Joe Biden Worried That Hillary Clinton Isn't Credible On Income Inequality

[big_dog]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: The Huffington Post-2 hours ago

If Vice President Joe Biden decides to jump into the presidential race, his decision will be driven, he has said in recent conversations, by a belief that Hillary Clinton's background won't allow her to be a credible messenger when it comes to income inequality, which Biden sees as a defining issue. But even as Biden sees that opening, and is being urged by members of his family to run, his remaining reluctance stems from his wife Jill Biden's discomfort with a bid at this moment.

A former adviser who remains close to the vice president said Biden is weighing his wife's comfort with a run and the conduct of the Clinton campaign as he finalizes his decision. His final choice on whether to run, according to a Democratic fundraiser who has met with Biden aides, will likely come in late September. However, another prominent Democratic fundraiser who has raised money for Biden in the past suggested that an entry could come as late as early October, in the weeks leading up to the first Democratic debate.

Biden's ultimate decision is complicated by delicate, emotionally raw family dynamics. According to the former adviser, who requested anonymity to speak openly, Jill Biden remains hesitant about a campaign as she continues to grieve the death of Beau Biden, who died in May at the age of 46. Beau reportedly encouraged his father to make a third run at the presidency before his death, and the vice president sees the possible campaign as a vehicle to promote Beau's legacy and the issues he cared about.

Beyond family misgivings, Biden is also waiting to see how the current Democratic primary process plays out. It's not just Hillary Clinton's trouble shaking criticism over her use of a private email account while secretary of state that he's watching. Biden has also expressed concerns in conversations with fellow Democrats that Clinton won't be able to effectively push issues like economic inequality, owing to her time at the Clinton foundation and the paid speeches she's given since leaving the State Department.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/joe-biden-hillary-clinton_55db83dfe4b0a40aa3abd3d8

[onehandle]

1. Still a bunch of hearsay, it seems. nt

[big_dog]

2. the battle has been joined and the 2016 primary season has started in earnest !

[onehandle]

4. Amen!

But the real shit still doesn't come down until late Fall.

[840high]

18. It's getting really exciting.

[freshwest]

3. Pure hooey. No names, no quotes. Huffpo was created by A. Huffington and A. Breitbart. n/t

[big_dog]

5. the adults in the room are finally showing their hole cards now

this is the really fun part. Jarett has done a masterful job so far to preserve the legacy of the affordable care act-- Biden/Warren for 2016 and Warren/Castro 2020!

[freshwest]

27. That was not in your OP, you added it after I posted. Now that one makes sense, naming names, so

I'll gladly read it and think about it. Everything nust come out in the primaries, for a consensus on the nominee.

Although it appears that Sanders has the spot being suggested for Biden. And he's lost twice even getting through nominations.

The MAIN THING is that the Republicans LOSE this election in 2016. If we lose it you can say bye bye and hello Koch brothers as our new bosses.

I did read in a piece (one of five) earlier today which does not give names, that Biden is the foil to Trump.

Yet I hate to see the GOP win in chasing off ANY of our candidates with their insidious propaganda. Do you think Joe is the man to fight off these attacks?

I'm sure they'll sling mud at Joe, fast and furious. But if he has OFA behind him, he'll have a chance. This may be a good way to get away from the rancor that is currently dividing the Democratic Party.

Thanks for posting the 2nd piece in the followup to clear the speculation up. I almost think the GOP has given up on all the horses in their stable, so anything is possible.

Democrats need to break this one or two term curse we've been under for too long. It's going to take a long time to get this nation back on its feet again after the years since Nixon. He planted poison seeds, and it has just about destroyed us over the decades.

I look forward to hearing an official announcement from Biden. One report said he did not attend the DNC summit that starts soon, but he will have to get things going fast to get up to speed by October when the debates begin.

Thanks again for clearing that up for me. I apologize if that sounded like I was attacking you, as I wasn't. I just was getting frustrated at all of these different stories with no names that I read today. Those really tick me off. It's like gossip.

[JDPriestly]

28. Biden has been second in command in the Obama administration for what will be close to 8 years by

the Nov. 2016 election.

He has not spoken out strongly or done anything on the issue of income disparity in that time.

When Walker was destroying the unions in Wisconsin and when Occupy Wall Street was occupying public spaces, Biden said nothing or next to nothing.

