Biden 2016?

by Stuart Shapiro

With the naming of Rep. Ryan to the Republican ticket, many have forgotten about Vice President Biden (except when he calls attention to himself).  Noam Scheiber says that not only is this a mistake, but this is not likely to be Biden’s last national election.

And then there is Joe Biden. Given his age (he would be 74 on Inauguration Day 2017), his Rodney Dangerfield reputation among Democrats, and the icon status of presumed front-runner Hillary Clinton, few political observers seem confident he’ll even contest the next race. Except, that is, for Biden himself, who has been anything but bashful about his intentions for 2016. When asked by CNN late last year if he was “closing that door” on another attempt at the White House, a slightly offended Biden insisted he was “not closing anything.” He elaborated: “I wouldn’t have run for president in the first place—and I don’t think the president would have picked me—unless he thought I’d be good at the job.”

This wasn’t a case of Biden winging it on national television, as is his wont. His brain trust, too, has been gaming out a final run at the highest office.

Scheiber is not too optimistic about Biden’s chances, placing him well behind Secretary Clinton; but if she doesn’t run (and if President Obama wins reelection) he is the automatic frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.