"...in this parade in Pittsburgh!"
Vice President Joe Biden says "I'm gonna run," in this parade in Pittsburgh. But his fiery speech is stoking speculation that he's moving closer to challenging Hillary Clinton. CNN's Brianna Keilar reports.
Welcome to the
Biden News Roundup!
Holy Smokes! Hot off the wire (well, almost)!
Vice President Joe Biden has edged past Bernie Sanders in a new national poll of Democratic voters, while Hillary Clinton continues to lead the Democratic field but has lost ground since last month.
The new Monmouth University poll shows that 42 percent of Democrats back Clinton, 22 percent support Biden and 20 percent favor Sanders.
Sounds like a
done deal to me. But wait,
there's more!
In a speech and walkabout at a rally in downtown Pittsburgh, Biden marked Labor Day with a full-throated appeal for steps to fix income inequality and gave a picture of the personal touch he would offer on the campaign trail.
Biden, 72, looked energetic and eager. He jogged back and forth across a downtown Pittsburgh street to greet people who met him with cheers of "Run Joe Run."
Uh oh! I better duck!
It's officially un-approved pundit Chris Cillizza!
What's clear from that eight seconds or so of video is that Biden LOVES this stuff. He, more than anyone since maybe Bill Clinton, loves the hail-fellow-well-met side of politics; the grip and grin that most politicians loathe is the sort of stuff Biden lives for.
The guy just eats this stuff up. And it's infectious. People smile, they laugh, they have a good time when they are around him.
Contrast that with the candidacy to date of Hillary Clinton. Lots of words come to mind when you think of how the former secretary of state has campaigned, but "fun" is not one of them. No matter what she says, it just doesn't look like she is having a very good time. (Her campaign, recognizing that fact, has pledged to make her more human in the coming months. Um, okay.)
How many people can call themselves the President's Best Man?
In Florida, though, it wasn't the President's plan, it wasn't "Our plan," it was my plan:
"Here's my plan," Biden said as he spoke of potentially transferring tax breaks for the wealthy to pay for community college and deficit reduction, as well as training and retraining the next generation of American workers. He also urged more investment in infrastructure, to keep companies on American soil.
Hillary Clinton acknowledges the inevitable,
enthusiastically endorses Biden:
“I think he could be a good president. There’s no doubt about that...[.]
Sanders supporters say:
No problem!
It would soon be apparent that the Draft Biden effort is a limited campaign, without strong grassroots support, and not a movement that would have any appeal to current Sanders supporters, who would remain rock-solid in support of Mr. Sanders.
That's
some great news, Mr. Budowsky!
Meanwhile, the President makes a high profile appearance with Jill Biden:
Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, who is an educator at Northern Virginia Community College, will join Obama and Education Secretary Arnie Duncan in Warren, Mich., on Wednesday to tout new federal investments to help students attain higher education and gain skills to enter the workforce.
Tongues are
wagging!
THE LID: Is Joe Biden Catching Fire?
Whoa!
The Aussie Lizard weighs in!
"Looks like Biden already running," Murdoch tweeted on Monday evening. "Very likely he wins nomination and be hard to beat."
If such a prognostication seems like nefarious meddling to some Hillary Clinton supporters, it's worth remembering that Murdoch is never one to troll. He tweets earnestly, often pushing on politicians' weaknesses—Republicans and Democrats alike—or rallying for pet causes like immigration reform. His observations often seem less like opinion and more like unsourced intelligence picked up from political power brokers.
Hitting
the road! according to
The Hill.
Vice President Biden is road-testing his campaign message ahead of a possible run for the White House.
Dueling
late night appearances with the Republican front-runner! Stay tuned!
DISCLAIMER: If you came to this Diary looking for someone else, well:
That's the Biden News Roundup! Until next time....!