He is no more credible on these issues than Hillary.

And they are major issues for 2016.

The only credible candidate on these issues Is Bernie. O'Malley is not too bad, but not to be trusted when compared to Bernie.

Warren is trustworthy on the issues, but she is apparently not running for president, and it would be a waste of her time to run for VP. She should either be president or stay in the Senate where she can change policy. As VP she would just be a visual and not a real presence.

Biden is a member of the oligarchy's machine. He shouldn't waste his energy running for president. This is not the year of the oligarchs, not the year of the banks and the creditcard companies, and therefore not Biden's year.

[24601]

29. Second in command doesn't really capture a VP's role/authorities accurately. Cabinet Officers and

Independent Agency Chiefs report directly to the President without going through the VP. The President doesn't issue orders through the VP and the VP is not the Deputy Commander In Chief. Instead, he/she presides over the Senate and his Personal Staff and remains prepared in case something happens to take the President away from the job. Then the VP either replaces the President or assumes temporary Presidential authorities under the 25th Amendment.

[JDPriestly]

47. Biden appears to be vvery close to Obama. I don't think it is Obama's style to pick a VP

who is just sort of an ornament.

[Android3.14]

45. I agree

Mr. Sanders is our best hope at this point.

[merrily]

52. Faux populists talke about income inequality. Populists talk about wealth inequality.

Huge difference.

[roguevalley]

61. Joe Biden who rents a spare house on his property to the secret service? Joe biden who has

been on the government payroll all his life and only has anecdotes from growing up in Scranton to show for it? He's no better than her but he can tell better stories.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

16. Shoot the messenger much?

Multiple outlets are reporting along the same lines

[freshwest]

24. I've seen several and all of them contradict themself. No direct quotes, MSM speculation in all.

This is about the fifth version I've read tonight. And Big Dog can post whatever he wants. No gun play here.

[still_one]

32. Of course it is. I would not be surprised in the least if there wasn't RW involvement to try and

propagate this. By doing this, they hope to divide Hillary supporters, and minimize Bernie's grass roots support.

The fact that Bernie is ignored completely in these reports is really strange.

It was only a couple of weeks ago the talk that "Gore" was seriously considering a run was brought up, and by all appearances it too was the creation of someone or some enterprise.

I also believe that the republicans are scared to death of Hillary. They know they have a huge problem with women, and running against Hillary would be their worst nightmare.

and of course some here believe this is LBN. If it isn't some story of "Biden" considering running, or emails, it almost seems to minimize what LBN used to mean

[merrily]

53. I'm not saying it's true, but Carl Bernstein is not exactly a right wing foil.

[cstanleytech]

6. To be perfectly honest I dont believe her stance or Bernies on this issue matters to much.

Not because its not a massive problem but because we need more than just a change of president to address it we need a drastic shift with our entire government both at the local level and the federal level and until such a shift happens there is almost nothing that any president can do to address it.

[Ed Suspicious]

8. A president can fix a focus on the issue. I agree very much that it has become a campaign issue for

Clinton and will be for Biden after reading the tea leaves. I believe Bernie will pursue the problem even after the election. The power of the presidency is the power to persuade. Bernie and his millions of followers will be persuasive on the issue. He has unleashed the beast on this thing. Bernie means business.

[LovingA2andMI]

19. ......THIS ^^^^^

"Bernie means business." Yes Indeed Bernie Does! #BernieIsAGamechanger #FeelTheBern!!!

[cascadiance]

26. Yes! Bernie means business in taking business OUT of politics!!!

[LiberalElite]

36. "He has unleashed the beast..."

I love it!

[cstanleytech]

49. Except the problem is no matter who is elected if the same assholes who control congress

now still control it afterwards nothing will be done because as we have seen they do anything to stop the president and they do not care if their actions inflict harm on the american people at all so if we want change we need to take congress back and we also need to take back the local state governments otherwise we are SOL.

[merrily]

55. If you don't think a President matters, just leave the top of the ticket blank.

I love it: "Say hello to President Cruz" morphs into It doesn't matter who is President;" and the answer is always, "so Hillary 2016

Also: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1187978

[cstanleytech]

63. No, I am pointing out that

we dont just need the democrats to win the office of president we also need them to regain majority control in congress and at the state level, if we fail to achieve that then the republicans will just keep on fucking the majority of us in this country over.

