Joe Biden aims straight at Donald Trump….
The theory of lanes in a presidential primary is somewhat overwrought. The idea that more liberal candidates like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are competing for a defined, more liberal universe of voters, while former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are competing for moderate voters doesn’t always break down so neatly. And the fact that we have about 20 serious Democratic candidates now renders the traditional lane calculus even less applicable.
But with his campaign launch Thursday, Biden seems to be plopping himself down in a lane that other 2020 Democrats have somewhat neglected: The this-is-all-about-Trump lane.
From start to finish, Biden’s announcement video is about Trump and preventing his presidency from being prolonged beyond 2020. Biden starts by noting that Charlottesville, was both home to the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, and to the deadly white supremacist rally in 2017. Trump drew criticism after the rally for saying there were good people “on both sides.”
On the eve of announcing his presidential bid, former Vice President Joe Biden raised the alarm about fundraising in a Wednesday conference call with top donors and supporters.
“The money’s important. We’re going to be judged by what we can do in the first 24 hours, the first week,” Biden told the group, according to one participant, whose recollections of the quotes were confirmed by two others on the call.
“People think Iowa and New Hampshire are the first test,” Biden said. “It’s not. The first 24 hours. That’s the first test. Those [early states] are way down the road. We’ve got to get through this first.”
Biden — noting that “I hate to do this” in discussing the fundraising — said he would be flying around the country for fundraisers with the participants but urged them to do what they can as soon as possible.
“Do what you can right now,” Biden said.
The former vice president is expected to announce his presidential run in a video to be released Thursday.
On the call, an upbeat Biden said his candidacy was a calling, a duty — and that it’s not just Democrats or Americans who want him to run to stop President Donald Trump….
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“Joe is going to do a lot better than a lot of people think,” said Korge, Hillary Clinton’s top bundler in 2016. “There’s broad support from him in our party, just look at the polling.”
In addition, he said, Biden can count on some residual goodwill from President Barack Obama’s former donors who feel a sense of loyalty to his former vice president…..
A progressive Democratic group isn’t happy with Joe Biden getting into the race…..
Justice Democrats, a top progressive group that has seen its sway within the Democratic Party rise in recent months, hammered former Vice President Joe Biden after his presidential campaign launch on Thursday.
The group, which has buoyed high-profile lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), slammed Biden as a relic of the Democratic Party’s “old guard” who opposes policies favored by the progressive base.
“The old guard of the Democratic Party failed to stop Trump, and they can’t be counted on to lead the fight against his divide-and-conquer politics today. The party needs new leadership with a bold vision capable of energizing voters in the Democratic base who stayed home in 2016,” the group said in a statement…..
Obama sings Biden’s praise , but holds off an endorsement just as he did when Hillary ran in 2016….
President Obama showered praise on Joe Biden Thursday after the former vice president launched his 2020 bid for the White House but stopped short of endorsing him.
“President Obama has long said that selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made,” Katie Hill, a spokesperson for Obama, said in a statement.
“He relied on the vice president’s knowledge, insight, and judgment throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today.”
Trying to differentiate himself from the crowded pool of Democrats that is tacking left, Biden is appealing to those in the center by running as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”
Obama doesn’t intend to endorse any of the candidates during the primary because he believes his battle for the 2008 nomination made him a better candidate and president, Bloomberg News reported, citing a source close to Obama.
In the 2016 election, Obama held off endorsing Hillary Clinton, who served as his secretary of state for four years, until June after she had secured enough delegates to be the nominee….
image….Politico
Former Vice President Joe Biden has hired Symone Sanders, a political strategist and the former press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, as a senior adviser, AP reports.
Why it matters: Sanders, a well-known CNN political analyst who left Bernie’s campaign in June 2016, has been highly sought after by several 2020 campaigns and signed on with Biden’s campaign after a meeting a few weeks ago, according to AP. Her voice will add diversity to a crew of top advisers largely dominated by older, white men, AP notes….
Axios….
Biden does retail politics ON CAMERA at CNN in Pennsylvania midday….
Something Trump has NOT done….
President Trump on Thursday mocked Joe Biden after the former vice president launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
“Welcome to the race Sleepy Joe. I only hope you have the intelligence, long in doubt, to wage a successful primary campaign,” Trump tweeted.
The president warned Biden the race would “be nasty” and he would be forced to confront “people who truly have some very sick & demented ideas,” an apparent reference to other Democratic primary candidates.
“But if you make it, I will see you at the Starting Gate!” Trump added….
The Hill….
Karen Tumulty
@ktumulty
.@danbalz finds Biden message “strikingly different than that of his rivals for the Democratic nomination….The vice president defined the election and his own candidacy almost solely as a crusade to rid the country of President Trump.”…
twitter….
— If Joe Biden wins the presidency, he will bring with him nearly a half-century of elected officeholding experience, giving him perhaps the fullest resume of public service possessed by any new president ever.
— It may be that Democrats are more open to a very experienced candidate than Republicans were in 2016, when they selected a presidential nominee, Donald Trump, with no elected or military experience.
— Biden has a very long record to defend, a burden that other, much less experienced candidates do not have. He also will have to show that he has learned from past mistakes and can run a disciplined, strong campaign…
Sabato….
Nate Silver
@NateSilver538
Don’t take these too seriously. https://53eig.ht/2vmHurJ
I agree with Nate on the tiers…
Except….
I would NOT have Buttigieg in the top tier…..
Day 2…..
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sitting down with “The View” for his first extended interview since announcing his third run for president on Thursday. The show, hosted by an all-female panel, is an interesting choice of venue for the 76-year-old Democrat: Mr. Biden entered the race weeks after several women came forward to say his interactions with them had made them uncomfortable, and he is facing a fresh round of criticism for his treatment of Anita Hill during the 1991 confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas (and for a recent conversation with Ms. Hill that she found wanting).
Responding to the hosts’ questions about Ms. Hill, Mr. Biden said, “I’m sorry she was treated the way she was treated.” And pressed to apologize for his physical interactions with women, he offered, “I’m sorry I invaded your space.”
[Read more: Mr. Biden declined to say he would serve only one term if elected president.]
Below, we’re following his appearance, with live analysis and observations, watching closely for how he begins to make the case that he is the Democrat best positioned to take on President Trump next year. [Refresh this page for the latest.]….
More….
Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday said he would not commit to serving only one term if he is elected president.
Biden made the comment in an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” when the Democratic contender was pressed on concerns about his age and speculation he could announce a pledge of serving just one term.
Biden, 76, flatly said “No,” when asked by the hosts if he would commit to serving only one term, going on to joke that he could, however, be forced to serve only four years by voters…..
More…
This HAS NOT been a problem for Biden in polling…
But the media is gonna drag it along….
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Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday declined to directly apologize to the women who have accused him of inappropriate touching in an interview with the women anchors on ABC’s “The View.”
Biden defended his behavior as innocent and described his public displays of affection as a means of connecting with people on the campaign trail.
The former vice president was pressed on several occasions to directly apologize to the women who said he made them uncomfortable. Instead, he apologized if there was a misunderstanding about his intentions.
“I’m really sorry if what I did in talking to them in trying to console, if in fact they took it in a different way,” Biden said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure that I bend over backwards to understand how not to do that.”
“So I invaded your space and I’m sorry this happened,” he added. “But I’m not sorry in the sense I think I did anything that was intentionally wrong or did anything inappropriate.”
More….
Biden, as expected….
Is gonna be fighting with the left and the media….