Just a reminder: I don't vote for President. It's a protest against the presumed power of the office and the idea that one person should hold that kind of singular authority. The President of the United States is far from the most important or powerful person in the world and not voting helps make that belief more than just an idea. I watch elections like I watch sports: for interesting story-lines and for entertainment.
This time around, I'm in a pretty unique position. I'm from Delaware, but I'm not from Delaware, which allows me a certain perspective on Mr. Biden while also maintaining a little distance.
What makes Biden so compelling, obviously, is how easily he would've wiped the floor with Trump in 2016. Democrats are always nominating the person who would've won the last election (which is why they can never follow a two-term President: the guy who won the last election isn't eligible). Democrats also like novelty, though (Carter, Clinton, Obama, heck, even JFK), so Mayor Pete or Beto or the potential first woman President is pretty attractive. Democrats rarely care much about electability (to their detriment).
Biden, though, I think, changes the mold. Because his negatives are in the same category as Trump's, but not as extreme, it's a tough match-up for DT. He speaks off the cuff and puts his foot in his mouth, but, you know, Trump makes him look like an amateur in that department. He's had difficult relationships with women - from Anita Hill on down - but even the women who've accused him of making them uncomfortable have specifically rejected claims of harassment or worse.
Let's just say there's no chance a 30 point Democratic loss in Scranton (the white, working-class town that also happens to be Biden's birthplace) would've happened if Amtrak Joe would've been on the ticket. That red run through the rust-belt by the slimmest of margins just wouldn't have happened.
Now, as much as it seems like the same thing would happen this time around, the Democrats live in the past so thoroughly, I find it far more likely something would come out of left field to change the narrative and make the idea of Biden over Trump seem silly by November of 2020. I mean, more likely the Democrats will nominate someone else and kill their chances, but regardless, things are more likely to go wrong than right. That is the Democratic Party Way.
People love Joe in Delaware. I suspect part of it is because he's given a small state a prominent place in the nation's government for near half a century now. Never underestimate the power of a Napoleon Complex. The other part, of course, is because Joe seems so genuine. "Seems" probably indicates there's a seedy underbelly about to be revealed. I don't think that's true. Locally, you hear that people who work for Joe never forget they work for Joe, if you catch my drift. He's only ever been a politician and to survive this long you have to be good. Voters, donors, and media get the full Joe treatment, because they are literally his livelihood.
Some might call that disingenuous, but that's only because we forget (or refuse to admit) that you have to be at least 51% narcissistic just to run for dog catcher, let alone any higher office. Elected officials are not a diverse representation of the general populous; they're almost entirely comprised of that kid in high school who thought he was better than everyone else, but no one knew well enough to really know for sure whether that was true.
I don't think there necessarily has to be a dichotomy between a folksy, homespun, tell it like it is, everyman, and a career politician who treats people around him based on their ability to help his career. I think Joe Biden genuinely cares about the people it's political advantageous to care about, and while that sounds icky, for a veteran politician, it's downright miraculous.
The guy's far from perfect, but perfect is the last thing you want in a President. The harder it is to put them in the role of savior, the better. Maybe that, in itself, is reason he can't win in 2020. At this point, a department store mannequin looks like salvation to 75% of the country; it's virtually impossible to win strictly by asking people to vote against your opponent - even if that opponent is Donald Trump.
That's the real wildcard in this election. We've had Presidents with policy positions we vehemently despise. We've had Presidents who lie regularly and with conviction (in fact, we've probably never had a President who didn't). We've had terrible, inexperienced, mentally unhinged Presidents, too. As I said before, to become President, your capacity for blind self-interest has to be impossibly, unbearably high (yes, even for "the good ones"). Typically, though, Presidents decide that its in their self-interest to appear to be working for some other more noble purpose.
What those people who really hate Trump hate most is that he's not playing the game. The guy doesn't even pretend. That was unique enough for other politicians to be paralyzed in response and it was refreshing enough to voters to put him in office.
It's also the Biden playbook.
No, Joe's never been like Trump, but he's worked hard to cultivate the image that he's not like other politicians either. His gaffes couldn't be political theater, because they're so terribly embarrassing or cringe-worthy. Or is ol' Uncle Joe just that good at what he does?
I live in Delaware and I don't have an answer for that. I'm not saying Biden would be as terrible as Trump (for the record, my opposition to DT is entirely because he appears to lack the ability to even set a standard by which to judge right from wrong - which is far scarier and more dangerous than someone who just has a terrible standard or lacks the ability to use it consistently), I am saying that trump's attempts to expose the truth to the American people would be one hell of a ride.
My gut tells me Biden probably wouldn't be a very good President, but he'd be a terrific general election candidate - probably the only one who could make things entertaining. That's why he's my pick... at least right now.
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