[thesquanderer]

44. Of course the president can't do it alone. Bernie has said the same.

This is why he keeps talking about a movement, to create pressure at all levels.

[merrily]

54. LOL!

[cstanleytech]

64. Unless you are a republican you should not be laughing because the truth is

that the office of president isnt the sole office in this country that makes the decisions, congress is a vital one to control as are the state level offices.
In fact the state level offices might even be more vital because in alot of states they setup the districts which is how the republicans have managed to stay in power in those states and if the democrats want to cut the legs out from the republicans then they need to focus far more on the state level offices than anything imo.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

7. Traditionally the vice president continues the legacy of the administration and builds on it.

[big_dog]

10. its hard for me to believe that Uncle Joe agreed to one term, but he is getting up there

worth it to lock up Liz Warren and the progressive base, Carl Bernstein is redeeming himself here!

[C Moon]

9. I didn't believe it when others were saying it:

but now it does sound like he met with Warren to discuss his run for the Presidency.

[Ed Suspicious]

11. Elizabeth Warren: Kingmaker

[big_dog]

12. Valerie Jarett: Kingmaker

President Obama has quietly promised Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren complete support if she runs for president — a stinging rebuke to his nemesis Hillary Clinton, sources tell me.
Publicly, Obama has remained noncommittal on the 2016 race, but privately he worries that the Clintons would undo and undermine many of his policies. There’s also a personal animosity, especially with Bill Clinton, that dates from their tough race six years ago.
A former Harvard law professor and administration aide, Warren would energize the left wing of the Democratic Party just as Obama did against Clinton in 2008.
Thanks to her outspoken stand against big banks and the top 1 percent, Warren is the darling of progressives. She won her Senate seat thanks to millions of dollars in donations from outside Massachusetts, including from rich environmentalists and Hollywood celebrities.
Obama has authorized his chief political adviser, Valerie Jarrett, to conduct a full-court press to convince Warren to throw her hat into the ring.
In the past several weeks, Jarrett has held a series of secret meetings with Warren. During these meetings, Jarrett has explained to Warren that Obama is worried that if Hillary succeeds him in the White House, she will undo many of his policies.
He believes that the populist Warren is the best person to convince the party faithful that Hillary is out of touch with poor Americans and the middle class. Warren, in his view, would carry on the Obama legacy after he leaves the White House.

So far, Warren has been reluctant to make a commitment. During several recent interviews, she has said she has no present plans to run for president.
However, she always phrases her stance on the issue in the present tense and has refused to issue a Shermanesque statement that she will not run for the White House under any circumstances.
“Barack, Michelle and Valerie have been talking about Elizabeth Warren for quite some time,” says an Obama administration source. “Valerie has told Warren that Obama is prepared to throw a great deal of money and organizational support behind her.

“The Obamas believe that Warren sees things from the same ideological point of view as they do. She is a committed progressive who, like Obama, wants to transform America. http://nypost.com/2014/07/06/this-means-warren-obama-backs-challenger-to-hillary/

[reformist2]

14. Don't get my hopes up like this!!!

[big_dog]

15. kudos to Warren for getting a one term concession out of Uncle Joe to be his running mate

if Carl Bernstein's reportage is true. she is truly formidable, and a strong candidate to be the 1st female POTUS

[No Vested Interest]

21. I like Elizabeth Warren, but she's not so young herself. She's 66 now, would be 67

by 2016 election & inauguration.
Yes, she appears younger, and that's good.

Hillary is 67 now, would be 69 by 2016 election.
D. Trump is 69 now; Mike Huckabee is 60.
Jeb Bush is 62, John Kasich is 63.
Jim Webb is 69;
Martin O'Malley is 52.

Enough said.

[big_dog]

22. thats why Warren needs a Castro for veep in 2020

[No Vested Interest]

23. I could be interested in a Castro in 2020 (if I'm still here to vote in 5 years).

Which one is the preferred candidate - Julian or Joaquin?

They're just 40 years old. - Younger than my kids.

[merrily]

57. Maybe. His twin is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. I want to know how

his politics differ from the politics of his twin.

[LiberalElite]

35. Listing them like that

As if age is all there is to consider

Big big differences among all.

I'm voting for Bernie.

[No Vested Interest]

50. Context. Talk of one-term promise by Joe Biden.

Why would there be talk of one-term promise by Joe Biden except for consideration of age?

