Group contacts Democratic power players: NYT.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: As Hillary Clinton stares down the barrel of the lowest approval ratings she’s ever seen during her storied career in politics and questions regarding her email protocols continue to persist, Democrats have been wondering if they need a viable backup plan to shore up their bid for the presidency in 2016.
While Bernie Sanders has gained significant momentum and positioned himself as a serious threat to Clinton, the United States Senator from Vermont pulls too far to the left for some, meaning another alternative may be called for.
Enter Joe Biden.
According to the New York Times, the once low-key “Draft Biden” movement has entered a new, more aggressive phase. The group has commenced with contacting Democratic power players about everything from how to establish a presence at the Iowa State Fair this week to which Democratic donors and officials in South Carolina need to be contacted.
“The vice president brings a different voice in,” said Tony Bisignano, an Iowa state senator and Biden supporter since the vice president’s first bid began in 1987. “If you’re a liberal, you’ve got to like Bernie’s message. But I don’t think enough people that like his message have full confidence he can be elected. And Hillary obviously has a very strong organization here. But people are very apprehensive about her because they always feel like there’s a shoe to drop.”
While still in its infancy, the Draft Biden movement is planning a social media campaign soon to remind voters about Mr. Biden’s accomplishments in the Senate and the White House, in addition to his off-the-cuff political style.
“We’re in the phase of: What can we do over the next six weeks as the vice president makes his decision? How do we prepare the way for him,” Josh Alcorn, a senior adviser and finance director to Beau Biden who had been integral to helping the younger Biden begin his own 2016 campaign for governor of Delaware, told the Times.
Alcorn is now reaching out to Biden’s network of supporters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and elsewhere, to start gleaning support, donations, and build the group’s contacts, the paper reported.
With more and more dust being kicked up as the race for the candidacy continues, Clinton is sure to be glancing over her shoulder from her perch atop the Democratic polls. Clinton’s closest aides have privately expressed concerns that the campaign would have to spend heavily to defeat Biden in a primary, reported the New York Times.
“We should all just let the vice president be with his family and make whatever decision he believes is right for him,” Clinton recently stated, according to The Wall Street Journal.