Biden 2016

[dazed&confused]

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/20 ... ation?lite

Biden not shying away from 2016 speculation
By Michael O'Brien, NBC News
January 22, 2013, 11:24 am NBCNews.com


Vice President Joe Biden has barely hidden his possible interest in running for president in 2016, and now, the loquacious former senator has begun to lay the groundwork for a potential campaign to succeed President Barack Obama.

"In a couple years, I think he's going to take a hard look at it," Beau Biden, the vice president's son and the attorney general of Delaware, said on MSNBC. "I hope he does."

A potential Biden bid for the presidency will come as little surprise to observers of the vice president over the past few years; Biden has often dropped hints of his interest in running as Democrats' nominee in 2016, and has repeatedly refused to rule out running in 2016 when asked.

Biden further stoked speculation this inaugural weekend, when he stopped by the Iowa State Society's inaugural ball, and invited top New Hampshire Democrats to his formal swearing-in ceremony on Sunday. Both Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally host the first two nominating contests of a presidential cycle.

At the Iowa ball, he mistakenly referred to himself as president, before correcting himself. “I’m proud to be president of the United States,” he said before pausing to rephrase. “I’m proud to be vice president of the United States but I am prouder to be Barack Obama, President Barack Obama’s vice president.”

And on Monday, during the inaugural parade, he glad-handed his way down Pennsylvania Avenue. Biden waved and pointed at parade-goers on the sidelines, and even ran over to shake the hand of NBC’s Al Roker, positioned behind a security barricade.

When he ran into a Republican voter in Florida during the closing days of the campaign, Biden cautioned the Obama administration's health reform law would be a chit in his column during the next presidential campaign. "After it's all over when your insurance rates go down, then you'll vote for me in 2016," he said, employing a quip that quickly drew attention for its electoral implications.

Biden has twice run for president before, in 1988 and 2008. And each time, his candidacy flamed out. In the '88 campaign, Biden withdrew before the first nominating contest following allegations that he had plagiarized portions of speeches.

Biden survived through the Iowa caucus in 2008, but ended his campaign following a fifth place finish in the contest. The then-Delaware senator committed some trademark gaffes during that campaign, too. Biden joked, for instance, about how "you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent." He also memorably referred to Obama, his future boss, as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean."

But Biden, who served in the Senate from 1973 to 2009 and established himself as an expert on matters of foreign policy, now finds himself arguably at the apex of his political strength. Forty-one percent of Americans said they have a positive impression of the vice president in the most recent NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, versus 37 percent who have a negative impression of Biden. Those aren't blockbuster numbers, but they're among Biden's best in the history of the poll.

But a successful run in 2016 would make Biden the nation’s oldest inaugurated president. He turns 74 in 2016, a year older than Ronald Reagan when he took the oath at his second inaugural.

Biden emerged during the 2012 Obama campaign as a key asset of the president's, stumping repeatedly in key blue collar corners of swing states like Ohio and Wisconsin. During those stops, the vice president offered some of the sharpest criticism of Republican nominee Mitt Romney's policies in a direct appeal to middle class voters.

Biden acted as a key player during the president's first term on matters ranging from foreign policy to domestic. Biden was tasked with implementing the 2009 economic stimulus, and Obama asked him more recently to lead the task force that developed recommendations to curb instances of gun violence.

Obama has also repeatedly turned to Biden to lean on his long-standing relationships in the Senate to help forge deals with Republicans. When talks to avert the "fiscal cliff" reached an impasse late this past December, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reached out to Biden, who won some of the credit for the last-minute deal.

Still, Biden has also become a favorite target of conservatives during the last four years, not least of which because of his not-infrequent gaffes. Conservative media outlets enjoyed stoking speculation, for instance, that Obama might bump Biden off of the ticket in favor of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton -- suggesting that Biden had become too big of a liability to the president's re-election campaign.

And indeed, there were moments during the 2012 campaign where Biden veered badly off script. When he expressed his personal support for same-sex marriage during a May 6 appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," he preempted Obama's own anticipated endorsement of gay and lesbian marriage rights. Obama was forced to hastily follow in the footsteps of his vice president.

