Bernie Sanders Wins If Joe Biden Runs - Brent Budowsky/Observer

[WillyT]

Bernie Sanders Wins If Joe Biden Runs
The vice president would siphon votes from Hillary Clinton, while Sanders supporters would remain loyal
Brent Budowsky | Observer
09/09/15 9:00am


Can you hear me now? Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) holds up his mobile phone while answering a question about privacy issues, August 16, 2015 in Clinton, Iowa. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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If Vice President Joe Biden announces he is running for president, the big winner, by far, will be Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Mr. Biden will take far more votes from Hillary Clinton than he would take from Mr. Sanders, who might well vault into first place in a three-way race that would quickly eliminate all other Democratic contenders.

The current wave of favorable press that the Draft Biden campaign is receiving would subside and reverse shortly after a Biden announcement. It would soon be apparent that the Draft Biden effort is a limited campaign, without strong grassroots support, and not a movement that would have any appeal to current Sanders supporters, who would remain rock-solid in support of Mr. Sanders.

What most in the media have long missed in the 2016 campaign is that Bernie Sanders is the most true, authentic, passionate and principled outsider populist in an election in which outsiders are favored over insiders, and populists are favored over establishment voices in both parties.

The problem with a potential Biden candidacy is that while the Vice-President gave a stirring populist speech on Labor Day, decrying the unfair economy and expressing his indignation at the injustice of economic inequality, during his four decades in the Senate he carried a lot of water for big banks and Wall Street firms.

Throughout his four decades in the Senate Mr. Biden represented Delaware, a state with special relationships with many of the largest banks in the world. Year after year, decade after decade, then-Senator Biden performed Herculean work on behalf of his Delaware big bank constituents.

Throughout his four decades in the Senate Mr. Biden supported many projects important to those big banks, and cosponsored or voted for many pieces of legislation that were advocated by the lobbyists for those big banks.

Throughout his four decades in the Senate Mr. Biden hosted many political fundraisers where he accepted large amounts of campaign donations from those big banks and their lobbyists.

Joe Biden is a good and decent man. He was an outstanding Senator and has been an outstanding vice president. He has earned a reputation for integrity, substance and depth throughout his career in public service. What he did as a Senator, when he carried much water for his big bank constituents, was what is expected of any Senator. He did it well.

The problem for a Biden presidential candidacy is...

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More: http://observer.com/2015/09/bernie-sanders-wins-if-joe-biden-runs/

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. That's why Joe should run :) nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. That's exactly why I want Biden to run.

[WI_DEM]

3. And by another token

If Biden doesn't run where does his supporters go. Do the 20% in Iowa and 16% in NH then go to Hillary?

[Pastiche423]

4. Run Joe Run!

[Garrett78]

5. If Joe Biden runs...

Clinton still probably wins. If not, then Biden wins.

Remember, it doesn't matter that most Americans are closer to Sanders ideologically. Remember, most people don't follow politics very closely.

Perception and money (corporate ties) rules the day. It doesn't matter if the perception is wrong (Clinton is a progressive. Clinton opposes 'free trade' and is, thus, good for workers. Clinton is opposed to the military industrial complex. Clinton is opposed to the prison industrial complex. Clinton is opposed to Big Banks funding campaigns. And so on.). All that matters is that it's the perception. And why is that the perception? Well, for one thing, money/marketing. For another thing, she has that magical 'D' next to her name.