know that the haters will be out en masse.
But no matter what they say about Barack Obama or Joe Biden, NOTHING will come even close to the degree of vulgarity we're now forced to face with Donald Trump in the White House.
And if Americans fail to recognize the irreparable harm this president and his Republican cabal are doing to this country, we'll be looking at four more years of the same thing.
31
@N. Smith
It doesn't matter how horrible Trump is if Biden can't get the vote out. Trump was gross and vulgar and dishonest and threatening when he ran against Hillary - but lots of people still didn't vote for her. We need people who don't like and don't want Biden to talk about why - many of us have real concerns and don't want Biden to be the nominee. I'll vote for the Democrat whoever it is but I think people under 40 in particular won't much like Biden as the nominee. That matters a lot.
Telling people to stop criticizing Biden because we need to beat Trump - that's not going to work. We need to weigh in. Many people objecting to anyone criticizing Hillary in 2016. But she was a very bad candidate and was widely disliked - enough to lose an election. Those of us who thought we should have a different nominee were right.
I personally don't think Biden is a strong enough campaigner or politician to beat Trump. For one thing he's way too old and he's the same kind of corporate shill that got Hillary defeated. I wrote in these NYT comments during the 2016 campaign I thought Trump was going to beat Hillary. But go ahead and ignore me again and insist we drink the Kool-Aid about Biden.
35
@fast/furious
"... and he's the same kind of corporate shill that got Hillary defeated."
It wasn't the corporate connection that beat Hillary Clinton. It was her personality, demeanor & off the cuff remarks like 'deplorable Trump voters' that made people to dislike, even hate her. Then many thought she was sure to win & didn't bother to vote. If the voters in PA, MI & WI knew she might not win, instead of sitting home, they would have gotten out & voted for her. And she would still have won. Hope Democrats wouldn't make that mistake this time around. Elizabeth Warren's rise scares me. She can't beat Trump, because of her hard left policies.
4
@fast/furious
Fantastic comment because you really get to the heart of the matter. WOW!
Thank you for these incredible words.
2
Simply put, Biden will get me to the polls in 2020. Go Joe!
14
As a middle-aged observer, what I see and hear in the writings and voices of young, Progressive America, is this 2020 election cycle is largely a beauty pageant. It happens to be a contest that in its early stages is led by an elderly, veteran Washington insider, white man with grey hair, that every now and then says something off of the cuff that ruffles feathers and causes the ground to quake a little bit under their feet. Hey, he may not be winning the charm contest, or the diction contest, get first place in the cultural awareness contest, and it won’t get the most votes for physical beauty and attractiveness. But what this contestant is, is perhaps the only person that can square up and go toe to toe with the scrappy fighter and his dirty demagoguery that is ruining this country. For the sake of your other beauty contestants and the future of this nation, let’s give the man some default points for playing the game and knowing how to scrap himself, and for just being in this world as long as he has. This can pave the way for a future featuring some of the young progressives that right now want to hastily and sheepishly take down the old man.
17
To those who seek to diminish Joe Biden I say please don't shoot yourselves in the foot. We have Caligula in the White House, a feckless, immoral republican party that seems to have no qualms in supporting this man. Our nation is weaker, less respected, certainly less trusted and a lot poorer than we were at the last election. All our institutions have been under attack and are being slowly dismantled while we watch the " shiny object " freak show that is this administration.Our core moral beliefs ( true or not ) are being erased and a new ignorance, cruel and bigoted is set in its place. Every day people all over this nation and around the world are horrified at what is happening here.
It's going to take a smart and savvy person to begin to restore and rebuild that which this group has destroyed. It's going to take decency and caring and a belief that public office is about doing what is best for most.Knocking Joe Biden, who epitomizes the good and decent American, who knows his way around the halls of congress and who has, over the years, earned the respect of our elected officials, and many americans across the nation is a sad and dangerous thing. Yes, there are a number of very interesting candidates, and yes, they will not win because our country will not elect any of them. Another four years of this guy and the America I was born into will no longer exist.
24
“You make a decision, and I will follow it to my death,” Mr. Biden said.
But it is apparently so much more difficult to support your former wingman and friend.
6
Interesting how now the media is critiquing the relationship between Obama and Biden. Why wasn't it done earlier? This is why the media has a reputation as purveyors of fake news. Thank you.
3
I'm only guessing but Obama was probably surprised how conservative Joe is. He also had to contend with Joe putting foot in mouth too often.
3
@David Henry You forget Joe convinced Obama to support same sex marriage.
5
Biden is the most logical choice to continue the measured, centrist and intelligent policies by President Obama. To the hard core socialist left there is no difference between Clinton, Bush, Obama or Trump. If you liked and voted for Clinton or Obama you should like Biden.
7
@Robert
Joe Biden is nothing like Barack Obama.
Barack Obama was incapable of writing something as unjust as the 1994 crime bill or opposing bankruptcy protection for consumers. Obama was capable of understanding the pain of real people & objecting to things that were unjust - unlike Biden who supported & even authored unjust bills & legislation. Obama - unlike Biden - opposed the disastrous Iraq War. I don't believe Obama would have rudely hung Anita Hill out to dry at the Thomas hearing like she was an inconvenience & annoyance to those old buddy senators in a hurry to confirm a man who didn't deserve to be on SCOTUS.
Obama was relatively progressive, inspirational & very interested in & engaged with the contemporary world - music, art, literature, tech, scientific innovation, architecture... There's no indication Joe Biden has the intellectual heft or curiosity that made Obama such an exceptional candidate & president. Biden seems pretty dull - he's an old poll who doesn't seem to know much but politics & the Washington power game.
Another notable thing about Obama is his extraordinary class & poise. He gave brilliant inspiring speeches. Millions worldwide turned out to see Obama in person. Obama's the epitome of charm & graciousness. Joe Biden's a charmless, arrogant man who can't keep his hands off women & who's repeatedly made embarrassing public comments about the physical blossoming of prepubescent girls.
Joe Biden is nothing like Obama. Nothing.
3
It’s not how the first date goes, it’s the relationship the first date leads to. Biden's and Obama's relationship at the end is what matters. All the rest is just noise.
11
I just don't understand the actual purpose this article serves. The headline is, again, misleading, and the content is just...I don't even know what it is. Each person stands on their own. The fact that Biden served as VP under Obama means nothing to me but resume material. There is no "magic" that rubs off from two people holding those offices, especially when the VP position is one of the most useless in government; unless, of course, waiting for someone to die or become incapacitated is useful. Who cares about this kitchen-table talk about their personal relationship? There is none. If you like Obama's legacy (a mixed bag for sure on any level) then maybe you think Biden will help return things or support the initiatives? I hope he has his own and his own people. Obama should have zero effect on any thinking person's decision. In fact, the only question in anyone's, including the NYT's, rationale for voting should be "Which candidate is likely to get the most votes to eject this current administration?". And the Times should be on the forefront of promoting that question. This paper, lately, has become infuriating to those of us that think this is the only objective there is.
12
@Mark, Your comment, ironically, kind of fits the description of what you described the article itself to be. A lot of words to get to "which candidate is likely to get the most votes to eject this current administration? No offence intended sir.
4
There are many cautionary moments here: Obama saying "You don't have to do this, Joe," his frustration Biden is oblivious about recruiting younger staff, Obama warning Biden's current staff to prevent Biden from embarrassing himself.
Does any of this sound good or hopeful?
Joe Biden's a soft target for Trump. Biden's proud, defensive, quick to anger. Biden's greatest vulnerability is probably his son Hunter, an emotionally troubled man w/ a history of shady business dealings that lead back to his dad. Last year Hunter ended his marriage to "date" his dead brother's wife.
Note Joe Biden "exploded" when Obama's staff researched Hunter - "Leave my family out of this!" he said angrily.
Trump's not going to leave Biden's family out of it & will tear Hunter Biden apart. Remember Giuliani saying he was going to Ukraine to get "dirt" on Hunter Biden? He meant it.
Joe Biden doesn't have the political intelligence to look closely at Hunter & see his son is ethically compromised & too troubled to withstand Trump hitting him. The New Yorker article on Hunter Biden shows a profoundly corrupt & emotionally fragile man.
In another time, what's wrong w/ Hunter Biden wouldn't matter much. But Trump's president, mean as a snake & smeared the wife & father of Ted Cruz to defeat him. Trump will attack Hunter Biden. If Joe Biden was less ambitious, he wouldn't subject his family to this.
Donald Trump is ready for Joe Biden. And his son. Joe Biden is not ready for Trump.
13
I often have political conversations with my boss, a Republican. After watching the debates, he said, “The Democrats would have to be crazy to run Biden against Trump.”
1
I think we could take this NY Times headline, substitute the names of any two other people in a relationship, say Ben & Jerry, my parents, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett Packard, or perhaps Paul Newman & JoAnne Woodward, and the story stands. Still, the suggestion by the NYT, IMO, is that perhaps we readers may have missed something politically crucial, something we did not know. Not sure this is so.
2
Manufacturing news is hard work is it not?
Gotta make something out of nothing while keeping all the access gossip journalism stakeholders happy and avoiding real news. Quid pro quo has its price.
You think it is easy then you do it!
3
It never looked rosy. So quit leading with misleading headlines.
Obama and Biden had a good working relationship initially, and at the end of 8 years, they had affection for each other.
There was no "rosiness". Be better than the average journalist.
9
We can thank Obama for foisting Biden on us just like we can thank McCain for Palin.
Joe's shining record:
1991 As Chairman, allowed fellow members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to attacked Anita Hill. (So we got Clarence Thomas.)
1994 Wrote the disastrous Crime Bill. (Hello prison industrial complex.)
1995 Wrote the Omnibus Counter-terrorism Act (became Patriot Act).
1996 Voted Against Gay Marriage. (Real leadership there.)
1999 Repealed Glass Steagall. (World financial crisis.)
2001 Voted for the Patriot Act. (Big Brother is watching you.)
2002 Voted for Iraq War. (Yeah but it's ok, cuz his son served.)
2005 Voted to end bankruptcy protection for students. (Endless debt builds character.)
2018 Presents G.W. Bush with Liberty Medal. (Finally gets the big stuff right.)
7
@CK Now, please post all of the good things Trump has done.
4
This doesn’t paint a nice picture of Obama. Confident to the point of cocky, added a woman to VP consideration for optics only. Eeek.
1
Biden's too old:
"Sorry, but I’m over Biden. Past his sell-by date ..."
Sanders is even older. Who's number 3?
The NYT and WaPo continue their months-long streak of refusing to publish a single positive piece about our clear frontrunner, Joe Biden.
Every time I see one of these stories, I donate to Joe’s campaign. It’s been getting expensive.
12
Two good men, but Biden's chances of winning has moved on with time. Biden would be ripped up by Trump. Biden was a good, loyal, Vice President that surely provided good advice to Obama.
Warren is the one. She has working class roots that she has not forgotten that surely will keep her grounded in reality. Some make fun that she "has a plan" for everything, but isn't that a good thing?
