Biden eyes third run for presidency
Some inspired by idea, others want to discard ‘old’ guard, see new faces
Joe Biden was asked in 2016 if he was ashamed of his vote for a1994 crime-and-punishment bill that had grown unpopular with many Democrats.
“Not at all,” Biden, then Barack Obama’s vice-president, responded. “And in fact, I drafted the bill, as you remember.”
Biden is now considering a third run for president. Two weeks ago, in a speech at a Martin Luther King Day event, he raised the subject of criminal justice again.
“I haven’t always been right,” he said this time. “I know we haven’t always done things the right way. But I’ve always tried.”
Biden did not directly mention the crime bill. But his shift in tone served as a tacit admission that his previous stance is no longer tenable in a Democratic Party moving fast to the left.
If Biden runs — the Atlantic reported Monday that he has told people he is “70 per cent” toward jumping in — he would begin the crowded race as the most popular Democratic candidate in the country, a man personally beloved by much of the party base as the authentic, empathetic “Uncle Joe.”
But he is a man, a 76-year-old white man, at a time many Democrats are clamouring for new faces. He is a gaffe-prone campaigner whose long Senate record, which includes a vote for the Iraq War and a flawed handling of a high-profile sexual harassment hearing, has not been subjected to sustained attacks since his last solo campaign in 2007, which ended in quick failure.
And Biden is an old-school advocate of bipartisan dealmaking at a time many Democrats have come to believe Republicans are too unreasonable to work with. In pre-campaign appearances, he has signalled that he would run on his record of reaching across the aisle.
Democratic strategist Craig Varoga said such a message could easily win a general election, but “will be challenging in the primaries when Democrats see the Republican Party as completely deranged after four years of Donald Trump.”
“Kudos to Biden for playing the long game and keeping his eyes on the general election, but that’s a steep hill among primary voters,” he said.
Some Black activists have taken aim at Biden for his key role in the 1994 crime bill. The bill, written during a period of high crime and signed into law by Bill Clinton, contained strict sentencing policies that contributed to an incarceration spike that disproportionately affected Black communities.
Biden, however, would start particularly popular with Black voters, who gave him a 73 per cent approval rating in a December poll.
Tharon Johnson, a Democratic strategist and southern regional director for the 2012 Obama campaign, said Biden’s excellent “overall record” on racial issues would give him the space to explain himself on the crime bill.
“We’ll be compelled to listen to what he has to say,” Johnson said.
Biden, a year younger than Sen. Bernie Sanders, would be the oldest president ever elected. Even some voters who like him say they are looking for a generational shift.
“It’s just time. The old-whiteman model is stale for me. I want to see some people of colour, I want to see more women,” said Sonja Hanneman, 70, of Illinois, who said she supported Biden during the 1987 presidential run derailed by a plagiarism scandal.
She cited Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, 46, and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 58, as some of the Democrats she is enthused about.
Said Iowa state legislator Bruce Hunter, a Biden friend: “I think it’s time for anybody that has a vision for where America should be, who has the energy to take us where America can be, and has the expertise to take us where America can be. I don’t think there’s an age thing on that.”
Biden’s supporters admire him for his perseverance through the loss of his first wife and two children. Where Republicans see an inveterate bumbler, they see a wisened statesman. And they say he is best positioned to bring back presidential normalcy and bring a Trump-fractured nation together.
Jennifer Stein, 48, a Maryland graphic designer, said she leans further left than Biden and also wants youth and diversity in the White House. But she said, “I’m willing to put some of my ideal preferences on hold to see order restored by a steady, seasoned leader.”
“Biden’s long-established brand of optimism, warmth and authenticity in speaking to working- and middle-class Americans could help salve some of our wounds as a people,” she said. New Hampshire House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, who was part of Biden’s 2008 campaign, said “maybe he wouldn’t serve two terms as president,” just one to help the country heal. Shurtleff praised Biden, but said he was not endorsing yet.
John Maa, a California surgeon and Democratic national finance committee member who signed a 2015 letter urging Biden to join that race, said he thought it would be difficult for Biden to win this race after entering political retirement.
“In 2016, Joe was the status quo candidate, as the continuation of the Obama legacy. Now he has to transform to being a change candidate in 2020,” Maa said.
Biden’s supporters say he is best positioned to bring back presidential normalcy and bring a Trump-fractured nation together