Not BideN his time
Joe scores early points in 2020 quest
On the first day of 2018, the jockeying for 2020 began in earnest, with former Vice President Joe Biden scoring the first points here in Boston.
With Sen. Elizabeth Warren curiously absent, Biden stole the show at Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s swearing-in with a speech that showed why he shouldn’t be dismissed as a 2020 contender.
It isn’t easy to upstage a politician at his own inauguration, but that’s exactly what Biden did to Walsh, giving a sometimes emotional endorsement to the second-term mayor and tossing in enough tributes to the hardworking middle class to make even Warren envious.
Biden also did so much sucking up to Massachusetts pols it nearly took the air out of Emerson’s Majestic Theatre.
“Where’s Flynnie? Is he here?” Biden said, referring to former Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. “How ya doin’ pal?”
Smart move. Flynn, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican and a champion of the poor, was nearly an outcast during the late Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s administration, but has enjoyed a resurgence under Walsh.
And Biden didn’t limit his tributes to just Democrats.
“Charlie, I’m always proud to be with you,” the former vice president said of Gov. Charlie Baker. “You’re a stand-up guy.”
That line couldn’t have pleased Baker’s 2018 Democratic opponents, but it showed Biden’s not above crossing partisan lines.
And where was Warren? The Massachusetts senator and likely 2020 candidate was in Framingham for the swearing-in of the new mayor, Yvonne Spicer — two hours later. But the choice to skip Walsh’s ceremony was questionable, considering the political clout that the Boston mayor holds and the fact that the inauguration was in the same media market as nearby New Hampshire. Given Walsh’s sway over the largest block of Democratic votes in Massachusetts and a lot of union muscle, she must feel comfortable with the endorse-
ment she gave him in his easy win over Tito Jackson last fall.
If it comes to a choice between Biden and Warren, no one would begrudge Walsh for bypassing his own state’s senior senator. When it came time to ladle out praise for Walsh yesterday, Biden poured it out thicker and thicker.
“I know you all have been privileged to have some really great mayors over the history of this incredible city, but I don’t think it’s going to be a surprise to anybody to hear me say that in my view Marty Walsh can proudly take his place alongside any of them,” Biden said. “This is a man of extraordinary character in a moment when we need more character, and incredible courage.”
And while Biden may have been in Boston to honor Walsh, his speech seemed more aimed at middle-class Democratic voters.
He dismissed the idea that a progressive can’t also be a fighter for the middle class as a “phony debate.” He may as well have been talking about his own potential 2020 candidacy.
“You don’t have to choose between your heart and your soul,” Biden said.
Biden’s the heart. Warren right now might be the soul. But the two might be battling it out soon, and the 2020 primaries are just two years away.