That people vary is a given.
Look at Jerry Brown - at 77 more vital than many in their 60's.
But, as a senior myself, I know age is not something to be discounted altogether.

[merrily]

56. Election Day is irrelevant as to age. Inauguration Day is only very slightly less irrelevant.

Age 4 to 8 years out from election day is much more relevant.

[thesquanderer]

42. That Warren article is over a year old. (n/t)

[MBS]

39. I would love for this to be true BUT. .

Note that the author is Ed Klein, of Regnery Publishing, Newsmax and Breitbart. .
I consider his credibility suspect unless confirmed by other substantive journalists, or by actual future events.

[SoapBox]

13. I assume he will simply co-op all of Bernie's positions...

With a touch of weathervane thrown in.

I'm sticking with Bernie...we need a TOTAL change of direction.

[Alkene]

25. An intermediate candidate,

serving as a perceived compromise between the Sanders and Clinton camps- while maintaining the status quo?

[Major Hogwash]

37. Yes, that would be the role that he would take, intermediary.

Biden is somewhat left of Hillary on some issues, and somewhat right of Bernie on others.
But, I think he will be more liberal as a President than he was as a Senator because of his experience of being President Obama's Vice President for the last 8 years.

If he chooses to run, this would put Joe in the same position that George H.W. Bush found himself in back in 1988 after he served 2 terms as Vice President for President Reagan.

[merrily]

58. How is he between Hillary and Bernie?

Yes, I did see the word "perceived" but I am not even sure about the illusion.

[Alkene]

62. I know.

I was suggesting the way it would be presented, rather than any sense of validity.
I'm with Sanders; I suspect Biden would merely effect the status quo, despite the campaign rhetoric of change.
Been there.

[LovingA2andMI]

17. Among Many Other Things....

Tell Them Something.....JOE!

[WheelWalker]

20. I'm Ride'n with Biden. A Unity Ticket with Warren would put me into a swoon.

[Dems to Win]

30. Iraq War vote, Iraq War vote, Iraq War vote

Biden has the same fatal flaw as Hillary -- he was duped by W into voting for the Iraq War, an epic catastrophe and tragedy.

We need someone with better judgement than that! There were 21 Democrats in the Senate who wisely voted No on the Iraq War, maybe we could look among them for possible candidates.

[FlatBaroque]

41. No one was "duped"

Everyone voted with their heart OR made a political calculation by voting yes.

[merrily]

59. Agree--and Biden made a political calculation. I heard him try to explain away

his vote during a talking head show shortly after the invasion hit the fan. It was pathetic. Plus, he has lost at two tries at the nom.

America is rejecting the status quo.

[still_one]

31. This is garbage. If Biden was really "worried", then why not support Bernie Sanders whose entire

career has been built on income inequality?

This whole Biden nonsense is hoping to divide the Democrats. I find it interesting that it seems to serve two purposes. 1. They hope it will take momentum away from Hillary. 2. They hope to minimize grass roots support from Bernie.

That supposedly Joe is now considering a run, instead of several months ago, is just one of many actions that make me wonder about his judgement, and how he goes about making decisions.

He was for the Viet Nam war, against the 1st gulf war, and for the 2nd gulf war. He was against the raid into Pakistan to get bin Laden. Not a very consistent record

[Darb]

33. Yeah, right.

Not.

[bucolic_frolic]

34. "at this moment"

Joe Biden is what, 73?

If not now, when?

[MBS]

38. (sorry, put this in the wrong place- now moved to the right sub-thread)

[joshcryer]

40. Biden isn't running.

Bookmark this post.

[Laser102]

43. He's a nice guy but I really don't see what he brings to the table.

There are candidates in this race that are talking income inequality. Offering suggestions for cures. I just think he should keep his powder dry.

[merrily]

60. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1187978

[Sunlei]

46. We will hear from VP Biden himself about his plans, instead of some media story created by dogging

the VPs daily schedule.

[WillyT]

48. K & R !!!

[still_one]

51. I am worried that B.S. ops like this are considered LBN, when they should be in General Discussion

: Primaries, especially since this is from "some former advisor". Yeah, rumors, speculation, general bullshit, yup, definitely LBN

[DonViejo]

65. Locking...

This is an opinion piece, not LBN.

From the SOP:

Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.