At some point she needs to step up and address just how she intends to garner the funds needed to do all that she intends to do without bankrupting the country. Here is a plan that works. ... https://lstrn.us/controlledCapitalism
6
Why make a headline that stirs negative impressions ?? Political decisions are complex & nuanced. Duh.
9
@Sara. Because their heart belongs to Kamala.
5
I think we need a well-rounded president, like Biden, and that most of the candidates are too young to appreciate the depth of experience needed to keep our country moving forward.
We have an out-of-control budget that should be dissected with a fine-tooth comb and must be reined in, which means to me that if we are to attain racial, health-care, economic, educational and other equalities, some budget items must be trimmed but cautiously.
We need a path maker, someone who can build a road toward our future. Obama had near-perfect rhetoric but lacked the experience (tools and skills) when he won the election. He was a quick study and learned plenty -- and well -- but after Trump leaves, our country won't have time for such a wide learning curve.
Biden's mouth bothers me less than some of his Senate votes. True, people can change, but, I think his devotion to catholicism (no cap intended) suggests his religious beliefs would hold sway over his decisions. Yet, I respect much of the work he's done in government.
Still, my choice would be Elizabeth Warren, who has changed my mind that she should stay in the Senate. She backs up her statements with clear and real ways to attain goals and has a broad knowledge of government.
9
@janet Very good summary of Biden.
@janet I recall a few decades ago the same accusation against John F. Kennedy was raised-religious beliefs would sway his decisions.
That proved to be not quite truthful in the short time JFK was president.
And I believe that would be true of Biden-his religious beliefs would be no more onerous than what the religious right would like to have ingrained in our government.
3
I'll admit I was not an Obama enthusiast at the beginning of his run. But as soon as he brought out Biden as his VP candidate, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. A steady, experienced hand would also be at the wheel.
Yes, Joe was gaffe-ing back then, so there's no difference to today. In my view that's not a big deal.
What is a big deal is having a firm hand and a good team in place to right our sinking ship of state. And a progressive VP candidate.
13
Back in 2008, we were told it was Ms. Clinton turn, but a candidate came out of nowhere and won the presidency. To placate the "Clintonians" who still controlled the Democratic party she was given the Secretary of State job.
In 2016, we were told it was Ms. Clinton turn again. She was indirectly endorsed by Obama when both gave an interview together in 2013 after Ms Clinton resigned from her position as secretary of state.
We all know how that turned out.
Now in 2019 we are told by the same people that it's Biden turn despite the fact that Mr Biden doesn't seem ready. You don't win election because I quote " I can't let the chance pass to take on Trump" That's not why Mr Obama won in 2008 or Trump in 2016.
What the last presidential elections since the advent of social-media has shown is that people are looking for change, real change in Washington. To a point that some voted for a con man who promised to drain the swamp.
Mr. Biden is campaigning as the guy who will bring us back to the way it was before Trump. Maybe it will work, for Trump has been so bad for this country that people would rather go back to where it was before him. But I think it's a risk Democrats should not take. We might wake up Nov 4 2020, the same way we did Nov,9 2016.
8
That's what I'd thought too:
"The only goal of 2020 is to assure Trump is not re-elected."
Many commenters say that voters won't show up at the polls just to elect Biden. Turnout will be low, they say, unless the Democratic nominee is progressive (and Biden isn't).
It may be that the Democratic Party can have it both ways -- i.e., a progressive candidate who can beat Trump. But that's pretty unlikely. More likely, the Democratic Party will have to choose. Either (1) a progressive candidate who will go down in flames (Warren, for example); or (2) a moderate candidate (Biden, for example) who might beat Trump.
Then there's real life, of course.
In real life, Warren will get the nod (after both Biden and Sanders get dismissed, as they should be, as too old), and the Democratic Party will do what both major parties have always done: try to move the party's candidate toward the center, in the hope of picking up a few swing voters.
Frankly, either choice -- or real life -- looks pretty hopeless for the Democratic Party at the moment. Unless Trump gets hit by a truck, or has a heart attack, between now and Election Day 2020, his re-election appears to be a near-certainty.
3
@Commenter I like Warren, but she is 70. I have to laugh that she’s not considered “too old” while people only a few years more advanced than her are.
2
@Commenter "Dismissed for being too old?" But Warren is also 70. Biden is 76, Sanders 77 and Trump is 73.
2
The wider world would view a President Biden as an experienced, respected elder statesman. And, speaking as a free-trade Democrat, he’s the closest candidate we have to that. For these reasons alone Biden has my vote.
8
Friends, it is time to be serious and straight forward. Our country's future is on the line.
The reasons former President Obama chose Joe Biden were due to him being a professional politician, a multiple decades fixture in DC, he matched a certain demographic of voters, had the perceived value of a "blue collar" background and was malleable to become whatever the administration needed him to be.
I cannot recall nor found in my research any great accomplishment achieved primarily by Mr. Biden. He is merely another status quo (Romney-esq) polished politician that will generate very little excitement and change.
We need change and someone with the ability, energy, and stamina to fight. Not another octogenarian politician whom has not been out of the DC Beltway for reasons other than to campaign or raise money.
4
@Nature Voter Serious question: what does "change" even mean? Can it be meaningful if it's what people wanted and (according to you) got, in 3 very different elections with 3 very different outcomes in 2008, 2012 and 2016 already? and why is it always thrown out as something that the people supposedly want and something of value without ever being questioned? If anything I would think the current situation demonstrates the overlooked value of competence, expertise and skill, and the danger of focusing solely on things like charisma, "change", personality. BTW Sanders hasn't been out of the beltway for years either, and Warren has been in a Cambridge ivory tower for a long time.
3
Both guys are power brokers for big business and big money. The increase and extension of invasion of privacy is an obama achievement few thought would happen. His support for the michigan governor's toxic water project is sad.
Having so said, are they any better than what we have now? The question might better be, "does it matter?"
2
At this stage, Biden, Warren and Sanders are the only serious candidates, and each of them will be able to turn out the Democratic vote in 2020.
I'm not at all troubled by Biden's age or his occasional verbal gaffes, as he has the intelligence, experience and strength of character to lead this troubled country of ours. Obama knew that about Biden when he selected him to be his VP, and it is the reason he is covertly supportive of Biden today.
The "Safe Candidate?" Everyone forgets that Biden publicly pushed Obama to support Gay marriage at a time when President Obama was not ready to do so. Biden pushed because he saw that it was the right thing to do, and Obama ultimately benefited from that decision.
If he is lucky enough to be nominated, Biden would do well to pick a VP that represents a bridge to the future, the youth vote, and the liberal wing of the party.
8
Joe Biden's 2020 campaign is founded on delusion -- the notion that we can somehow erase what's happened over the past 31 months and return to some semblance of normal. But there's no going back. Life, much less politics, has never worked this way. We have massive rebuilding to do, and a man clearly in the midst of natural mental decline is a poor choice to get us there.
Separately, one wishes that Democrats could simply take into account recent political history. Every "safe" and "next in line" Democratic presidential candidate this century, including Al Gore, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton, have all lost. Biden is clearly in this establishment vein. Do we really need to go 4 for 4 before we learn this lesson?
A Biden candidacy is one of fear of the future, and decidedly not one of hope that we make changes for the better. One can smell this a mile away.
9
@corvid
Richard Nixon, who'd served in the House and the Senate then spent 8 years as Vice President, was furious that John F. Kennedy, a man who'd served one term in the Senate, beat him to become president at age 43.
But Kennedy is widely regarded as a very good president and Nixon resigned the presidency as a crook.
Sometimes when we take a risk we get it right.
John F Kennedy proved that. Barack Obama proved it again.
We shouldn't necessarily support the person "next in line" who's been around forever. Sometimes hanging around forever is a sign of someone who can't move forward. Look at McConnell.
1
How nostalgic! This sentimental piece confirms what we already knew: Obama was a cool, calculating thinker and Biden was a passable political veteran at the right place at the right time. The combination worked--and rather well.
It's 2019 now though. Donald Trump has changed the norms and nature of American democracy. This is no time for nostalgia. Kamala Harris seems to get this as evidenced by her brutal debate attack on Biden--whose poll numbers can only go down.
3
Biden also gave Obama cover for his upend-the-system vows (single-payer, healthcare heatings in public, public and small-donor campaign financing, etc.). The irony is Obama never delivered on any of this, and so inspired the tilt left (Bernie, Warren, even Trump are anti-establishment figures). Meaning Biden again is cover for the “middle” and unappealing to the energy of the party. You can win this way when he’s the bottom of the ticket. No way, no how Biden wins at the top.
1
i find this article disquieting in so many ways. the depiction of these politicians as sharp elbowed opportunists jockeying for personal gain and fame is icky beyond words. and i'm a democrat!
1
We need a strong 3rd party candidate. This article made me realize that. Perhaps Howard Schultz, Ralph Nader, or Jill Stein. I strongly encourage Bernie to run as 3rd party. That is the best way to victory over Trump. Thank you Nytimes for exposing the DNC efforts for a Biden coronation. Bernie Sanders must run on a Green Party ticket. We will not be bullied by the moderate Dems!
That sounds like very strange logic. So you would rather have Trump be president?
1
@CJ
Bernie wouldn't do that. He would be the most hated person in the country. I believe Bernie wants Trump out of office more than anything else.
@CJ Thanks for your idealism, purity and rigidity. Trump and McConnell will thank you as well.
Oh, if only this man could be president for life! His insight regarding being 'wary of asking voters to digest too much at once' should be the mantra for the democratic party for 2020 and beyond.
1
ehhh- it was pretty obvious that Obama picked Joe because a younger VP would have been a 2016 competitor for Hillary. At least it seemed obvious to me.
We all saw how well that worked out.
"...they needed to make sure Mr. Biden did not “embarrass himself” or “damage [Obama's] legacy”
Once again Obama proves himself another self-serving politician. I keep expecting better from him and I keep being disappointed.
2
Tim Kaine? The choice of his heart and the choice of Hillary Clinton. Why? It's still chocking to me.
How about moving beyond in the here and now? It is 2019, soon to be 2020. 2020! A woman can and should actually be elected to the top job, full stop. It's time. Time overdue. Past due. And by the time the 2020 election comes around, anyone with a heartbeat can beat Trump, he'll have the country close to ashes by then, if it's still around.
At long last, this story rejects the party-line myth that Biden declined to run in 2016, not because Obama opposed it, but because of family concerns.
I really don’t see why anyone cares about this anymore. Their relationship is completely irrelevant given the current state of affairs and we already know that Obama blessing or dissing a candidate is also a meaningless gesture. Just move on.
2
When Obama won, it wasn’t because he was the “safe” or familiar choice.
When Trump won, it wasn’t because he was the “safe” or familiar choice.
When Democrats, many running for the first time, many of which were women, took back, they didn’t win because they were “safe” or familiar choices.
Anyone who thinks Biden is going to be the “safe” candidate to run against Trump isn’t paying attention to the very real trends in our elections.
If the Democratic candidate can’t get people excited about going to the polls, if the candidate can’t articulate a hopeful view of the future, we’re going to lose a great deal more than an election.
Biden is not that candidate.
78
@Chickpea Yes, he will be the one to unseat Trump. I also noticed you didn't mention which candidate would be better than Biden in terms of beating Trump. Hmm.
