Following months of speculation, Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he will not run for president in 2016. Biden cited the ongoing grief his family feels following the January death of his son, Beau Biden, as the main reason behind his decision. He was unsure if his family has the emotional endurance for a campaign, and possibly, eight years of presidency. While this comes as a surprise to many who saw Biden, a man who has held presidential aspirations throughout his esteemed political career, as a strong candidate for the 2016 race, it is not difficult to understand why the 72 year-old will not seek the bid. Biden, despite never announcing his candidacy, polled at a strong 18% to Clinton's 45% and Sanders' 29% in a CNN poll from last week. Biden also stated that, in regards to the amount of time necessary to mount a winning campaign, the "window has closed."
Similar to the manner in which it began, Biden's political career will end on January 20, 2017, amidst a time of personal tragedy for the politician. A few weeks after he was elected to the Senate following an underdog campaign in his home state of Delaware, his wife and 1 year-old daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident while shopping for a Christmas tree in Hockessin, Delaware. His sons were hospitalized. Biden was resolved to never assume his elected position. After being convinced to not resign by Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, Biden was sworn into office on January 5, 1973, at the Wilmington Medical Center with his sons in attendance. He made the 1 1/2 hour commute from Wilmington to Washington, D.C. each day to be with his sons at the hospital while they recovered. On Wednesday, only months removed from another great tragedy, Biden stated that his family was his first priority, and that he simply would not be able to devote himself fully to a bid.
Biden, however, contended that while he will not be a candidate, he "will not be silent." He fully intends to play the role of the elder statesman, planning to spend the next 15 months "fighting for what we care about." Biden, who was known throughout his career as a mediator between the Democratic and Republican parties, appealed to the two parties to not see one another as enemies, and to work together for the good of the nation.
Many point to Biden's announcement as only another boon to Clinton's campaign, which has only grown in strength following a strong showing at last week's first Democratic debate. Clinton tweeted only praise for Biden following his decision, saying that she is forever "inspired by his optimism and commitment to change the world for the better." Many believe that, left with only progressive rock star Bernie Sanders as her main opponent, Clinton's path to the nomination is markedly easier. While it is not entirely clear how much Biden's announcement will help Clinton, most analysts are convinced that Clinton, not Sanders, will be the main beneficiary.
As for the current situation, Biden finally making an announcement will certainly simplify things. While it only removes one of the many distractions presently clouding the 2016 election, it will allow the voters to focus on the eligible candidates and better educate themselves for November 2016.
Your thoughts:
How do you think Biden's announcement will affect the current Democratic standings?
What are your thoughts on his announcement?
What sort of legacy will Biden be leaving behind following the close of a political career that spanned five decades?
What possible role do you see in politics for Biden following his exit from office?
Is Clinton a shoo-in for the nomination?
http://time.com/4079655/joe-biden-2016-presidential-race/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/21/politics/joe-biden-not-running-2016-election/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/22/us-usa-election-biden-idUSKCN0SF2D220151022
2 comments:
Now that Joe Biden has finally made his decision in light of the tragedy of his son, I think the democratic standings will be more definite. I think that a lot of people were waiting on Biden’s ballot, thus they were not supporting any candidate yet. I also think that this a major victory for Hillary as Joe Biden was going to be her main competition for the candidacy; it is also a win for Bernie Sanders as he now can hold onto the number two spot. He is now also the first choice pick for Democrats who aren’t for Hillary. The grounds on which his announcement comes are tragic and I wish him and his family all the best. This tragedy will become part of his legacy as he began and now ends his career in strife. Moreover, the legacy that he will lead be one of a mediator between Republican and Democrat; a hard role to fill. If he continues to play this role of mediator, even though he won’t be officially in the government I think it would be very helpful. As the divide between Democrat and Republican grows wider, I figure like Biden who knows how to compromise and is well versed in the ways of the White House is going to be crucial.
Bernie and Hillary must be celebrating as they hear that a huge contender will not be competing against them. Democrats love Biden and many of them were waiting for him to announce his candidacy. He was seen as a good candidate because captures many of the most popular democratic views. He lacked Bernie's extreme tendencies and Hillary's scandals. Now people who were counting on Joe will have to focus on Hillary and Bernie, which will help them gain voters and popularity. It will be interesting to see which candidate many of Biden's supporters will choose to support. This can potentially change the polls and give either candidate a huge boost. Biden's reservations about joining the race in the beginning, always made it unlikely that he would end up running because of the huge time commitment that comes with running a campaign. With the death of his son, he said that his family was fragile right now and therefore, they could not go through the stress of a presidential campaign, which all in all is a smart decision. It will be interesting to see who Biden supports and which candidate will benefit from the his declaration of not running.
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21676751-vice-president-finally-rules-himself-out-joe-biden-says-he-will-not-run-president
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