Apparently, Biden
loves him some Republicans. Like
John McCain:
"He's not only a great hero, he's an honorable and decent man, and he has the courage to vote his conscience," Biden gushes in the latest installment of the White House-produced audio series "Being Biden." "And he’s my friend."
And
Dick Cheney:
“I actually like Dick Cheney for real,” Vice President Joe Biden says at moderated discussion with former Vice President Walter Mondale at George Washington University.
And
Republicans in general:
"I really respect the members up there and I still have a lot of Republican friends. I don't think my chief enemy is the Republican Party. This is a matter of making things work," Biden said.
"I don't consider Republicans enemies," Biden said. "They're friends."
So really, if you loved seeing President Barack Obama make futile attempts to work with Republicans, then Biden is apparently
your guy.
For the second time this week, Biden also sought to portray himself as a pragmatist who’s capable of working with Republicans, drawing a subtle contrast with party front-runner Clinton.
If his argument is, "I'll work with Republicans but Hillary Clinton won't," the choice between the two is crystal clear. Does he think there's a pent-up base of Democrats frustrated that Obama didn't get more bipartisan love? Wasn't he in the White House with Obama these last two terms to see
why that didn't happen?
There is no clamoring for Biden. There is no legitimate draft movement seeking to get him into the race. There is no core neglected Democratic constituency that he'd represent. There is no core Democratic constituency that would offer up a base of support. He brings nothing to the table that isn't already being offered by existing candidates. He certainly hasn't been putting in the work required (nor bothering to show up to the first debate). And there's no compelling polling story to suggest there's anyone out there really pining for him:
Less than 17 percent really isn't going to cut it. So in short, there is zero rationale for a Biden candidacy beyond ego. Not that ego hasn't driven the decision of most presidential contenders ...