“A firestorm of chatter in the political class was set off this weekend by a New York Times article revealing that Vice President Joe Biden is revisiting running for president. With that has come questions as to whether it’s too late, could he win the primary and is he a viable general election candidate? The simple answer: Yes. Why? All thanks to the opening created by fellow Democrat and apparent leader Secretary Hillary Clinton. Right now, Biden appears to be everything that Clinton is not.
Looking back on the 2012 election, the exit polling made it clear that character, not issues, were a top deciding factor when going to the polls. Though sometimes by just a hair, Romney almost always came out on top when issues-related polling questions such as, “Which candidate do you trust to do a better job of handling the economy?” were asked. However, when the question, “Who do you think better understands the economic problems of people in this country?” were asked, Obama handily dominated.
Voters related to Obama, felt they could trust him, and believed he shared their values. This is the exact dichotomy that Biden could bring to the Democratic primary if he were to enter the race. It is the void created by Clinton and her campaign that Biden could fill.
With Biden, what you see is what you get. He is approachable, warm, and he embraces people. He doesn’t stand in a Chipotle line in a key swing state and not say a word while hiding behind his aviators. He does the opposite and mixes and mingles as he did at a Jamaican restaurant in Miami last year. In a possibly foreshadowing sign, he autographed the restaurant wall right above Hillary Clinton at Rosalie’s Cucina in Skaneateles, NY. There have been some questionable moments of embrace, like the time he rubbed the incoming Defense Secretary’s wife’s shoulders while whispering into her ear at a press announcement. But those are the moments the public love too and help make him real, like the crazy funny uncle we all have.”