I dunno how many friends this will make me as a Bernie Sanders supporter. To be clear, my support still remains firmly in his camp. But I do want Joe Biden to run for President. Here are a few reasons why:
1) I think Joe would be an implicit continuation of the Barack Obama administration, an administration that I have long disagreed with but has a proven track record of stewardship of government. I believe that Barack Obama, despite my disagreements with him in regards to major pieces of fiscal and foreign policy, has been a beacon of responsible intelligent governance. Agree or disagree, his tenure has been historic, and Joe Biden was part of that. Its undeniable. He was as much if not way, way more of that administration than Hillary Clinton was, and I respect Joe for his hand in it. I wish we could have seen and heard him more, but I understand that he says some weird shit sometimes and gets side eyed both in the press and here at dkos for it, rightfully so.
2) The more credible democrats enter the primary race, the better. I was dismayed all year as very few credible challengers rose to Hillary Clinton's level. I will be honest, I have been looking for an alternative from the very beginning. I was ecstatic when Bernie entered the race, and even more so when he started to rise in the polls. But, Bernie also has his flaws that he must overcome. If he cannot overcome them, if, for some reason his candidacy becomes not viable and apparently so, I am going to need a second option. I was going to make that Martin O'Malley, but I have to be honest I dislike a lot of the things he has said about fellow democrats. I dislike his remarks about both Hillary and Bernie. I agree with much of his criminal justice platform and think it hits just about every good point, but I believe his candidacy as a democratic nominee for president would be hopelessly flawed from the very beginning. People would see someone who is far too polished and far too ready to go negative for him to be viable to me as a voter. I think Martin O'Malley has the ideological chops to be a contender, but he ultimately needs to brush up on the definition of friendly fire and fight on ideological grounds. The way he went negative on both Bernie and Hillary turned me off for good.
This is why I support Bernie, but again I am shopping for a second choice, should Bernie get pilloried by the media (fairly or unfairly, most likely unfairly). We all remember Howard Dean, and how he was treated by the media for one kind of embarrassing moment. Should that happen to Bernie for some reason, I like to have a #2 waiting in the wings. If Biden enters the race, I will strongly consider him for #2. He would make a fine Riker to Bernie's Picard, imo.
3) Joe is a fighter, I like his style for good or for ill. Remember the VP debates of 2012. That man had me on the edge of my seat, cheering, hooting and hollering -- he fucking thrashed Paul Ryan so bad. That was one of the most underrated moments of the 2012 campaign. I mean there were some really good ones -- Notebooks full of women, please proceed governor, the 47% thing...the VP debates stand out to me though. Biden just did Biden and the right went fuggin' nuts. My father in law to this day, when I mention it, sputters and attacks Biden to no end for it. I know he hit a fucking nerve and I want to give Biden a big bear hug for it all. Imagine Biden at the 2016 debates. He would mix it up as much as Bernie would. He would breathe life back into the room, imo. I support his candidacy just to see him debate! Hot damn is he good!
As an aside, if Biden did enter the race, would it mean more debates? Thats a good question for Rep. Wasserman-Schultz. I mean, I have long held that more debates is a GOOD thing for a long time. We need to discuss things among ourselves. Were not just picking a candidate here, we're picking a direction, a platform. We need to discuss this more than six fucking times before we pick a candidate. I don't care if it hurts or helps a certain candidate, I want to hear them all speak. And if Biden entering the race means more debates than more power to him! Hell yeah!
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I also feel I should make these points as well.
I am not supporting Biden's run because it will help or hurt any democratic candidate, and think those who are will ultimately only hurt us in the process. I am supporting him running because I legitimately am interested in Joe Biden and will seriously consider voting for him during this primary process. My support in him is not based in the belief that it will help Bernie Sanders, my current favorite or hurt Hillary Clinton, someone who I do not wish to vote for to be our candidate for President. I support his candidacy because of his proven track record of stewardship of government in the Obama administration, his fighting spirit and because I agree with him on a whole host of issues and wish to hear more of his ideas for the direction of the country.
Ultimately, it is up to Joe Biden. I know he has had recent tragedy in his family and may not feel up to a run. He should know though, that there is sufficient curiosity in his running for President, at least among democrats I know and myself. I sincerely hope he does enter the race. I think he would be a great addition to the field.
YMMV