Seoul, The Republic of Korea (December 6, 2013) Vice President Joe Biden delivers a speech at Yonsei University. [State Department photo by William Ng/Public Domain]
Mr. Biden was a loyal member of the Obama team. He claims a Democratic ethos forged in the heart of coal country (Scranton, PA), which could help bridge the gap between wealthy white coastal liberal voters and traditional blue-collar white voters.
But There’s a Problem
Recently Mr. Biden has had an opportunity to distinguish himself by showing he also has backbone. When Mr. Biden recently had the opportunity to distinguish himself by showing some, he folded.
The moment came when actress turned New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon protested on Twitter after Mr. Biden had referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a “decent guy.” Instead of standing his ground, and defending a perfectly reasonable remark, Mr. Biden immediately reversed himself. Many others on the left are now combing through his earlier political stands on everything from busing to Anita Hill and the Clarence Thomas hearings. If Mr. Biden is going to apologize every time someone finds him insufficiently woke, the whole rationale for a Biden run evaporates.
Joe Biden surely has as good a chance as any Democrat of beating Donald Trump. But if he wants a shot at the title, he’ll first have to show he can stand up to the harsher voices in his party.
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