To the surprise of as many as five people in this country, Joe Biden has announced he's running for president. I think Joe Biden would make a fine president and I don't just mean that in the sense that after Trump, I think a caterpillar would make a fine president. The bar's about as low as it can go but Biden would even be good by the old standards.
Here comes the "but"…
I don't think he's a great candidate. I could be surprised but I think we have a whole new set of rules for that and they require someone tougher, feistier and less inclined to be polite. If Trump is the candidate — and I still don't think that's inevitable — the nominee oughta be someone sharper and perhaps less statesmanlike. I also don't see Biden as a great uniter of his party.
Democrats need to learn a lesson from all the Republicans who decided, "We'll take anybody — A-N-Y-B-O-D-Y — who will win." There are Trump backers who are privately appalled at the way he treats women, minorities, disaster victims, immigrants, etc. and once would never have considered voting for someone who lies constantly, changes position from day to day, brags about assaulting women, flaunts his ignorance, kisses up to dictators, obsesses about himself and probably has multiple criminal acts in his past business dealings…
…but they'll live with all that if it means their side is in power. Look at the way many so-called evangelists are licking the face of a man who signs Bibles but has probably never opened one.
Democrats will threaten to vote Independent if their nominee likes to sniff women's hair. Or isn't "progressive enough" on some issue.
I'm not sure there's any nominee who can please enough of the Democratic party to get them all behind the ticket. If there is, I don't think it's Joe Biden…but boy, am I ready to vote for him.