Despite her many, many, many obvious failings, the smart money is still on Hillary Clinton. The odds are still in her favor and everyone still thinks she'll probably be the eventual Democrat nominee. However, it's nowhere near the sure thing it used to be, and we can officially stick a fork in the idea of the "inevitable Clinton victory."
Hillary, and her party, are facing a genuine three-way battle for the nomination.
Take a look at new Bloomberg poll (below). They surveyed self-identified Democrats as well as "Democrat leaners" and found that Joe Biden AND Bernie Sanders are within striking distance of the former First Lady.
Obviously, Hillary's still ahead, but it's pretty close - particularly this far out. Also, I suspect those numbers are a bit unfairly tilted in Hillary's favor, since people tend not to renounce their "former candidate of choice" until the last possible moment. I'd expect Clinton's numbers to look even worse in a few months.
As I've written before, we have a lot of fun at Joe Biden's expense. The "crazy Uncle Joe" comedy pretty much writes itself, and his endless habit of gaffes, screw-ups, and creepy fondling have kept us all entertained for years. However, as I've also written before, no one should ever treat a Biden candidacy as if it's a joke.
If there's one thing Joe knows, it's how to look like he's your "goofy pal who really cares." He's survived the Obama years without drowning in the stink that covers certain other administration members, and he's generally viewed as a decent, well-meaning, guy. In short, he'll enjoy all the upside of being part of the Obama machine, very little of the downside, and he's likable.
Bernie Sanders will court the hardcore left, and I suspect he'll take a sizable chunk of that vote. The party, however, knows that he's incapable of winning a national election. So, at some point, they'll pull him aside, sit him down, and have "the talk." Then they'll have to make a call. Push Hillary, a woman surrounded by scandal whose collapse has been epic in scale, or throw the whole thing over to Joe?
That should be a simple choice to make.
All the Vice President has to do is announce his candidacy. If he picks a running mate who's a real anti-American socialist someone who appeals to the Dem base, he'll be at the top of a formidable ticket.
Despite her many, many, many obvious failings, the smart money is still on Hillary Clinton. The odds are still in her favor and everyone still thinks she'll probably be the eventual Democrat nominee. However, it's nowhere near the sure thing it used to be, and we can officially stick a fork in the idea of the "inevitable Clinton victory."
Bernie Sanders will court the hardcore left, and I suspect he'll take a sizable chunk of that vote. The party, however, knows that he's incapable of winning a national election. So, at some point, they'll pull him aside, sit him down, and have "the talk." Then they'll have to make a call. Push Hillary, a woman surrounded by scandal whose collapse has been epic in scale, or throw the whole thing over to Joe?
That should be a simple choice to make.
All the Vice President has to do is announce his candidacy. If he picks a running mate who's 
