Vice President’s decision not to run for president has repercussions
Vice President Joe Biden has decided to not run for president. His decision comes after months of speculation. We are now seeing the effects of Biden’s decision.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign broke the 500,000 donor mark with 50,000 coming on the day of the Benghazi hearing. Of course, if you believe that Benghazi was the only cause of mistrust around her, you might think that her problems are over and Biden had nothing to do with her dramatic improvement in donations.
After all, the Benghazi committee predictably failed to indict Clinton in an effort lasting longer than Watergate. However, Biden’s fan base flocked to Clinton, polls have shown.
Although Biden said it was too late to mount a successful campaign, I think the greater reason was to avoid a dangerous Biden-Clinton showdown.
A showdown between the three would ultimately leave their reputation in shambles upon facing the Republican nominee.
Clinton and Sanders seem to have a gentlemen’s agreement against personal attacks, but Biden is not held to that standard. He gets an advantage compared to the other candidates by coming in late, because he can tailor his message to be unique compared to the other candidates.
Additionally, he hinted at being ready to throw blows against both Clinton and Sanders in his interviews with multiple news sources before deciding not to run.
Against Sanders, Biden only needs to play off the cuff and keep his moderate position that makes him more electable.
While off the cuff remarks have gotten Biden in trouble before, this season would have been perfect for him, especially when compared to candidates like Trump and Sanders who aren’t acting politically.
Ideally, his supporters would see him as a candidate that steps away from Clinton’s issues while keeping her ideals that are more electable than Sanders’s are.
If Biden had won the Democrat’s nomination, he would have had less exposure than his GOP opponent who has been campaigning longer, no matter which of the Republicans it is. That disadvantage would have been crucial.
