Republican strategist Karl Rove says former Vice President Joe Biden should not be ruled out of mounting a successful presidential bid despite the allegations made against him in the last weeks.
Rove, who was deputy chief of staff during former President George W. Bush’s administration, argued in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that no matter how much the liberal wing of the Democratic Party wants to tear down Biden, he still has an argument to make that he is the most formidable candidate in the field capable of uniting a broad coalition of voters that could rival the Trump campaign.
The Republican strategist said Biden is well-positioned to put together a broad policy initiative that would incrementally achieve Democrats’ policy goals while addressing some of the most pressing among groups won by the Trump coalition, including agriculture unions and workers affected by free trade.
“What if Mr. Biden pushes an incremental liberal agenda that appeals to Democrats worried about supporting free everything and neosocialism,” Rove asked in the op-ed. “He could make strengthening ObamaCare a priority and promise to fix the social safety net, help working families, make the rich pay their fair share, reform immigration, and push an infrastructure bill.”
“Biden could do well in Iowa because of his union ties, rely on older Democrats to stay alive in New Hampshire, stay competitive in Nevada with support from union members and older Democrats, and score in South Carolina with help from African-Americans. He doesn’t need to win every contest, but could end the first four as the most consistent candidate with the most delegates,” he said.
Biden, 76, has the policy experience and the track record of nearly 50 years in public service, from local office in Delaware to Congress to the vice presidency, a career that Rove said may help him weather the storm coming from his opponents and can serve as a transition from one generation of Democratic leaders to the next.
“What if Democrats want a transitional figure? What if Mr. Biden says he would serve only one term, bring America together post-Trump, and allow the country to turn the page to a new chapter,” Rove asked.
“He might remind Democrats that their political opponents are not their enemies and that when Washington was last broken, Democrats fixed it and healed the country by fostering bipartisanship.”
On Wednesday, three more women have come forward to accuse former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriately touching them, bringing the total to seven. Vail Kohnert-Yount, Sofie Karasek, and Ally Coll shared their experiences with the former vice president with the Washington Post.
The latest RealClearPolitics polling average for the Democratic nomination puts Biden, who has yet to formally announce a presidential run, on top by 7 percentage points over second-place Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt,. Biden and Sanders have 28.8% and 21.8% support respectively, with all other candidates polling in the single digits.
[Opinion: Criticizing Joe Biden’s creepiness is not an example of political correctness run amok]