1
Both Obama and Trump won because they ran against the deeply flawed Hilary Clinton, whose supposed strength as a candidate scared off other contenders.
@Chickpea
While I agree with your feelings regarding Biden ... this election is not to be compared to any in my 75 years.
People are grasping for safe. He will, if elected, surround himself with competent people, cabinet members who are not anti the very department they lead. My guess would be he selects Stacey Abrams as his running mate.
Again forget excitement we are DESPERATE.
3
"Wanting Joe Biden to be president is wanting things to go back to how they were right before Trump. Wanting things to go back to how they were right before Trump is recreating the situations that gave rise to Trump. This is a very stupid thing to want." Caitlin Johnstone
62
@lzolatrov Good point. We should not be quoting Caitlin any longer. This is all about unseating the worst president in US history. Anyone who doesn't understand that is missing the entire point.
4
Interesting back story and indicates Joe is on a redemption and vindication campaign. It’s not about you Joe, it’s about us. We have many Strong candidates waiting for the big stage with the energy and ideas to move us beyond trump.
26
Surprised and saddened by all the comments complaining about Biden’s policies and more conservative stances than the left wing of the party. Despite the fact that this article was an interesting personality piece and not about policies, the whining about Biden’s policies is misplaced - in the face of the possibility of another four years of the destruction to our constitution, world standing, civility, and general health of our country. The only goal of 2020 is to assure Trump is not re-elected.
36
@Bennett Ellenbogen Defeating Trump is a very short-sighted goal. The goal should be to defeat TrumpISM. And that should be done by changing the underlying problems in our country rather than resetting things back to the 2016 conditions that created Trump in the first place. Electing Biden gets rid of Trump, but the Republican who'll replace Biden in 2024 will be an unimaginable monster who's learned from Trump's successes and mistakes.
2
@Bennett Ellenbogen
Biden is out of step with many Americans. Biden's "base" is supposedly strength with African Americans - 12% of the population. This was also supposedly Hillary's base - but African American turnout in 2016 was far below what Hillary's campaign projected. There's no reason to think Biden will do any better.
Biggest vulnerability for Biden is he's not going to appeal to voters under 40 - who also weren't enthusiastic about Hillary & underperformed for her.
The Democratic party & Biden are so obsessed with
getting 'working class' folks who voted for Trump, they have their head in the sand about the millions of young voters who won't support Joe Biden.
Imagine alienating the biggest group of potential Democratic voters - young people - to appeal to blue collar voters who helped elect Trump?
The Democratic party's "conventional wisdom" on all this stuff gave us a doomed candidate in 2016. They're so stuck in the past, how things used to be, they aren't thinking clearly about 2020.
Biden's also living in the past where he can convince "lunch bucket" union guys to support him. Millions of potential voters under 40 - who are sophisticated and solidly liberal obviously won't vote for Trump. But if they stay home like they did in 2016 because they had no enthusiasm for Hillary - the Democratic candidate will lose.
Nobody is a bigger loser in that demographic than Granddad Joe.
2
2020 is the reverse of 2008. Obama was advocating change and had little experience and needed someone with continuity and experience. Now we have Trump, who is change (of the wrong sort) on steroids. Another change candidate is never going to fly, even with a well known and experienced vice-presidential candidate. This time we need continuity and experience supported by someone younger who can succeed them.
Joe is the best chance we have right now. Obama is right that he needs some advisers who understand the current times. He also needs to keep his foot out of his mouth but he's insulated to some extent by the fact that people are inclined to say "It's just Joe being Joe". At least he does it unintentionally, unlike Trump.
31
This really isn't helpful. We're facing not only a constitutional crisis with the tatters Trump has left us with, but, it would seem, real possibilities of worldwide disaster on every front. It's not a time to pick apart the Obama/Biden relationship. It's time to figure out who can best lead the US out of the incredible pit we are in currently, who understands the realities -- and necessities -- of the future and make sure American voters know who those leaders are and what they have to offer. Biden is old news at best. Please explore new avenues. If The NYT doesn't do this for us, who will?
18
The Obama-Biden mix, what a combination. They undoubtedly deserve each other and best of all, neither one is in the White House. The Dems will have failed again by giving Biden another bid for the presidency. He thinks he can carry America and defeat Trump, and the Dems can't think at all, three years now after 2016, and still can't find someone to represent a forgotten party. Not sure when, but certainly after 2020 they are going to wake up and realize what a wishy-washy party are, one that can't make up their mind what they stand for. Possibly 2020 will be the year a new team will come aboard, and the flag will say goodbye to old lefties that have failed for too long. Pitiful.
4
@Me Too Then there's the Republican party consisting of members who despise their leader but live in abject fear and cowardice. Talk about wishy washy.
1
It is good to hear that President Obama is taking a positive interest in Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
I’d say that Biden deserves this, given that Obama pressured him to stay out of the 2016 presidential race— with poor results for the Democrats and the nation.
As for the concerns of Obama advisors about the impact of a Biden candidacy on the Obama legacy: as Barack Obama himself understood, having Joe Biden on the Obama ticket was a key selling point for Obama’s 2008 candidacy. In other words, Joe Biden helped to make an Obama legacy possible.
In consequence of Biden’s contributions, Team Obama should support Biden for 2020.
16
@ANetliner no one is entitled to the Presidency.
2
@ANetliner We should be picking the president based on who would be best for the country, not rewarding people because they "deserve" it or "earned" it.
1
"Obama and Biden’s Relationship Looks Rosy. It Wasn’t Always That Simple"?
Yet ANOTHER piece seeking to attack Biden with (inaccurate) history, backroom gossip, innuendo?
For starters, Obama was no doubt speaking glibly in the “older guy” comment quoted.
What Obama meant -- as widely reported at the time in various sources, including the Times -- was that he needed a seasoned legislator, who knew how to get bills turned into laws in Congress and, in particular, someone with foreign policy credentials. To offset Obama's general lack of experience and particular lack of foreign policy background. (many aspiring presidents have done something similar-JFK and LBJ)
Biden's experience and respect among the international community was a major plus to the Obama administration, especially at its beginning, alleviating doubts allies had about a relatively inexperienced president.
By all accounts at the time, Biden was an exemplary VP to Obama too, consistently supporting Obama in public and taking on critics more aggressively than Obama could, while also frequently pushing Obama to take more principled, and yes, more "progressive" positions: for instance gay marriage in 2012.
And as for Tim Kaine, he was a good governor, but anyone who saw his lackluster performance campaigning for VP in 2016, or as head of the Party (cf. an embarrassing 2010 Daily Show performance, which left Stewart agog) knows that Biden was a far better running mate. As presumably did Obama.
27
“Obama and Biden’s Relationship Looks Rosy. It Wasn’t Always That Simple.”
Who cares! At this juncture, the only thing that matters is defeating and removing Trump, the illegitimate President.
24
@Luc why is he illegitimate?
I will vote third party before I voted for anyone who voted for the Iraq War, Patriot Act, and Defense of Marriage Act, like Biden did.
7
Your candidate will lose. The choice is one or the other.
2
@Observer
You think these stands make Biden worse than Trump? Wow. Have you looked around at the tatters of our democracy?
4
@Observer
Well, get ready for four more years of Donald Trump because NO third party candidate has a snowball's chance of winning...Or, didn't you notice that in 2016?
5
I think the change most Americans are looking for is a level headed nice person with the right credentials to lead a nation. If it is Biden or Warren, the goal will be to turn down the crazy and get to work on improving roads, strengthening the middle class, reducing the cost of both college and Health care.
Steps in those directions will be the right start. As for Mr. Obama picking Mr. Biden. He chose well, they accomplished some pretty great things saving the economy and I remember one gaff that came out well for Joe...he supported gay marriage first, and for a while was the top elected official in our government that did.
87
@Joe Barnett What Biden would give us is the same bump and set that led to the spike known as Trump. He would not change the very neoliberal traps of health and usury and stagnant wages that set the stage for people in the rust belt to reject Clinton and take a flyer on Trump. Warren is directly aiming policy initiatives at changing the dynamic that is impoverishing and trapping so many Americans. THAT is the change we need.
8
@Multimodalmama I hope she is in his cabinet.
1
What this article tells me -- more than anything about either Obama or Biden -- is the importance of crafting a balanced, viable ticket. In the perfect scenario, the nominee and the running mate complement and compensate for each other.
Obama's own verbal precision somehow mitigated the damage of Biden's gaffes. Biden's foreign policy experience, on full display in the debates, was an asset Obama hadn't yet cultivated on his own.
In summer 2018, I heard from friends active in local politics that Biden/Harris is the pre-ordained Democratic ticket. Not my top choice for many reasons, but I see how that combo delivers something neither could deliver alone. I also think a rapprochement after their first debate would reflect well on both them and the party.
Choosing the right running mate is a huge decision and, the proverbial "heartbeat-away" argument aside, it's the first decision a nominee makes that may thrill or disappoint voters. We know how that miscalculation cost John McCain.
I know this piece is about Biden, but (after yesterday's piece on concerns about her electability) I keep wondering who would be the ideal running mate for Elizabeth Warren. For youth and experience "running things" I think maybe Pete Buttigieg. But even though two senators can be a hard sell, and despite the loss of a blue senate seat in a red state, I think the person who allays fears that Warren is "too academic" or "too coastal" is Sherrod Brown.
11
Either Booker or Castro- both, bright, articulate and forward looking- would bring balance to a Warren ticket.
2
@D Price I like Pete, but Warren/Castro has some appeal, and Dems should be thinking about Texas (and Arizona and Georgia...) as much as the midwest and rust belt.
2
@D Price
If Biden's the nominee he needs really badly to share the ticket with a woman. If he doesn't, he'll never hear the end of it. And it would be smart to run with a woman of color - or Biden could face many minority voters staying home like they did when they didn't turn out for Hillary in 2016. And Biden desperately needs African Americans and Hispanics to vote for him. The smart ticket would be Biden running with Kamala Harris. Stacey Abrams is great and Biden has indicated interest in her but Abrams doesn't have enough experience.
I love Warren and Mayor Pete but that ticket would lose in a landslide.
3
We need 'social democracy' in the US. We need more FDR and less Clinton! That involves big bold structural change. That includes major economic and political reform. Obama, unlike Sanders and Warren, should have advocated for greater state intervention to promote social justice and egalitarianism. Policies like state-funded mentorship schemes for poor youth, medicare-for-all, greater regulation of the banks and universal child-care. Obama was a great politician but, yes, he was too soft in terms of economic justice.
8
Mitch McConnell and a Republican House created an environment and a voting bloc that precluded Obama’s push for immigration reform, let alone social justice. If the Republicans had been more open to compromise, our country may have pushed forward on many issues.
3
There will be a lot of de-mythologizing of Obama. He was fantastically, wonderfully in place along with his party's near super majority in Congress. With leadership determined to confront ruthless Republicans, he and Congress had the chance to make firm laws for the common good (national and international) and check the trend of Republican greed. The eventual outcome that we have faced otherwise should speak for itself--not just the obstructionism but the advent of the Cult of Trump Personality. Six to nine months into Obama's first term, I gave up on him, and eight years after "change you can believe in," most election scholars intriguingly regarded the factor of "change" as most important in 2016. Oh, some important things hadn't changed--believable or not--for the average American? And have I been bitter about it? You bet!
