POLITICS UNPACKED
The problem with Joe Biden
Why Joe Biden is not the Democrat’s best chance of winning the presidency
For many on the left, Joe Biden is clearly the best person to challenge President Trump in 2020. While he is charismatic, intelligent and has considerable political experience — he would also be the biggest liability for the Democrats if nominated.
The Democratic party has undergone a substantial shift in the last few years by establishing itself as the party for diversity and multiculturalism. This is evident since the last two Democratic nominees for president were also the first African American and female nominees for a major party. Meanwhile, the Republican party has made no push for greater diversity and is still largely comprised of old white men.
Another example of this was seen in the 2018 midterms. In this election, 89 female Democrats were elected to the House of Representatives — compared with only 13 female Republicans. This included the first female Muslims and female Native Americans elected to Congress. This sent a clear message to democratic leadership that their voters wanted elected politicians to be representative of the party’s diversity.
However, the progress made to diversify and modernise the party could be greatly reversed by the nomination of Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee. In a field of 25 major candidates, there are plenty of unique candidates to choose from. Pete Buttigieg is a charismatic young gay major from Indiana. Kamala Harris is an intelligent African American candidate who served as Attorney General in California. Julian Castro is a Hispanic mayor who served as HUD secretary under President Obama.
Yet, with all these diverse and promising candidates running in the Democratic primaries, it is strange that so much emphasis is placed on a relic of the Obama administration — rather than on a new candidate. Some of the most popular Democratic presidents (such as John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama) were all young, charismatic politicians when they were elected. Consequently, while Joe Biden is charismatic, his age could also pose a serious problem to his campaign.
The problems with the nomination of Joe Biden also extend a lot further than his lack of diversity. Already, his campaign has been plagued by allegations of sexual harassment during his time as the vice president. Alongside these allegations are multiple videos showing inappropriate touching and kissing even during public events.
In March, former Nevada state assemblywoman, Lucy Flores, alleged that Joe Biden had “proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of [her] head” during her 2014 campaign event. In the midst of the #MeToo and #TimesUp controversy, al allegations of sexual harassment would seriously harm any campaign. However, Donald Trump’s victory of the 2016 election following the release of the Access Hollywood tapes, highlights how it is still possible to win even after facing serious allegations.
Given how much effort the Democratic party took to criticize President Trump for being misogynistic and alleging that he has committed sexual assault, it would be hypocritical to suddenly field a candidate who has faced similar allegations. When the democratic leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schemer get on stage to defend allegations against Joe Biden, it creates a double standard that sexual assault allegations should only be taken seriously if they are against an opponent.
This is worsened further given his role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, during the congressional hearings for Justice Clarance Thomas. He has faced scrutiny for his treatment of Anita Hill and his initial refusal to publicise her sexual assault allegations against Clarence Thomas. Given the recent events regarding the Judge Kavanaugh hearings, nominating Joe Biden would damage the credibility of the Democrats even further and risks isolating them from the feminist wings of the party.
Hillary Clinton partially lost the election in 2016 because of what she represented. She was a career politician, who served under Obama who ran her campaign with the support of the party and rich donors. In the 2016 election, it was clear that the electorate wanted a president who wasn’t a Washington politician and was willing to speak their mind.
Not only would Biden become the 49th white male president, but he would fit this very description. He is the epitome of a career politician, having served in Washington for over 40 years, and will undoubtedly have the support of various PACs and super-PACs. But the results from the 2016 election should raise many red flags on the left and encourage them to look for a new, aspiring candidate without Joe Biden’s political baggage.
In any election, the incumbent candidate always has an advantage and this is increased by the strong economy. This will be no different in 2020, with President Trump starting with considerable support from the Republican Party and the benefits of incumbency. So if the Democrats truly want to win the presidency, is Joe Biden truly the person who can deliver?
