Joe Biden

Some of the Democratic candidates have their knives out and are ready to give Joe Biden a fatal blow, politically speaking. They are focusing on his behavior toward women. He has a warm, expressive manner that might be too much for some. We need to recognize that different cultures, families and people have widely different styles. I once met a woman from Argentina. This was a business setting. As we were saying goodbye, she turned her head clearly indicating that I was to kiss her on the cheek. The Me Too movement was about sexual harassment and sexual predators. If they focus on behavior like this, they have clearly lost their way.

Right now, Biden is leading in the polls. That is because he has name recognition. I think he stands little chance of winning the nomination. It has nothing to do with his social style, his age (he would be 78 at inauguration) or where he stands on the issues. I see the following problems:

1. He is prone to misstatements. As George H.W. Bush would say, that can lead people to misunderestimate him.
2. He has been in public life nearly fifty years. Anything that isn’t perfectly in line with 2019 sensibilities will be used against him.
3. He is a traditional Democrat. It would have been better for him if he had been a Socialist like Bernie Sanders.
4. He had strong appeal with blue collar voters. They are no longer welcome in the party.
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I have no plans to run for office. If I change my mind, I hope there are no pictures of me kissing that Argentine lady.
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