34
I, too, was tremendously frustrated by Obama’s failure to make change, especially during his first term in office. I agree that Wall Street was bailed out in the wake of the Great Recession, while Main Street suffered.
But I have to admit that Obama was a steady hand on the tiller during his eight years in office and steered the ship of state ably. I would be thrilled, proud and relieved to have 44 back in office.
23
@akhenaten2
None of what you say will ever take away from Obama's place in U.S. history as this country's first Black President.
And considering he had to deal with Mitch McConnell and a Republican Senate who swore to obstruct him from Day 1 of his administration, he did admirably well.
You bet!
President Obama was wary of asking voters to digest too much at once. Which is what Sanders and other left leaning Democratic candidates don't seem to understand. And this could result in a loss in 2020 to Trump.
45
@NNI It's too much change to the social fabric that's difficult for voters to stomach. With a black guy on the ticket, he felt it had to be balanced by a white guy. With Hillary as a woman on the ticket, she felt it had to be balanced with a guy (side note: this is why I think it was incredibly naieve for Warren to believe Clinton would ever give her the VP nomination--that ticket was *never* going to be two women). People want big political change. It's the social aspect that makes "middle America" uneasy.
On a Sanders ticket, I'd expect perhaps a younger woman. I could see Gabbard on the ticket.
1
I read the Times but it has a history of going from great reporting to yellow journalism, just playing on controversies to sell papers, which makes the opinions about things which are conveyed a bit more negative than what most historians see later on.
Biden and Obama were politicians and every politician competes with every other when they seek to gain or maintain power. What they actually do is the crucial part, not what happened getting there.
27
America is looking for change, not the past, with Biden.
Obama campaigned with "FORWARD not BACKWARD".
Let me suggest that Democrats push for a new democracy.
They might use the "Democracy" song of Leonard Cohen (1992).
"Democracy is coming to the USA"
Obama was no drama and Hillary was boring compared to Trump.
Trump trumps by dominating the daily media with his stunts.
Biden seems to be just yawn, yawn, yawn. How can that work?
No, Democrats need some excitement to trump Trump.
"Democracy is coming to the USA" (but not with Joe Biden)
10
Powerful closing section; sets off warning signs. From "you don't have to do this," to "don't let him embarrass himself," one is lead to conclude that Obama less than confident in Biden's capacity to mount a strong, let alone winning, challenge. (+ his concerns over Biden's current staffing + his unwillingness to offer an endorsement in the primary = warning signs.)
16
Obama picked him because he was old. Well he is much older now and not in a good way.
When you add the creepy factor plus the gaff factory it is just plain disheartening.
47
Comparing Obama/Biden to Trump/Pence in term of working relationship is interesting. Both sets lean in for mutual support, yet provide space for individual expression. In each case, it's a marriage of convenience and mutually perceived benefit. The difference is one second fiddle serves as a cowardly witness to constitutional decay, while the other echoed the sentiment that we must first and foremost come together in support of our fundamental nationhood.
16
If anyone thinks that two people are going to agree on all things, they're in for a shock.
Even people living in the same household will not agree on everything.
However when they do disagree, it should be done with dignity and respect, something Trump doesn't understand.
15
“Barack Hussein Obama is change enough for most people,” said Obama.
What a weak, timid, self-defeating, frightened fantasy: that centrism will make a black man more palatable to the people put off by their own racism. This is madness. It profoundly misunderstands the psychology of racism and the rest of the -isms. Under Trump we now see the voters we're trying to woo by not offending their -"ism" sensibilities.
I dearly hope we've reached a tipping point at which we no longer need to "balance" racist white voters' crybaby fussing against the policies America needs.
Yet some Democrats still seem to embrace Biden out of fear of "What will the Trumpists/blue collars/less-educated white voters think" if a woman or progressive or non-white is nominated. Voters who are racist, misogynist, or conservative enough to vote against such candidates need to be kicked to the curb; under Trump we now know where indulging them leads. In this era, the centrist train has left the station. Instead, I hope Democrats invest in the base that knows what it needs to thrive, and needs what America needs to thrive: not indulgence of their own petty -isms, but a sharp yank in policy towards women, non-whites, immigrants, workers, families, and the ninety-nine percent.
11
@Andrew I'm no more a centrist than you are, but I won't question Obama's calculus any more than I question Jackie Robinson's. He was in an impossible position, a black man trying to govern a racist country, and he pulled it off. You're right that the centrist message isn't the right one for today. But reading between the lines of this article, it sounds like Obama actually agrees with us and is attempting to influence Biden to either take younger voices and perspectives into his campaign (seems unlikely) or withdraw honorably and stop making a fool and a relic of himself.
1
More narrative personality reporting instead of information about policy that could help voters make an informed choice. As long a. Big media focuses on personalities, demographics, and political infighting, Trump will dominate the conversation. When will you guys learn?
45
Totally disagree. This election will be a referendum on Trump. If one needs to understand the policy differences between Trump and whoever the democratic nominee is, then that person has not paid much attention to the prior four years. Ditto re anyone focusing too heavily on the policy differences between the various democratic candidates. Because, really, is any one of the viable democratic candidates worse than Trump? The only real issue is: who can beat Trump?
8
Unfortunately, too many voters vote the person and not policies. But that's reality. Personalities matter.
1
Obama would be smart to become more publicly supportive of Biden's candidacy - it will assure the survival and restoration of Obama's own legacy. The so called "progressives" are already savaging Obama's presidency as too timid; too measured; too conservative. What nonsense! They reinforce Trump's actions to dismantle Obama's fine record of accomplishments and historical significance by their "purity" tests of their liberality. Meaningful change happens in America by increments and keeping the long game in mind as step-by-step we progress. No movement ever succeeds for long by implementing massive, upheaval change - Prohibition is a nice example of that nonsensical approach. The "progressives" don't even have the majority of the Democratic Party members supporting them - how do they expect to win the majority of the American people? If they prevail they will accomplish the unthinkable and unbearable - four more years of Trump in the White House and the end of American influence across the globe!
20
@Joe "No movement ever succeeds for long by implementing massive, upheaval change" What? It's not a movement at all without a massive change. That's what all movements are.
2
Biden is an improvement over what we currently have on the Oval Office, but he is still right-wing by historical standards. Our nation needs to shift left for the next several decades to bring about any semblance of balanced. Until my back is against the wall, my vote for almost any other progressive candidate, likely Chris Warren.
7
@GreedRulesUS - I doubt you'll listen to little ol' me from flyover country, but the primary reason we have Trump today is because Obama & Co. tried to move too far too fast to the left. It's always a pendulum; Trump's gone too far right and that's why you got last year's "blue wave." If you want to defeat Trump in 2020, do not make the same mistake twice. An Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, as compelling as you or I may find their ideas, is never going to win in battleground states like Ohio.
10
@GreedRulesUS Who is Chris Warren? This is such a typical "progressive" post. If you can't get the name right, I'm not confident you're right about their policies either.
The reality is that the US is already farther left than the rest of the Western world in terms of liberal immigration policies. Virtually every other country employs a merit based system, and none tolerate the large number of illegal immigrants that we do - much less proposes legitimizing their presence.
The Medicare for All proposals which would eliminate all private insurance would actually put the US to the left of the western world as well. Not only is true single payer somewhat rare (as opposed to simply universal coverage), but even single payer nations like the UK still allow people to hold private insurance so the middle and upper classes can get better care with shorter waits.
Similarly, the tax schemes in places like the nordic countries are actually more regressive and corporate friendly in some key ways than our own tax code. The corporate rates tend to be lower than ours and a key component of the tax code is a de facto consumption tax (VAT) which of course most heavily penalizes those who spend the greatest proportion of their income on goods and services (aka the poor).
The US does not need to move left. We need to move to the center away from Trump where most voters are - that's what Democracy looks like. Ridiculous "progressive" notions like this are why Trump was elected to begin with
1
@UncertaintyPrincipal
Oh yes... Obama was truly a leftist... supporting Wall Street with the bailout and the too big to fail banks, supporting insurance companies with the ACA (and making the little guy pay for his govmt sponsored insurance!), keeping the wars abroad going and inspiring a few new ones -- Syria and Libya (supports the weapons manufacturers and airplanes, etc.)
Indeed, he was incredibly fra left. and PS, I grew up in Ohio.... Republican Southern Ohio). Hillary who did not lose at all lost in S. Ohio because -- frankly I can't stand the Clintons who really are quite Republican -- because she was too New Yawk -- as my Ohio relatives would put it. And in many ways she is a bit too upper crusty.
Warren is very Oklahoma -- "I'm just an Oakie from Muskogee"-- has lived all over -- and people are getting used to uppity women running... I think she's smart and inoffensive-- somehow more sure of herself than Clinton who pinned her hopes on the tailcoats of men. I think Pocahontas could go on the warpath and win.
This article doesn't give away much as far as what Obama is thinking.
He's staying out of the Primaries, as he should.
He and Biden were not friends before they teamed up in 2008, but they are good friends today. I can't think of another President/Vice President team that forged such a close bond in the last 50 years.
23
Between Biden and Obama, Obama is a better Presidential material, I personally believe Mr. Obama was groomed from the Beginning. Black spot on Obama might be Benghazi , Libya. I also believe Mr. Obama's advice for Mr. Biden not take a leap is right. The dynamics has changed. Mr. Trump is a different type of beast. And democrats should cater to Trump's core constituency in next election.
1
I always found Obama and Biden an odd couple that worked well across the board for many, many Americans, on many, many levels.
12
EXCELLENT reporting, and -- for a change -- fair. Too bad the editors put an unwarranted spin on the story with the headline. Per the copy itself, the relationship between the two men is as rosy as one can be, at the top echelon of national politics.
6
“During a follow-up meeting in the Oval Office in early 2013, Mr. McConnell ruled out a big deal before the 2014 midterms, when he would be running for re-election in Kentucky. Mr. Biden responded by saying, ‘Mitch, we want to see you come back,’ an off-the-cuff endorsement of one of their biggest adversaries.”
I was all in for Biden, but he doesn’t seem to get that these Republicans aren’t really his friends and do whatever they can to hurt Democratic constituencies who have no choice but to vote for the better of two evils as a matter of life and death— minorities, the poor and working class and other vulnerable groups.
While Mitch was plotting to make Obama a one-term President in the midst of financial collapse, Biden is throwing Mitch googly-eyes? Really?
When you were all a bunch of white guys in the 1970s this was all fun and games. So much camaraderie! Granted no one else benefited from this camaraderie but rich white guys.
Sorry, but I’m over Biden. Past his sell-by date and he is leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
I still like him as a person generally, but as a politician, I’m done.
38
@Kat it is regrettable that you missed that the point of Biden's comment to McConnell was to get McConnell to agree to what Biden wanted him to do. So why do you think Biden has made his campaign about the Soul of America, because he does not get it is under attack by Putin's Puppet & Traitor Mitch? Biden is the one candidate that has made his campaign's mantra about saving America from Putin's Puppet and his complicit GOP Congressional cabal.
