Joe Biden decides against presidential bid
Months of speculation surrounding Vice President Joe Biden and his plans is over. “What I have said time again to others,” Biden said, “is that it may very well be that the process, by the time we get through it, closes the window on mounting a realistic campaign for President. I’ve concluded it has closed.”
KRDO political analyst Josh Dunn says he thinks Biden and his team made this decision because he didn’t see an opening to victory over Hillary Clinton. “It doesn’t look like at this point her campaign is going to collapse,” Dunn said. “Perhaps there could be something, perhaps she violated federal law, maybe a federal indictment with her emails, but you can’t count on that if you’re Joe Biden.”
Pikes Peak Democratic activist Ryan Macoubrie says he’s disappointed Biden is out, because he’s unsure Clinton can win a general election.
“Hillary Clinton is very powerful, very knowledgeable, has the most foreign policy experience, but a lot of people don’t like her for various reasons, whether real or imagined,” McCoubrie said. The executive director of the El Paso County Republican Party, Daniel Cole, says Biden choosing to stay on the sidelines only helps the GOP.
“It forces the Democrats to choose from a woman who’s under investigation by the FBI and a devout Socialist. “
While he decided not to mount a third run for the White House in a career that’s spanned more than four decades, Biden vowed he won’t be silent in national politics once President Obama finishes his term.
“We can do so much more and I’ m looking forward to working with this man (Obama) to get it done.”
During his announcement Wednesday, the vice president did not endorse a candidate on the Democratic side.
