Former vice president Joe Biden finally announced his candidacy for president in the 2020 election. “Uncle Joe,” as he is informally known to the public, is renowned for his character, his fighting attitude, and his empath. He will give Donald Trump a strong run for his money. Then, why did President Barack not endorse his former VP?
The longtime progressive has been known for his ideas of equality and even climate change. He considers this a time of reckoning as the country fights for its moral democracy. The real reason that Biden did not get 44’s endorsement was a surprise: he asked Obama to not recommend him. Spokesperson for Obama Katie Hill commented, POLITICO reported:
‘President Obama has long said that selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made. He relied on the Vice President’s knowledge, insight and judgment, throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today.’
In 2016, Obama set a precedent of not endorsing any presidential candidate during the primary. This was a stunner given that his secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was running. This decision could have been a wise decision and a path for the next president to follow.
While 44 has been enthusiastic about the quickly expanding circle of Democratic candidates, he has remained primarily behind the scenes. A number of the candidates have met with Obama for advice and background support. After all, he ran a wildly successful race, and current candidates have much to learn from him.
Twenty candidates have now put their hats in the ring of the most important race in recent history. Still, Biden has higher name recognition than all of the other candidates, and will undoubtedly take advantage of that edge over all the other contenders.
The former VP has a long history of stability when the White House has been under the control of a man known for chaos and division. The comparison between the two men, who are both over 70-years-old, will be stark and far more favorable to Biden. That will be the former VP’s niche in the race.
Conversely, Biden is clearly a white man at a time when many Democrats have been looking for someone different. This has been a dramatically diverse race with both women and minorities entering.
A former top adviser to Obama insisted that the president had a tradition to uphold. Still, it was a somewhat weak excuse, noting that Obama believed that the primary competition would leave the strongest candidate standing:
‘The custom for former presidents is not to endorse presidents. The expectation that he would, I find kind of baffling.’
Even though Obama did not endorse Biden, the former vice president will be able to use his tight friendship and long relationship with 44 to pull ahead in the race. Still, Biden has been at the top of most polls for months.