Kat, Biden’s comment to McConnell was no doubt followed by “and here’s how you can support the Obama deal and make it work for you.”
This is called “win-win” or “getting to yes” negotiation, and it is how deals are made.
I assure you that Biden’s comment was not an endorsement of McConnell’s views and policy positions.
He wanted to split Iran in three....how insane is that? Did he think it was 1908?
8
@Dragotin Krapuszinsky
Sorry, Biden was right about this. Iraq was a "made up" country invited by the Brits when then drew the maps. The Kurds, Sunni, and Shia, never should have been forced to live together. Three independent states would have made much more sense then and now, with a United Nations Commission administering the oil fields and dividing the profits equally.
19
@Dragotin Krapuszinsky
It was Iraq. And it was a totally-sane idea.
1
@Dragotin Krapuszinsky. It would have gotten us out. That’s a lot.
If Obama follows his heart not his head he won't endorse Biden. He can do so much good for his party by backing either Liz or Bernie. He will bring the important black vote.
He ran on change and yes we can. It will never be more important than it is right now.
10
@betty durso OH ,ok , so that's his job,bring the Black vote.Yet ,that's because they cannot think for themselves or because he assured everbody that "Trump will never be President".
@betty durso
Obama cannot deliver the black vote. That ship has sailed. I think both Obama and the Democrats are aware of his current standing.
This revealing, intelligent article ends with a bang for me when the reporters write about Obama's concern with Biden's 2020 effort--specifically, Obama's frustration that Biden's team lacks a more youthful perspective:
"Win or lose, they [Biden's senior campaign advisors] needed to make sure Mr. Biden did not “embarrass himself” or “damage his legacy” during the campaign"
I take the reporter use the phrase "his legacy" to refer to Obama's.
If that's correct, Obama needs to step up and defend his own record instead of leaving it for Trump to trash and Biden to defend. Obama's too-cool-to-wrestle in the-muck attitude disappoints and infuriates me.
19
@Jackie
The way its written, "embarrass himself or damage his legacy," it refers to Biden's legacy. Let's give Glenn Thrush credit that what he wrote is accurate.
Obama was smart to pick an older white guy. That made his candidacy palatable for a lot of voters who switched to Trump. It's amazing to me how much they now despise and resent Obama, I honestly had no idea at the time. But listening to them since Trump became president, I see now that Biden was a big factor in Obama's victory. And even though he's old, Biden might be the excuse they need to dump Trump.
13
@Tom J and Obama was the biggest factor in Trumps election.
1
Enough of these silly old men and their emotional drama. Let’s try Warren, a woman who will take the job seriously and eschew the political gamesmanship described in this article.
91
@M. de Valois - from the perspective of someone who does not support the Democratic party, yes, please by all means make Warren your nominee. From the perspective of someone who does not want another four years of Trump, for the love of god find someone who can inspire and win! It ain't her, she'd have zero chance in Ohio.
10
For the people who say Biden's campaign is doomed, it's only doomed when they enter the polling place to vote.
Newspaper writing appears to be turning into one big editorial to me. This is a more nuanced article than many of the ones that have appeared about Democratic candidates the NYT obviously does not support. These days people want opinions over facts, and emotion and supposition over thought - and that's my opinion!
11
@Deb, couldn’t agree more that political reporting is turning into more and more of an op ed exercise.
That’s why I make it a point to visit the candidates’ websites and watch debates. I want to come to my own conclusions, not be spoon fed by journalists expressing thinly-veiled opinions.
The sooner that political reporters get back to reporting the news— rather than trying to shape it— the better for all of us.
1
Obama, infinitely smarter than Biden, is obviously skeptical about the geezerly Biden’s ability to win even the nomination. So he has wisely kept his own reputation out of the fray. Biden’s clearly going down in flames, just as in all his abortive presidential runs.
10
I will gladly take Biden's gaffes over Trump incessant lies, hate, bigotry, racism, divisiveness, and plain old incompetence.
As for Bernie, his ideas will not pass muster with many voters due to the "socialism" label that Fox "News" and their client, Trump, has affixed to Bernie.
16
@Dan Unfortunately the Times hasn't done Mr. Sanders any favors either, if he were to receive even a sliver of the positive coverage that say Elizabeth Warren has received you would see his already high poll numbers soar. Ironically, Fox has been more fair to Sanders than the Times, CNN or MSNBC, giving him a Town Hall where he effectively changed minds in the belly of the beast.
1
We should not underestimate Obama’s influence on the traveling train wreck that the Democrats have become. His bitter campaign against Hillary in 2008 highlighted her liabilities and helped Trump find a road map to victory against her in 2016. Similarly, his careful “handling” of his VP highlighted Biden’s deficiencies without promoting his (Biden’s) strengths. In both cases he crushed potential rivals and nothing he did or may yet do can bring them back. The Democrats lost in 2016 because they looked back anyway instead of forward and they seem all too ready to make the same mistake again. Meanwhile, the internecine warfare that Obama was so adept at continues, but without even any prospect of a clear winner like Obama at least was. This is Obama’s real “legacy”.
4
@Larry Interesting how you characterize Hillary's 3M vote plurality as a lose. And don't get the Electors' unlawfully voted for Pres-elect Trump in violation of the Constitution and the Framers' explicit intent. See, Hamilton's Fed No 68. And this was a loss for America as well as all free Democratic Nations.
1
Just in case anyone ever forgets what Biden said of candidate Obama:
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
8
This story is the start of the liberal media blessing to love Biden as Obama's man...but you don't have to support him for president since we don't want him. It's okay to say you liked him, but want to move on. This is yet another example of the liberal media trying to create presidents they like.
5
@Tom A blessing to love Biden? Did you read the closing lines? Not even remotely inspiring, and hardly representative of an endorsement.
If you [the writer, the paper] love the candidate, you simply do not close the piece with an anecdote about Obama anticipating the guy embarrassing himself.
@Tom
Are you sure the NyTimes is all that liberal??
This article points out just how smart and thoughtful President Obama is. We've gone from our smartest most intelligent President to our dumbest.
53
It seems by choosing an “older, comfortable, relic of the past” as his running mate, Obama set up things for Trump. If only he had chosen a young progressive to pass the torch to, instead of letting the idiots ruin democrats chances in 2016 by running a lame candidate.
7
Mr. Biden spent 8 quiet years as our Vice President do little or nothing except smiling on que for Barack Hussain , and giving women caught in his grasp sensual back massages. Little else, beside attending funerals of state and being a good go for....sigh.,.
7
This is a fascinating piece on how Obama's and Biden's complex relationship developed.
It also makes clear why Biden is ideologically unacceptable to the new-left as it already despised Obama. Trump's shown he intends to use that extremism against all Democrats in running against Justice Democrats representatives, rather than any successor to Obama, as he rightly sees it as a path to reelection.
As Thomas B. Edsall detailed in the Times, Obama and Biden have little in common with the Justice Democrats, by far the smallest, whitest and most affluent part of the Democratic Party which forcefully sets an agenda most Democrats, especially blacks and Latinos, don't agree with, while cynically marketing themselves as formed by and representing blacks and Latinos.
Justice Democrat rules are simple: Affluent whites run everything; non-whites, like The Squad, are selected as their mouthpieces.
Corbin Trent formed the Justice Democrats using outrage culture and Cultural Revolution style warfare which Obama and Biden eschew. It is a gift to Trump who wants to run on identity, not banning assault weapons, healthcare, or his disastrous economic policies.
Finally, fundamental criteria being applied to Biden is irrelevant to most Americans who do not care about his long history of gaffs or his always having been a middling debater.
If Democrats chose candidates using Justice Democrats' criteria, sharped tongued duplicitous Bill de Blasio would be in the lead, not polling at zero.
6
No matter who becomes the Democratic nominee. I surely hope that they have the brains to offer Obama the Secretary of State job and that he accepts as I think he is really the only person who can repair the damage trump has done to our reputation in the international community
14
@JD I agree and would love to see Obama back in politics -- but I have to worry about how any further involvement from him would cause even more upheaval at home from the Trump base, who will rage at any Democratic win, let alone a reintroduction of the man whom they were so thrilled to see gone. I am truly frightened at all outcomes in 2020 as I can see no way to return to normalcy for many years to come.
7
@CA I hope you are wrong and I’m semi confident that the clown in chief will cause enough of a recession at the right time to really hurt his base... unfortunately all of us will feel some pain but I’m also fairly certain that his base hasn’t paid any attention to what is a historical norm that we have a recession every seven to ten years ..... we are overdue...and as such they haven’t prepared at all and may finally see that the emperor has no clothes
4
@JD
I don't think there's a chance in a million Obama wants to be back in the government. He's now wealthy beyond imagining and his wife has talked candidly about the fears she had during his presidency for his safety and that of her daughters. I'm sure the Obamas had many discussions about his safety during his 8 yrs in office, as well as the campaign. Michelle Obama and her daughters were constantly insulted in the grossest terms imaginable. Why in the world would the Obamas want back in on that?
I can imagine a Democratic president wanting to put Obama on the Supreme Court and I think he'd be a superb Justice. But even though the Obamas have a house in Washington, they're busy with their NETFLIX deal, writing books and reportedly have looked at a lot of real estate in California, particularly in the desert.
People who haven't lived in Washington don't know how suffocating the federal govt. is and what a small town this still is. And absent the government, D.C. is a very small relatively conservative town. Obama is a famous, brilliant, cultured man who could be living a much bigger life in New York or a much more pleasant relaxed life in California. Absent the Supreme Court, he won't come back into the govt. And I have my doubts about any job that would require the Obamas to remain in D.C.
Food for thought from a longtime D.C. resident.
6
"You don’t have to do this, Joe, you really don’t,” Mr. Obama told Mr. Biden earlier this year . . . Mr. Biden responded he could never forgive himself if he turned down a second shot at Mr. Trump."
I found that an extremely powerful and telling statement from Mr. Obama, mostly by what he is NOT saying out but in between the words.
If Mr. Biden feels he could not forgive himself if he turned down a second chance to run against Trump, I wonder if he could forgive himself if he lost to Trump.
20
Exactly. I really like Joe, but I wouldn't forgive him.
6
@Marge Keller
He won't lose! Biden is the real American people's candidate.
1
It never is that rosy. Right? In any relationship.
6
“Mr. Obama was already phoning Mr. Biden two or three times a week to solicit advice, and to decide whether the Delaware senator’s many positive attributes outweighed his singular liability, a notoriously self-tangling tongue.”
Actually, Biden’s liabilities extend way beyond the gaffes. His dog whistle racist speeches on busing; his betrayal of working people with his bankruptcy bill and his large role in the Anita Hill debacle.
He is HRC 2.0 - an old-school centrist who is out-of-touch with working people and has a troubled past.
15
Wow! Dog whistle? Biden?
And this is why democrats will lose the election.
I feel this article is more about Obama than Biden.
It appears that Obama is positioning himself to remind folks after Biden loses in 2020 - I told you so.
