Biden decides not to run:
After a long "will he won't he" campaign, Biden finally came out to the public on Wednesday as definitely not making a run for the nomination. In his address, Biden noted the loss of Beau Biden, his eldest son, as a major factor in his decision; his death was not only tragic, but it also came at a very unfortunate time. In between the grieving process and the responsibilities of being the vice president, Biden said, it was impossible to begin a campaign. Bloomberg claimed there was a bit more to the case too. They claim that Biden had a group of close advisers telling him how to run a successful campaign, and they were continually trying to motivate him to run. However, Bloomberg claims that Biden became disillusioned with them, opting instead to drop his bid for presidency. In addition, they detail how difficult Biden's run would be. In a campaign continually marked by the desire for change, Biden has not distinguished himself as sufficiently different from the Obama administration.
What will become of Biden now?
Biden has always admonished to his friends that he like to "live in the present," but now Biden will have to plan for the future. It's a mantra that he has been hard taught after the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash more than 40 years ago and now his son's passing from brain cancer. However, without a run for president and with his term as vice president coming to an end, Biden's options are closing. Biden first entered office at 27 and has been in office his whole life. Presidential campaign aside, he has served one of the most beloved terms of any public officer. Although notably wounded by the Democratic Party's favor of Hillary over him for the next in line, Biden said that he has come to terms with his retirement, and he is proud of his 50 years in office.
“I’ve had the very great good fortune and privilege of being in public service most of my adult life, since I’ve been 25 years old,” Biden said, with Obama and his wife, Jill, at his side. “And through personal triumphs and tragedies, my entire family … and this sounds corny, but we found purpose in public life. So we intend, the whole family — not just me — we intend to spend the next 15 months fighting for what we’ve always cared about, what my family has always cared about, with every ounce of our being” (What become of Joe Biden now?).
Do you think Biden's decision was a good one? Would he have had a good chance to win if he retained his bid for the nomination?
http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-eating-ice-cream-photos-2015-9
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/videos/2015-10-21/matter-of-time-joe-biden-opts-out-of-2016-race
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/what-becomes-of-joe-biden-now-145641041.html
4 comments:
I think Biden made the right decision. He showed great character by refusing to run due to the fact he was obviously pressured by many of his advisors and peers. For him personally I think this was the best decision due to his recent family tragedy of his son passing away from brain cancer. He was probably not in a state to run and its good that he was able to recognize this. Another factor playing into his decision was probably the fact that if he had run it would have created more tension for the democratic party and possibly have risked lowering the democrats chances for president. He is proud of his political career and its admirable to see that he is okay to end it where it is.
I think that Biden's decision is a good one and is in fact quite brave considering the current state of American politics. Biden has the right to be overwhelmed, between the death of his son and the vice presidency. This is really not a good time for him to be seeking a presidential nomination. Even still, he has been under constant pressure from many people ever since Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy. American politicians, ever since the Lewinsky scandal, have been expected to uphold their personal public image as well as their political one. Even though Biden has had a great political career, his personal life should come first. In resisting the pleas of his advisors and choosing to retire, Biden has made perhaps the most notable move of his vice presidency. Leave Joe alone!
I think that Biden made a good decision in not joining the presidential race, as it would have all been simply too much for the man to handle. Politics aside, he has faced a series of tremendous tragedies in his life, including the recent death of his son Beau. Biden is already under much stress as the Obama Administration comes to a close, and as Vice President he has a responsibility to preside over the Senate. Thus, the combination of all these factors, along with a bid for president, would simply be too much for him to handle. In addition, I agree that with all the demand for change in this country, a politician as closely associated with the Obama Administration as Biden would not have much success in the race. Speculative polls show that he would trail Sanders an Clinton in the race, and so it simply would not be worth the effort for him to run.
Honestly, however, it would have been quite nice for Biden to have run. With all the controversy surrounding Benghazi and the email scandal, it seems that the Clinton Campaign is under constant criticism and scrutiny. In addition, although Sanders is not trailing very far behind Clinton, it may very well turn out that he is simply too leftist for the general election. Thus, having a more centrist Democrat like Biden running as a candidate would have been a nice backup, considering that the popularity of conservative Republicans like Trump and Carson is on the rise.
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