Joe Biden is riding around Iowa in a bus….
Which means his media access is more than it has been for a while….
Check the delegate math in the NYTimes linked piece below….
THAT is why some of us think Joe Biden continues to smile…
(His national lead over his Democratic rivals remains in the double digits)
Joe Biden on Monday tore into fellow Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg over his health care proposal, saying the South Bend, Ind., mayor “stole it.”
“He stole it,” the former vice president told reporters while on his campaign bus in Iowa, adding that he would have been criticized had he copied another rival’s plan.
“What would you have done to me? You’d have torn my ears off,” he said, according to Reuters.
A Buttigieg campaign aide noted that the candidate had been proposing “Medicare for All who want it” since before Biden announced in April that he was running for president.
Buttigieg unveiled his proposed health care plan in September, according to his campaign website.
Biden’s comments come as both men look to gain support in Iowa less than three months before state Democrats hold their nominating caucus….
Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday said he didn’t need Barack Obama’s endorsement in the Democratic primary, even if the field were down to three people.
He also scoffed at the notion that Sen. Elizabeth Warren is building enthusiasm and accused Mayor Pete Buttigieg of stealing his plans.
In a wide-ranging interview aboard his campaign bus during an eight-day, “No Malarkey“ tour through rural Iowa, a feisty Biden answered questions for 30 minutes, discussing his prospects in Iowa, the likely strength of his campaign going into Super Tuesday and his relationship with the former president.
Biden reiterated that he asked Obama not to endorse him, and he stuck by that stance even when asked whether he’d want Obama’s backing if the field narrowed to three people.
“No, because everyone knows I’m close with him,” Biden said. “I don’t need an Obama endorsement.”
Biden went on to say that as Obama’s vice presidential pick, he provided crucial relationships with the base of the Democratic Party, including with African Americans, and with voters in places such as Pennsylvania, Colorado, Virginia and Florida….
NYT: “Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. may lose the Iowa caucuses. But he is betting on strong support from black voters in Southern states and urban areas to help him accrue the 1,990 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. It might work. That’s because an overwhelming majority of delegates are awarded from areas more racially diverse than Iowa and New Hampshire. If Mr. Biden retains his strength with black voters, he’d have a structural advantage in the nomination race that is greater than his uneven lead in national polls suggests. Think of it this way: Candidates gain delegates based on voting in both states and districts, which are Congressional districts in all but a few places. While Iowa and New Hampshire may generate political momentum for a winner because they vote first, the two states award very few delegates. By contrast, a candidate who is popular in California, Texas and predominantly black districts in the South could pick up big shares of delegates.”
image….Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden stands in front of his bus in Emmetsburg, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo
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Steve Kornacki
@SteveKornacki
New Morning Consult weekly Dem WH poll
Biden 29%
Sanders 20%
Warren 15%
Buttigieg 9%
Bloomberg 5%
Harris 5%
Yang 4%
Booker 2%
Gabbard 2%
Klobuchar 2%
Steyer 2%
Wonder where the Harris vote goes now.
There wasn’t much of it…..
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, said they “still love each other” after the video of Joe Biden biting his wife’s finger went viral.
Jill Biden tweeted out a video of “The View” hosts discussing the clip, where Meghan McCain said she thought it was cute.
“I thought it was silly, and they clearly still love each other and are playful,” McCain said on the show…
More…
Playbook: “Joe Biden is cycling three new ads into his $4 million Iowa ad buy. It’s a six-figure buy that will run in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities and Sioux City media markets.”
“The first ad is Soul, which reiterates Biden’s message that the fabric of American society will change if Trump has another four years in office. Integrity has testimonials from people about Biden’s character. They also have a 15-second spot, Enough which has a Des Moines firefighter praising Biden.”
Politicalwire…
Probably equally spread out