All this whispering by ex aides of Obama are nothing but an attempt to protect him from a fall out than showcasing Biden candidacy.
I still say that history will show that Obama was an accidental presidency when many stars came aligned. And Biden description of Obama is really the truth and not a put down.
The only legacy of Obama left to protect is Obama himself - there is otherwise nothing there there.
5
@Neil Exactly. Biden's aids are publicly speaking about limiting Biden's public speaking to decrease the gaffes.
That's NOT a good sign for 2020.
3
Another hatchet job here. It's more like fishing for reasons to undermine Biden. The media loves Trumpy. Any fear of losing him fills them with the dread of being less financially relevant. So they go after each of the Democratic party candidates knowing fully well that this will tamp down on the turnout in the elections.
11
@Cynical
You have a point but Trumpies do not "know fully well" the turnout of anti-Trump voters will be tamped down! If anything, their turnout will be tamped up!
I hope the filed narrows down soon in order to concentrate on a handful of candidates. Someone will emerge and once the field narrow, Biden's weakness that ended his first and second run may be exposed and someone other than he or Bernie will emerge. We democrats get excited by a fresh face. I love Joe Biden, will support him if he's the nominee, but one to one, he's the perfect target for Trump's nastiness, lying and media manipulation. Second only to HRC. The election would be about everything Trump tweets with no limits. Trump goes after dead war hero's, those with disabilities, minorities etc. etc. Biden's long past as the face of the democratic party gives Trump lots of material to manipulate and distort. Just look at the impact Harris had with the ridiculous overtones of racism around busing.
@M With all due respect, as Democratic nominee for President, Joe will mop the floor with that little, little man currently polluting the presidency, and in a landslide.
4
Based on various polls, Joe Biden's - at this time - front-runner status appears to be robust, not ‘fragile,’ as Mr. Thrush states. Also, I’m not sure it is accurate to state that Barack Obama, as a young senator, was earning millions from his memoirs (Dreams From My Father, when it was first published, was a modest success; once reissued when Mr. Obama was a national figure, its sales soared. The Audacity of Hope was a best-seller, but that too came after Mr.
Obama’s early Senate days. When he was running for president, he and Michelle Obama were still paying off their student loans.) The ceremony wherein President Obama surprised Vice President Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction is online; watch and listen to the witty and very moving remarks of both men; decency, honor, integrity, affection and loyalty prevail. In Joe Biden’s book, Promise Me, Dad, he writes candidly of initially having doubts about taking on the Vice Presidency; wanting support Barack Obama, and our country, he accepted, When Beau Biden was ill with brain cancer, VP Biden told President Obama that he was thinking of selling his home in order to help Beau’s family financially. Mr. Obama implored Mr. Biden not to do so, and offered to give Mr. Biden the money instead. Reporters and pundits will continue to dissect the professional and personal relationship of these two men, but their mutual high regard/deep bond is apparent.
18
This is the AOC era, the path is clear for her ( or at least it should be: senate and presidency ) but these old democrat fellows instead to help her they are trying to slow her down while we watch it with sadness how pathetic the democrats become.
Once we had Kennedy, Clinton and Obama. Now who stands out??? No one. You could walk in a room with one certain in your life and then Obama would talk back to you and convince you that at least is worth a try do the things in his ways.
To become president of the United States you need at least a personality , Trumps shows us that it doesn't even have to be good you just need to have one. But these candidates need dozens of advisors to tell them what to do.
5
Good reporting. I never thought this was Ebony & Ivory fantasy that some would like us to believe. They are two very different men, but to their credit, two men who made it work for the good of the country.
16
I believe the Democrats will win no matter who is nominated. That said, it gives us a rare opportunity to be bold and make the changes this country requires to thrive. Please let's seize this opportunity.
Biden has been recycled a number of times. That inspires neither confidence nor excitement.
After the torturous and destructive reign of Trump, can we not look forward to a government that will finally lead rather than just parry the assaults of despicable men like Mitch? (Ironic that Biden actually told Mitch that they wanted to see him back. Almost obscene.)
Among Biden's petty gaffes are also unforgivable mistakes, namely, banging the drums to lead us into the disastrous Iraq War. Remember he was head of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee and supported W., second to Trump in dumb and destructive presidents.
Obama had legitimate concerns about this man, no matter how much he likes him personally.
His latest ill-considered decision is allowing himself to run yet again. He has very little to offer.
6
So you’re telling me that Obama and Biden had a complex, multi-layered, generally warm but at times rough, symbiotic, and ultimately fruitful relationship?
Wow, it’s almost like they are human beings.
72
@Mark
There’s a quality that the current occupant of the White House sorely lacks.
9
I can’t shake the feeling that the NYT does not like Biden and is actively trying to knock him down a little at each opportunity. This article (like others that have been subtly or not so subtly critical of Biden) appears to want to suggest a wedge between President Obama and Biden when both of them have shown us many times that theirs is a true friendship and partnership in a time when rivalry and bickering was de rigueur in Washington.
14
@FJ— Agreed that the NYT has continued to run pieces unfavorable to Biden. It’s the inverse of the NYT’s largely favorable coverage of Clinton at the same point in the 2015 race.
Lesson: The NY Times, despite its many virtues, is not the place for unvarnished political coverage.
Despite the NYT’s best efforts, Biden continues to hold a strong lead in Democratic presidential polling. Perhaps that’s why the Times’s coverage of Biden has actually included some neutral pieces in recent weeks,
4
President Obama's concern about Biden's gaffes and his age was warranted. Biden's age (he's older today) showed in the recent Democratic debate when he seemed confused at times. It appeared that he was sick. That's worrisome in a time of rapid change. Now is not the time to risk putting America in the hands of a sick man.
5
This is a bit nonsensical. Dr. Jill Biden and Mrs Obama would say that, while strong and loving, their relationship is not cosmically absolutely smooth 100% of the time.
1
Biden is and always has been a do nothing corporate hack. If he is the nominee, Trump wins.
I refuse to vote for someone who is a tool of the wealthy and corporate criminals ever again. Both Trump and Biden will be horrible for this country.
8
One of the most important functions of the Chief Executive Officer is to build a strong management team and viable succession plan. Mr. Biden is proof Mr. Obama failed miserably.
Once again, the conflicted Democratic Party chose politics and advancing the platform of the rich powerful and connected donor base over good strategy and the right thing for America. Mr. Biden even endorsed the Grim Reaper. How very Machiavelli. What can’t he do and still win the nomination?
As part of this Thelma and Louise puff piece on their friendship and back door endorsement, the author didn’t mention the loan made by Mr. Obama to Mr. Biden. Or what Mr. Obama thought of Mr. Biden’s foundation work tied to Big Pharma, and the many ways in which the family has capitalized personally from proximity to power and the financial elite? Does Mr. Obama endorse these activities and will his children also benefit from nepotism, while the general population is made to earn their pitiful opportunity?
Is there no truth to the narrative that Mr. Obama was made to choose Mr. Biden in order to secure the endorsement of the Kennedy family (their donor pool), particularly CKS, and TK heirs who expected the passage of universal healthcare to be a securitization of the TK legacy, as opposed to his other misdeeds? Ms. Kennedy did also land a plum ambassadorship.
1
It was clearly a marriage of convenience. Obama needed a person who would be as diametrically opposite to Dick Cheney as he could find. And he hit the jackpot with Joe Biden.
4
Warren/Sanders have over 2 million contributors, all from the small donations,
Result is they have the most money from the most people.
The most money, the most voters. Seems like they are the most electable.
Biden has a solid foot hold in the status quo, especially the soft shoe dance with the "right'
Liz/Bernie together have the most money, the most people count. Where are these numbers ? What kind of poll discounts the truth in polling? Corporate.
Once again the media, along with their corporate holdings, are giving a push to Trump.
I am beginning to think, there is no place for an old Democrat in this political landscape, especially when all the heroes that rule like FDR are called 'radicals'. The fear is not giving too much to the poor,...it is the fear that we loose our Democracy supporting Biden.
6
Joe Biden is a seasoned politician of a gentler time. A time when faith, family and integrity mattered. Yes, he’s older and says things that might be left unsaid.
But would like to see Joe as president.
I don’t know that I want him to have to confront the crassness of Trump. But
President Obama’s advice should be heeded. He will need a younger staff and running mate if he has any chance.
10
Too much of the desire for Biden to run is wrapped up in ego and ability to prove something - what is he trying to prove?
And although I love Obama, there is a lot of ego wrapped up in his decisions and his preoccupation with his legacy.
In this election, we ought to focus on who will do the best job for the American people - not solely on someone who thinks he can win - and get this current megalomaniac out of office.
12
I remember hearing Jill Biden say that Biden had been given his choice between Secretary of State or VP, and that he had chosen VP because he didn't want to travel and be away from his family. I guess they didn't know he was being tested.
I guess they also didn't know that he was viewed as someone with a limited political horizon which, I personally believe, is still true now.
I know the DNC and the powers that be (including the media) are promoting Biden because moderate Republicans like him. But I would hope that the party does not select a candidate for the Republicans. We tried that in 2016, and see where it got us.
8
I asked Joe Biden about his future plans at a political event held in the winter of 2008, shortly after he left the presidential race.
Biden answered that his preference would be to serve as Secretary of State should the Democrats win the White House, but that he would honor the wishes of the nominee and the Democratic Party by joining the 2008 ticket if asked to do so.
The Times’s reporting is exactly right on Biden’s preference to serve as Secretary of State.
Biden's gesture to pick up the bill when he met with Obama in 2004 was condescending?
As someone who had been in the Senate for decades, welcoming a new colleague, I think offering to pick up the bill seems kind of standard and polite. It seems like the polite thing to do for a new colleague in any profession. To me, it seems like a sign of respect. Am I off base?
73
@MC
Depends on what Biden actually said and how he said it. The phrase “Biden being Biden” was created to explain away language and behavior ranging from brow-raising to outright wrong.
2
Four years of Biden....his experience, his integrity, his sincerity...gaffes and all...is exactly what this country needs right now. And if he picks his running mate wisely, it would allow that individual to gain experience on the world stage. The country needs a rest cure after this national nightmare known as "Trump." The ship of state needs to be righted, first; then it can sail on. Biden can provide that and more.
13
"Win or lose, they needed to make sure Mr. Biden did not 'embarrass himself' or 'damage his legacy' during the campaign."
So in other words, self before country. Call me naive but I expect a candidate and team to be more worried about the country than a personal legacy.
9
Joe Biden appeals to the liberty-minded moderates, who don't buy into identity politics and socialism of PC culture. So he's a long shot to ultimately get the Democratic nomination. Hillary would be too, and she's less moderate than Biden.
1
Actually, Biden is to the left of Hillary. His roots are with the unions and working Americans, not Wall Street.
Yes, Biden supported the bankers on credit card legislation, but that’s because financial services is a leading industry in Delaware.
1
Biden is Trump’s peer. That is why he can and will beat Trump. I hope Mayor Pete is his VP. Familiarity and youth. Plus imagine the VP debate.
8
The VP debates would be GREAT! Never thought of it. Pence vs. Mayor Pete.
Loving it!