Biden also won the enmity of the Romney campaign when he told a predominantly African-American audience that the GOP ticket's economic policies would "put y'all back in chains."

But despite Biden's propensity to fall off-message on occasion, he still enjoys a champion in one key ally: Obama.

"One decision I know was absolutely correct -- absolutely spot on -- was my choice of vice president," Obama said Sunday at an inaugural reception. "I could not have a better partner than Joe Biden."

That's a line that Biden would no doubt love to feature in a campaign ad in just a few years. He might not be the only Democrat in the race -- many in the party hope that Clinton will seek the nomination again -- though the vice president's door to running is open than ever.

I really like Joe Biden- warts and all. He is genuine.

[kantuckyII]

[dazed&confused]

Let's look at who you guys have run lately:

[ManitouDan]

Hes genuinely a dumb a s s . thats it .... as screwed up as our country is he kinda seems like a natural fit .

[Runner]

Biden already stated he was "President Of The United States" in his speech he gave in Iowa this past Saturday. What a loser.

[abuck76]

He is a great statesman..........He will make a great President............ :12224

[Runner]

:aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8

Finally you told a joke we can all laugh at

[abuck76]

Because you do not agree, does not make it so.........In the real world......... :12224

[mustang_lvr]

:aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8

Finally you told a joke we can all laugh at

Didn't hurt yourself putting those smiles in did you. Now that is a joke :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8 :aaaaa8

[ManitouDan]

Cmon Biden the gaffe machine as Prez ?? He puts Bush to shame in the foot in mouth category .. you can do far far better than that .

[Burg_Grad_77]

Even I have to agree that Joe Biden would not be a good choice for the Democrats to run for President.

Do they really want to just hand the Presidency back to the Republicans??

[kantuckyII]

Cmon Biden the gaffe machine as Prez ?? He puts Bush to shame in the foot in mouth category .. you can do far far better than that .

LOL, so far, Obama has Increased Debt $50,521 Per Household; More Than First 42 Presidents in 53 Terms Combined, while riding the longest unemployment streak in our nation's history. Surely they'd like to see these remarkable milestones not only continue but to increase. I believe Biden is the man who'd be more than capable of carrying Obama's torch

[abuck76]

I really do not know burg........I think, if things continue as they are, any dem would be favored over any rep at this time........Of course it is early.........Biden is a known foreign policy expert, dispite his gaffes, none of which are earth shattering.......I mean we elected Bush twice.........I am still holding out the chance that Hillary comes out...........We shall see.......... :12224

[noreply66]

I really do not know burg........I think, if things continue as they are, any dem would be favored over any rep at this time........Of course it is early.........Biden is a known foreign policy expert, dispite his gaffes, none of which are earth shattering.......I mean we elected Bush twice.........I am still holding out the chance that Hillary comes out...........We shall see.......... :12224

The hedges foreign police---most of our exports go to foreign countries.lol

[toast]

I've always liked Hillary and would love to see our country have a woman president. That would be so cool and it's about time. We'll see if see is interested.

Biden has plenty of experience and would make a good president I believe. It will be interesting over the next couple of years to see who is interested on the Democratic side.

[dazed&confused]

What if Biden runs on the promise of one term? The biggest prize would then be his running mate.

[ManitouDan]

" What they do on hard wood amazes me . " Joe Biden talking about teenage cheerleaders .

[kantuckyII]

I would not eliminate Obama as possible president in 2016 as well. I know personally, I have not eliminated him as possibly being the antichrist. I also think that the people on here (especially the Obamanites) are greatly underestimating how much different things are going to be in the year 2016. It 'ain't' going to be good

[NYBuckeye96]

As long as the GOP keeps talking their nasty intollerance and hate against anyone that is not an old white male, the D's could run a rock and it wouldn't matter.........The rock would win.

[kantuckyII]

With unemployment now running 15% and continuing to increase every day among the black population, I'm sure that the Democratic Party is going to count them as a lock in 2016.