After two unsuccessful tries, former Vice President Joe Biden has recently announced that he will be seeking the oval office in the 2020 election cycle. This news did not come as a shock to American liberals as he had been teasing his candidacy for several months. It was however, a surprise to learn that he asked President Barack Obama not to endorse his campaign. USA Today quotes Biden saying, “Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits,” despite having announced his candidacy with $0 of campaign funds. His competence remains in question, however, as there have been several instances of allegations of sexual misconduct and his handling of the Anita Hill hearing back in the early 1990’s became publicized.
In the first day since his announcement, Biden’s campaign raised $6.3 million, which has labeled him front-runner for the Democratic Party. According to CNBC, “97% of online donations made by nearly 97,000 people came in at less than $200. The average online donation was $41, according to his campaign.” On top of this unbelievable feat, Biden’s campaign simultaneously outranked opponent, Beto O’Rourke, who previously held the title of having the highest-grossing campaign in the span of 24 hours, with $6.1 million in donations.
Based on the aftermath of the riots that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, not long after the inauguration of President Donald Trump in 2017, Biden’s campaign video directly attacked the Commander in Chief’s comments on the event. In it he argues how Neo-Nazis and white supremacists must be condemned for their actions, which included the murder of a young woman, who was a part of the protest against the riots. President Trump’s comment that both the rioters and the protestors in Charlottesville contained “very fine people” which was interpreted to suggest that he was not denouncing the white supremacists.
Making the point that the United States is a country fundamentally based on the rights and freedoms of all individuals, Biden remarks on why another four years of President Trump would only do more harm than justice to America. Quoting directly from The Declaration of Independence, The Boston News reported, the former Vice President asserts that America is an idea “stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, and more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.”
Despite his safe and ‘friendly neighborhood white guy appearance,’ Biden has proven himself not to be all that he is hyped up to be. He is an old white man running for President in a society that is generally fed up with the ‘old white man’ trope. Biden’s status as a corporate Democrat during his tenure as Senator, proves that he does not challenge the corrupt power structure in Washington D.C., because his politics are still with big businesses. Politico magazine claims that other Democrats have dismissed Biden being named front-runner of the party. Evidently, other candidates, such as Sen. Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in addition to the 18 other democratic nominees, are not intimidated by his announcement because Biden is “not prepared for the riots of a modern campaign or the demands of a party transformed,” Politico also reported.