Obama. What a smart, likable guy. He'll be remembered as one of our great presidents, while Trump will be remembered as one of our worst, although I do agree with Trump's immigration policies. The article demonstrates how political calculations are at the root of all decisions. Bayh wasn't chosen because his seat would flip republican. Hillary was chosen to be SOS because her democratic seat would be filled by a democratic governor. Pence was chosen because Indiana would no doubt elect another republican as governor. Political calculations are more important than intelligence or acumen for the position. It's why Kennedy chose Johnson, disliked, but a Texan, and why Eisenhower chose Nixon, to woo California.
4
@Jim Tagley
Trump will be remembered as the worst human being to occupy the White House. Remembered as an illegitimate resident. Remembered as the absolute most horrific actor producing national policy that will show deep damage for decades to come.
2
Mr. Biden is Mrs. Clinton. "This is the BEST the Democrats can come up with?" The difference is that this may be the first Presidential election I don't vote in since 1980. I am tired of holding my nose at the ballot box on Election day.
4
@Zellickson
Mrs. Clinton, Hillary Clinton was 3 million votes better than the AH current occupier of the White House. Trump illegitimately took possession only because the Russians interefered and corrupted the vote in four states skewing the electoral votes. We should never ever forget that!
3
Biden was never Obama’s choice as a successor. He liked Hillary instead because she had a better chance of winning. Obama should have chosen her as his Vice President. That is why Obama did whatever he could to prevent Trump from being elected.
1
I agree that Obama preferred Hillary to Biden in 2016, but my view is that this is because the Democratic Party establishment favored Hillary, rather than due to a personal preference for Clinton.
1
Relationship between Obama and Biden was not rosy always ? SO WHAT ? I do not have rosy relationship with my brothers, sisters, friends and with my wife ALWAYS. Obama picked Biden as his VP for political reason and Biden agreed because of political reason. Because they are politicians. We always found that they have good working relation which is important. I will vote for the Democratic ticket whatever it will be. I love both Obama and Biden a lot. My loyalty to USA first, then the Democratic Party and last for any particular politician.
23
I wish he would withdraw. He needs to throw his support behind generational change. So does Bernie.
8
There is no question in my mind that Joe Biden could have won in 2016, but I do not feel nearly as confident that he can win in 2020.
5
I guess your other hit pieces didn't knock Biden out so its time to try to rewrite the history of his relationship with Obama in hopes that will work. Why not let the voters decide? It might be messy but it does give meaning to the term democracy. And why so sure you should choose instead of We the People? As George Mitchell once told Ollie North, "In a democracy, the people have the right to be wrong."
4
The Democratic establishment is waking up to the fact that Biden just doesn’t have “it” anymore. He has lost his edge and drive. (This is not a criticism. He is only showing his age, just like most 76 year olds do.)
They are also starting to realize that Joe Biden has a major Hunter Biden influence buying problem just waiting to fall out of the closet.
So, it’s now that time in the show for Joe to exist stage left. Separating Joe from Obama is the first step.
Democrats just hope that the hook won’t be necessary.
3
It give me pause to read that Mr Biden wouldn't forgive himself if he wasn't running and consequently missing the opportunity to get a second chance at trump.
Mr Biden personal revenge shouldn't be the reason you run for president , and lastly revenge is not justice.
6
Obama chose Biden in 2008 because he represented the past and would be reassuring to aging white Democratic voters he needed to win in rust belt states. It was a canny call then, but it would be a disaster to repeat it by nominating Biden today.
Twelve years later that demographic is older, fewer in number, and in too many cases irretrievably lost to Fox News induced boomer brain rot.
After 8 years of Obama and 4 of Trump the base of the party is younger, more progressive and more diverse. There is a white guy in his 70s that might energize that base and beat Trump, but its not Joe Biden.
Biden is presently still leading in the polls. His deflation however is already under way and seems unlikely to be reversed. As fond associations with Obama are contrasted with seeing the real-life Biden on the stump we are reminded not just of why he performed so disastrously in 1988 and 2008 but of his obviously diminished capacities.
Biden is a Wall Street tool. He was a vocal proponent of the invasion of Iraq. Onion articles about him washing his Camaro in front of the White House notwithstanding he is not a convincing spokesperson of working class interests. He polls well against Trump today, but would likely be creamed by him in any debates.
6
@Christopher
Perfectly written. Perfect.
Christopher, you’ve got it wrong. Really wrong.
Biden is a long-time supporter of labor, not Wall Street. Even though he voted for the Iraq War (like almost everyone else— the Senate vote, in the immediate wake of 9/11, was almost unanimous), Biden was an early critic of Bush’s strategy there.
I get the sense that Biden still believes that McConnell and the rest of band will work with him or any Democratic president for the good of the country. The man had a front row seat for how they did just the opposite starting in 2009. Republicans have spent so long demonizing Democrats to keep their base on edge that now they can't work with them at all, lest they want to be sent packing from the city they claim to hate so much.
8
As Obama once said responding to a silly question - seriously? Obama-Biden is fun for nostalgia but gets us nowhere today. It’s been covered.
One thing is clear about Biden now. More than a decade after he was tapped for VP, he must stand or fall on his own merits.
I still don't understand how President Obama can stand back and see the charges of racism --- racism! --- against his loyal Vice President go unanswered or unchallenged. Not a word, not a statement, nothing.
There's being neutral in a political contest like the ongoing primary battle, but what about common decency for sticking up for someone?
2
"second banana", jesus. Biden's flubs always tend to tend towards maximal offense than playful humor. One may begin to wonder if he is trying to send mixed signals to certain demographics when he continually puts down non-white groups every time he 'flubs'. Its starting to look contrived, and at the very least unbecoming of a party's nominee for President.
The more you know Biden and more often you see this pattern, the more one wonders and -in turn- dislikes Joe Biden. Elizabeth Warren can unite the country. Her numbers will only go up. Joe's will only go down.
She will unleash a tsunami of one-liners at Trump.
The thing about a bully who specializes in name-calling is that they are one of least formidable foe out there. You just need to blitz them and overwhelm them with force.
Name-calling is a technique used by someone who is scared to get attacked. Joe Biden can't attack so he's an ideal matchup for Trump. Warren can attack, Trump will cower or else hit her--and I don't know if even he could survive that.
3
I like the article for its unfolding events in a cinematographic way, but with no flashiness in low key. That may in fact embody Biden himself for his merits, beneath all points. I also read it in parallel to the coming presidential ticket for its decision process. If the appealing contrast and off-set qualities between P candidate and VP are considered for the party’s win most, Biden may be paired with no one. He would draw his running mate into the legacy spoken of in the article. Biden-someone or someone-Biden tickets would work internally only within, but not so well against Mr. Trump. That is my view. As the article analyzed and nuanced, Biden carries the Obama legacy almost as his burden overloaded.
2
Without actually coming out and saying it, I got a very strong impression that Barack Obama does not believe nor think Joe Biden would make a solid president.
I trust Mr. Obama's instincts and first hand dealings regarding Mr. Biden over the years while he was president. He is a person well versed and schooled on Mr. Biden's strengths and weaknesses.
I always thought Joe Biden would have been an ideal Secretary of State. I still do. I have developed an emotional fondness for the man over the years, but I do not have a strong gut feeling that he could muster and handle the job of president.
In the end, I will back whichever Democrat wins the nomination. It's a ways a way, but then not really. I am nervous if the Democrats can pull something together in the remaining time to defeat Trump.
However, if Trump continues down the destructive road he's been on this past week, the possibility of a Democratic President is looking more promising by the day.
Thank you Glenn Thrush for a very illuminating article.
80
@Marge Keller: Lady of the Horses: Another great offering from you. Like yourself, since the Obama candidacy and throughout his presidency has—for me—run the thread of Mr. Obama’s reluctance to affirm Joseph Biden as a president-in-waiting. Politics is the vestibule of the devil’s kitchen where unkind, even ugly things, are the currency that ultimately find the smiles and the stage and the soaring speeches that fly higher than Icarus—and eventually fall out of the sky like the mythological prodigy did. The most telling line in this story was “Barack Hussein Obama is change enough for most people.” We still live in an America where great strides are blessed as “American exceptionalism”—but only if “certain Americans” take those strides. In other words, we tell ourselves in public what we want but refuse to face what what we don’t want. That’s all kept private until an ugliness—like this president—erupts from the womb of night and frightens enough people to succumb to his braying, spraying venom. Joe Biden is not the knight to disembowel this demon.
9
@Marge Keller
You say you got 'a very strong impression that Barack Obama does not believe nor think Joe Biden would make a solid president'. Were we reading the same article? I got the exact opposite impression.
5
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Hi Red. Thanks for your very kind and generous compliment.
I thought I may have offended you in one of my past posts.
I think this president has torn off the thin veil of civility only to expose the already ugliness. If anything, his vile spewing has been seen as an approval to feel and speak openly about such ugliness. Before Trump, such ugliness was the elephant in the room. Now it's the ugly elephant in so many towns and cities across the country.
My support and thoughts continue to waffle and wobble like a spinning plate a stick when it comes to Joe Biden.
I don't know which Democrat will defeat Trump, but I am sure she will be triumphant :) - sorry couldn't resist that.
I just hope whoever gets the nomination, ALL Democrats will vote Trump out.
4
Universal healthcare, fighting climate change and taxing the rich are good ideas but what we the people really need is to get Trump out, a return to normal and a president who tells the truth. Morality is the main issue but all the other democratic hopefuls don't seem to realize that.
28
@Avid NYT Reader Morality? In a nation that purports to believe in the 10 Commandments but lives by the 10 Delusions?
After the horror show of Bush-Cheney, Obama promised many big changes, largely based on the morality of MLK. Obama-Biden were unable or unwilling to deliver.
As the nation has been pushed further to the right by President Trump, leftward change has been needed more than ever. Biden is clearly yesterday's man and not the kind of progressive change Americans have needed since the Bush-Cheney era.
3
@Avid NYT Reader
Morality and re-uniting the country. That's why a moderate would be best.
1
Perhaps the U.S. needs a leader who exemplifies morality, but also inspires the same from our citizens.
It's been far too long since we heard these words: "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
Let's put down the selfie sticks, drop the angry finger pointing and start being useful to our communities.
2
It is never that simple. Once in a century, a Secretariat will take the Nation to extraordinary heights, or a Seabiscuit, against all the odds, becomes the greatest symbol of hope for Americans during adverse times, more popular and covered in the News than any other figure in our history (1939), when even F.D.R. turned on the radio, while the Country paused.
Joe Biden is one of our last loyal contenders, with the political strength and acumen to lead the Country forth, a patriarch of the Nation in need of a courageous, younger mate by his side, with a vision of our Nation's future.
You might call this a role reversal from the two presidential terms served in-office by former President Obama and his older vice-presidential choice. Grey hair is not wisdom, but a sign of accrued experience and hard work.
The above alliance would experience grey and rosy dawns in our political weather; it may not always be on the same page, but it is the cause of offering some Americans with love for country, a renewal of hope and belief that our Nation is back on track.
30
@Miss Ley
I can’t help but point out what happens to old racehorses more often than not...
