Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE WORST KEPT secret in US politics was finally confirmed on Thursday when Joe Biden officially announced himself as a candidate for the presidency.
It’s Biden’s third run at the White House but by far his best chance, having been vice president since his last attempt in 2008.
But while the 76-year-old enters the crowded Democratic contest as a poll leader, he faces some big challenges if he does want to be the man to take on Donald Trump.
Firstly, Biden is actually a weak frontrunner.
Recent polls have shown that he leads the field of candidates by a relatively small margin compared to previous primary races. A Reuters poll of Democrats this week put nationwide support for Biden at 24%, ahead of Bernie Sanders in second place at 15%.
Other polls have put Biden at around 30%, but he’s actually behind in early primary states like New Hampshire.
Losing early voting states quickly erases someone’s status as a frontrunner, depriving them of a perceived inevitability that can be difficult to stop.
Biden’s announcement video displays a clear strategy that’s somewhat of a departure from other Democrats.
Biden devotes most of the video to speaking about Charlottesville and Trump’s reaction to it. He describes the president’s response as representing the “greatest threat” to the United States in his lifetime.
“If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation,” Biden says, placing opposition to Trump at the heart of his candidacy.
For Democrats, this was exactly what they sought to avoid doing during their successful midterm campaign. In that instance, Democrats were more focused on issues like healthcare than getting caught up with Trump’s rhetoric.
This will be harder to avoid when Trump is actually involved, but the Democratic race so far has been marked by more discussions over policy than the president.
Most agree that allowing opposition to Trump become the dominant reason for voting for Hillary Clinton was a mistake.
“We spent, I think, way too much time on our side talking about him,” breakout candidate Pete Buttigieg said last month.
Biden’s video also said nothing about what he’d like to achieve as president beyond protecting the “idea” of America.
Contrast that with the platforms of Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who each have a defined pitch of progressive policies.
In some ways it was easier for Biden to be the frontrunner having not officially declared his candidacy and not proposed anything. Now that he has done so he will need to back that up.
He must also do that in a way that doesn’t make him look like out of step with an increasingly diverse party. As a white man who’s been a politician for 50 years, Biden will not be able to argue that he’s a fresh face.
That long career in politics also brings problems in itself.
Anita Hill, who was infamously forced to testify before Congress after alleging sexual advances by a Supreme Court nominee, this week criticised Biden to the New York Times.
Biden was chairman of the Congress committee at the time and has himself admitted that the way the hearing was handled was wrong. Hill told the New York Times that he reached out to her a number of weeks ago but stopped short of the apology she wanted.
Biden also stopped short of apologising after multiple women came forward recently to say that he had made inappropriate physical contact with them.
Both those issues present problems for Biden and it will be interesting to see if they are raised at any point by other Democrats when the primary campaign begins in earnest.
The first Democratic debates are in June and the first primaries will be in January 2020.
Despite these potential pitfalls though, Biden is leading in the polls for a reason and he could well be the man to beat.
First and foremost is his association with the Obama presidency. The president/vice-president relationship can often be one of convenience at best, but in the case of Obama and Biden there appeared to be a genuine warmth between then.
Obama has frequently said that choosing Biden as a running mate was the best decision of his presidency and he rewarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
These bromantic notions from a popular presidency will no doubt remind Democrats of happier times.
Biden is also a native of Pennsylvania, a traditionally blue collar state that Trump won in 2016. Tactically speaking, Biden winning there in 2020 along with some neighbouring states would be enough to give him the White House.
And while Biden’s early focus on Trump may be a gamble, it could be one that pays off. In a crowded contest, positioning yourself as Trump’s main adversary could be a winning tactic.
Biden certainly has an esteem that the other candidates can’t match and early on he looks likely to use it.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Irish Language Act promised since 2006 by the British Government. The DUP won’t budge on it, and the UK government need to act unilaterally. DUP – British when it suits them, “Ulstermen” when it doesn’t.
How can Wales and Scotland get language legislation, but the north can’t? If the DUP want to represent “British values”, then they should take heed from Britain where language legislation for indigenous languages like Welsh and Gaidhlig exists.
@Seán Ó Briain: most people I know, South and North don’t really care much for this kind of thing. Just political chess playing and grand standing
@Nigel o’Neill: ok, thanks. Maybe you should meet new people.
@John kane: and you live where John?
@Nigel o’Neill:Beats me anyone that is standing up for a language that has its semi conscious face in the water. Political grandstanding, no substance.
@Nigel o’Neill: That’s cool, but this isn’t about “people” you “know”. It’s about a promise by the British government to create an Irish language act as part of a power-sharing agreement and failing to deliver on it.
It’s about equality for Irish language speakers and not treating them as second class citizens when compared to Scottish Gaelic or Welsh speakers.
