Surrounded by well-wishers, many of whom he had recently hugged, Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered his much-anticipated announcement that he would seek a third term as vice president, laying out a new vision for the office and immediately drawing attention away from the bevy of mostly second-tier candidates seeking to distinguish themselves in an already crowded field running for president.
“It’s time to take our office back,” Mr. Biden told an animated crowd of 1,200 people of all ages who stood shoulder to shoulder in a downtown biker’s bar as a recording of the Three Dog Night’s “One” greeted his entrance.
He reiterated his claim that he is the candidate in the race who best understands the struggles, the triumphs, and the sometimes embarrassing moments at the microphone experienced daily by ordinary Americans.
“For too long we have tried to be number one. And you can see the result,” Mr. Biden said as the crowd – mostly outfitted with Biden ’88 buttons and waving worn miniature American flags – roared in approval. “It’s time to get this country back on the right track, again, on the path to number two. And – Vice God willing – that’s what I intend to do.”
The vice president is confident his message will resonate with voters as well as all the presidential candidates who, if nominated, will need to choose a running mate.
“Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent or a vice president who has decided not to make a presidential run, now is the time to start considering whether I might want to run with you,” he said.
Mr. Biden’s formal declaration thrilled the group of former staffers and campaign veterans who earlier this year launched Draft Joe Biden along with RunBidenRun.com, a website for organizing volunteers and a petition urging Mr. Biden to jump in to the 2016 race. While the group had initially aimed its effort at convincing Mr. Biden to run for commander in chief, its organizers saw no defeat in having their man make another run at vice president.
“Looking towards the future, Vice President Joe Biden is uniquely suited as vice president to tackle the issues America will face over the next decade,” said Will Pierce, organizing director of Draft Joe Biden. “We couldn’t be happier to see him stay the course. Presidential candidates come and go but, as far as I know, there is only one man out there, at this point, who has what it takes to run as vice president.”
Amid Hillary Clinton’s email problems, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s decision not to run, the far right’s distrust of Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Chris Christie, the inexperience of Scott Walker, and the problems Ted Cruz is having navigating his healthcare needs, Mr. Pierce said he is hard-pressed to come up with a candidate that wouldn’t benefit from having Mr. Biden on the ticket.
“The real question is, does Joe get anything out of having any of them run with him?” he said.
Mr. Biden’s supporters insist that he is the race to win and say he represents a much-needed alternative to the over-managed and obscenely-financed campaigns that now characterize the modern-day presidential runs.
“No one embraces American values – and Americans, for that matter – the way Joe does,” Mr. Pierce said.
The Draft Joe Biden group said it would be using social media to drum up enthusiasm for his campaign initially and then look to develop a traditional team on the ground. A spokesman said that there were about a dozen volunteers so far working to drum up support for Mr. Biden’s third run and that the group would target key primary states in early summer.
Mr. Biden will enter the race as the only vice presidential candidate and with a strong base of support. But the roller coaster of a vice presidential campaign can erode even the most seemingly certain advantage.
“We’re not going to treat this as a coronation,” Mr. Pierce promised. “The main thing is Joe has to take care not to come across as too presidential. And given the field of presidential candidates, that is no small task.”
Philip Maddocks writes a weekly satirical column. He can be reached at pmaddocks@wickedlocal.com.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Biden announces his run for vice president