3
@Miss Ley
A lot of us absolutely do not want a "patriarch" of any kind.
This is not the same country that elected dozens of old white men to the presidency. Thank goodness.
1
This article confirms why Biden might not be the best nominee. The polls are not accurate to me. Bernie is not given enough credit and he might even be the best choice with Elizabeth as his running mate. Obama is giving Joe valuable advise. To me he needs to listen more and accept that things have changed from when he first came to the Senate. He took too long to confront what happened with the busing incident. We all know that it was popular at that time but it is always good to be on the right side of history.
125
@Adeyemo
In this crazy time, there’s little that we can be sure of. But one thing is crystal clear: Bernie will not be the nominee. He is increasingly irrelevant.
200
@Jim
Warren/Sanders have the most money from over 2 million contributors. Over 2 million people think Warren/Sanders can win.
And...so do I.
The most money, the most people, than all the motley crew of candidates.
32
@Cousy
I always saw Bernie Sanders as the guy who continues to deplete more and more precious air out of small room stuffed with other serious Democratic contenders.
43
The inner workings of politics are always fascinating. If this were a "normal" election, things would be easier.
As it is, this country is in crisis. At this very early point in the race, I feel the reverse way President Obama did in 2008: my heart is with Biden for his decency and experience, my head tells me this could portend disaster.
The combination of age and gaffes is a lethal one. But you can't simply muzzle the man either--genuineness is one of the best qualities Joe Biden has.
I hope Democrats can get their act together to present a united front against the incombent, who every day demonstrates exactly what's at stake in this election.
251
@ChristineMcM
Sanders/Warren
Diffidently a winning ticket.
Bernie will bring the younger voters out that want a safer future.
Bernie and Liz have millions that want medicare for all.
Liz can count on intellectuals, there are many.
Blacks will start to see that Obama/Biden gave them empty promises. When Bernie and Liz talk of the middle class, the poor, the black people are part , not separate or segregated from the American dream they have for all.
9
@ChristineMcM
Most of the top candidates also "portend disaster".
Most of the moderates haven't received the attention they need. (Thanks to the media and those, again, the media who run the debates.)
13
@ChristineMcM
Extremely well said Christine.
I especially loved and agree with the sentence "my heart is with Biden for his decency and experience, my head tells me this could portend disaster." That pretty much sums up my overall feelings and impressions as well.
24
This piece demonstrates how fickle the press treats people it once idolized. Now that Biden appears to be a weak candidate the left will use every outlet to tear him down.
51
@JoeGiul
From the headline, I thought the article might do so too, but it is actually presenting Biden as a person with deep policy understanding. I was more open to his candidacy after reading it.
3
@JoeGiul
Biden is ahead of Trump by 8.5 points, according to the Real Clear Politics national average.
He's leading all his Democratic challengers nationally as well.
Every candidate would like to be so "weak".
3
@JoeGiul Thank you. This is why the press is failing, in large part, as it seems to delight in the negative. In all honesty, who cares at this point about what Obama may or may not think compared to , oh, what Carter or Clinton or even Bush thinks? Because the focus and the goal should be the next election only. These hit pieces have been a tsunami not because they are correct but because the press cannot stop itself trying to be an “ influencer”. Well, the public has the media’s number now as no matter how many hit pieces come out about Biden, his poll numbers remain very solidly in the lead. We won’t be fooled again.
3
At least Biden was not regularly standing in the background at pep rallies and bill signings like some kind of secret police bodyguard.
52
Who doesn’t love Biden? He’s a warm, genuine nice guy. But for many reasons this is not his time. I really wish he had run in 2016.
90
@LFK
Do you really think he could have beaten out Clinton AND Trump?
3
@LFK
Anita Hill, for one. Quite a few others. But I agree, he is in the way of making a rational choice.
5
@Marge Keller
Yes I do.
2
Biden seems to have served Obama well. With most of the country longing for a return to sanity, I think Biden has the best chance to defeat Trump. He can overcome his age by selecting a young person to be his VP, I suggest Stacey Abrams.
As for Biden's gaffes, I suggest something like this:
"Folks, you may not believe this, but sometimes I stick my foot in my mouth. Really, it's true.
But when my opponent opens his mouth, he says George Washington took out airports, Frederick Douglass is doing a great job, and windmills cause cancer.
So which would you prefer, a foot in the mouth or a mouthful
of lies?"
A statement like this would prove Biden can laugh at himself (necessary), and stick a knife in Trump's back (REALLY necessary).
410
@klm
When Biden was a young man, he had a problem with stuttering. He was able to overcome that problem, but I've often wondered if his gaffes were simply related to. his problem with stuttering.
Biden has overcome so many things in his life, and has so much relevant experience compared to any of the other candidates, I think he would make an excellent president, especially if he chooses a younger woman as his VP. Together they could help us win back the respect and cooperation that we lost since Trump has been in office.
Having said that, I hope that all decent people will support whoever becomes the nominee. The Democratic candidates need to stop criticizing each other and tell us how they will bring back sanity to the country.
98
@klm
I strongly disagree about Biden being the best choice to beat Trump. I think he's a more than decent man and I respect his service to the country, but...
a) There are reasons he never won the nomination. They still apply....and that says something.
b) We need someone who will excite the base, not someone who will placate the vanishing middle.
More on (b) above:
(b1) Low Democratic turnout was what gave us Trump. That's a fact. There were other factors (Comey, Russians), but Hillary did not excite enough folks in the base.
(b2) Most of the policy positions of the more progressive candidates actually poll very well. Raising the minimum wage, taxing wealth and treating access to healthcare as a right are just the start.
(b3) Democrats win when they offer big policy contrasts with the GOP and are able to make this a big part of the message.
Warren and Sanders check these boxes. Of the two I vastly prefer Warren. Why?
a) She's actually a Democrat. That's right, I said it, and it matters to a lot of voters.
b) She has a record of actually accomplishing things in the legislature.
c) She (like Hillary before her) seems to have a fairly deep grasp of policy details that Bernie does not.
What would be "d" in the above list gets its own paragraph. Bernie is SO vulnerable to the too-extreme label it's not even funny. Trump will try to hang this on Biden or anyone else we run, but Bernie actually honeymooned in the Soviet Union. Just one example of many.
56
@klm Brilliant — it’s not that hard. Joe Biden can defeat trXmp. I’ve been traveling outside my blue state bubble and Joe is the one people across the board are ready to vote for.
11
Looks like Obama knew exactly what he was doing when he selected Biden. (Kaine did a lot to help Hillary).
Obama knew he could not change Rome (or the United States) in a day. Wise man.
If we want to beat trump in the next election, Warren, Harris and Booker would be wise to listen to the wisdom of Obama.
73
This piece underscores just how patronizing both Obama and Biden are to powerful women.
Sebelius was put on the list just to make it appear gender balanced? Yikes.
Both men are known as sexist: Obama’s comments about Michelle and his daughters are cringe-worthy.
Fortunately we have powerful, experienced women running this time. I will vote for Biden in the final only if absolutely necessary. But the age of unquestioned masculine authority is coming to an end.
Sent from my iPhone
55
@Cousy...”both men are known as sexist”.
Oh, jeez!
4
▪️When they were done, Mr. Obama offered a pointed reminder, according to two people with knowledge of his comments:
Win or lose, they needed to make sure Mr. Biden did not “embarrass himself” or “damage his legacy” during the campaign.
* that will be a heavy lift, very heavy
30
After reading this piece, I am more than doubtful of the Democratic Party's inability to present a viable and sustained campaign against Donald Trump. The former Vice-President had--and still has--many admirable qualities. But since his announcement, current events clearly translates that time has passed Mr. Biden by.
While the behind-the-scenes debates and intrigues that went into Barack Obama's eventual choice of a running mate were compelling and illuminating, they shed an even harsher light on the Delaware Senator. It does not matter that he was a good and decent family man with a long history of tenure in the Senate. That was then. This is now and he has no armor with which to joust with the erratic and out-of-control president.
“Barack Hussein Obama is change enough for most people,” Mr. Obama said..." and he was correct in 2008 as he is today and the Democratic Party is replete with individuals vying for the nomination who have forgotten that the party's greatest successes lay in the fact that there was not much of a threatening over-reach, to coin a word. The present line-up for candidates have thrown out policies that are anathema to most voters, all but guaranteeing the incumbent an easy stroll to a second term.
The long-term Delaware Senator, is struggling to formulate a reason for his candidacy. That he is "Scranton Joe" is not enough. That he is not Donald Trump is not enough. He needs to be someone that he never was. And he is too old to try.
He's all done.
136
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18 And so who do you suggest be nominated from this field of awe-inspiring, highly electable Democratic candidates (all of whom will surely flip Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania with ease. . .)
8
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Biden was all done in 2008, and he must've sorta known it when he "promised" Obama his ambitions for the presidency were over and done with.
The saddest part of this remarkably detailed Biden bio is its laying bare the possibility of Obama choosing Evan Bayh as his running mate. Then, in 2020, the Dem's might have had a much more electable moderate candidate than Biden.
Bayh is a Democrat who served as Indiana Governor for 8 years and senator for 12, getting himself elected in a reliably Republican state.
It was Obama's understandable caution that led him to choose Old Joe. If only Obama's audacity had led him to choose Bayh, then the current line-up that has "thrown out policies that are anathema to most voters, all but guaranteeing the incumbent an easy stroll to a second term" would not be our concern.
Lot's of hypothetical here, but outside of Mayor Pete -- the other Indiana hopeful, the current crowd of contenders have been shooting themselves in the foot and each other in the head during their circular firing squad debate format.
Trump will have to win it for them because he's still their biggest asset, yet despite himself might parlay enough of the country's animal spirits and fears to win re-election.
6
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
I don't disagree with your assessment Red.
However, I recall feeling extreme doubt when Trump ran - there was no way the country could or would elect him and that Clinton was going to run away with the election. I would have bet the farm on that assumption and belief.
So, who knows really knows how this will turn out.
I am placing ALL of my eggs in the general Democratic basket and that whoever the nominee is, WILL defeat Trump in 2020. Democrats have four years of tormented history to know what is in store if this monster gets re-elected. I am hoping that is enough justification and drive to rid him of the presidency.
17
Not sure why this article. Pointing out Barack Obama’s original questioning Biden as VP choice?
Barack Obama chose Joe Biden, a long time man of service to his country, to be his VP. Their relationship matured, stabilized, and was apparent to fulfill a piece of administration steady and enduring.
No need to hint at Biden’s behind the scene campaign. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will do the right thing going forward. The right thing? Getting Donald Trump out of this country’s White House and restoring the presidency back into the hands of a moral, conscientious, experienced leader. Yes, please.
125
@MIMA
The point of this piece is that Biden is on his third quest to be president even though the first two races were disastrous.
I am grateful to Biden for his senate career and for his VP tenure, but this run may be similarly doomed.
112
I agree with you! His time has passed.....we need some youth back in the People's House....who will work for the good of the country....not for personal gain as the current,incompetent person there now.
5
@Cousy
Times have changed.
There is a need for Biden now.
Do you believe in fate? It means that the other two times it wasn't meant to be for Biden.
But this time it's right.
7