It’s about protecting the indigenous language of this island, irrespective of whether you personally care about it. There is a vibrant Irish language community in the north, 35 gaelscoileanna in the north, and multiple Irish language community centres.
What’s the point of Britain making agreements if they won’t uphold the promises made in order for them to be agreed?
@Seán Ó Briain: promises? Don’t matter a damm to Boris.
And we are supposed to give up our flag, national anthem etc for these lot in the event of a united Ireland?
@Munster1: If you think for one minute the the tricolour & anthem is all you will be giving up the you are in for a rude awakening my friend.
@Munster1: they’re not all of NI and in answer to the question, yes, yes we will.
@Justin Gillespie: Yes Munster 1 , you are going to have to give up Partition too, the root of all our problems for past 100 years! and that might even upset some like Justin who never suffered a day by partition because he is alright jack and couldnt give a hoot how Partition hurt others.
Justin suffers with the same narrow ailment that many unionists have – called ‘I hold what I have’. not an inch!
@Justin Gillespie: I really don’t know where you’re going with that. The overwhelming majority won’t be acceding to anything like you’re implying. After all, Northern Ireland joining Ireland will require a majority in Ireland in favour. That won’t happen if there’s any commonwealth nonsense or any kind of dual flag. It will be a United, sovereign Ireland – nothing else will pass. Sovereign nation (86% of island) > former statelet of U.K. , non – sovereign (14% of island). Never going to be a marriage of equals.
Just what do you think we’ll also have to give up?
@Justin Gillespie: lol the triclolour represents the Orange / Protestant tradition on the island. Perhaps you just hadn’t noticed that and prefer to speculate absolute codswallop
@Angela McCarthy: the root of most of our problems for the past 100 years and more so in recent years lies within Leinster House, if you hadn’t noticed
@LiamMac2018: someone speaking from an educated and sensible standpoint, thank crunchie
Someone has got to stand up to this not an inch mentality from the DUP.
The DUP despise everything Irish, language included.SF need to stand their ground on the irish language act, native languages are protected UK.
SF should realise that what the language needs is people speaking it public ie in the supermarket and on public transport. They should take the language out of the control of the academics of “ Conra” obsessed with grammar etc
@Richard Russell: Like you do every day Richard? I think you should realise this is much bigger that an SF matter, or a nationalist matter. There are now Gaelscoil’s in loyalist East Belfast. Only a language act will protect that developing situation.
Time for an election. If it is brought on by the premature ending of the Executive it will be a plague on sf and DUP. On sf for not nominating over an act that would be put in place when pandemic is over and on the DUP for allowing them have a contrived excuse to pull the plug. Would be great to see the more moderates do well in the next elections in Northern Ireland such as Alliance and SDLP.
Sinn fein rattling the cage.between now and the next ten months they are going for elections in the north.the unionist vote is in smithereens.first minister will be Michelle o Neill and it will be easily passed then.so sinn fein are just playing a waiting game here.intresting times ahead over next few years in the north
And we are supposed to give up our flag, national anthem etc for these lot in the event of a united Ireland? What a load of nonsense
@Munster1: I honestly don’t believe that the DUPs politicians are truly representative of the vast majority of people who come from loyalist/unionist tradition communities. The vast majority of those people are progressive.
@#FreePalestine: well they are the most popular unionist party
Gowon home
Ah, but this allows a “finely balanced” dig at both, since the DUP didn’t support the GFA that gave rise to devolution in the first place, and Sinn Féin haven taken their seats at Westminster that’d allow them to help pass this language legislation over there.
@Mick Tobin: No it wouldn’t. Do you not know how the English parliament works?
@Mick Tobin: “Sinn Féin haven taken their seats at Westminster that’d allow them to help pass this language legislation over there.”
That’s false. Language is a devolved matter, there wouldn’t be a vote on it in Westminster. And since the DUP will never implement it in a devolved manner, it’s up to the UK government to act and implement one.
One problem with a United Ireland is the additional cost of supplying DUP members, voters and their terrorist chums with either cushioned pavements or gloves to prevent knuckle damage as they walk about our beautiful country.
Most of the people in the north are English so why would they won’t a foreign language imposed on them? We don’t even speak Irish in the south, if the shinners won’t to speak Irish so they should every day, every meeting they attend let them! There’s trouble brewing up North for July 12 .
@Heisen berg1: wrong on many counts. None of them are English. Some are Irish, some identify as British.
@Heisen berg1: People in the north of Ireland are Irish,think you will find most English live in England not Ireland.
@Heisen berg1: The English language was imposed on the Irish. There was a time when it was illegal to speak Irish. Nobody is trying to make people learn or speak it who don’t wish too, but for those who do want to learn and speak then there should be opportunity
Ulster has been saying No since day one, to hell with them, offer them NADA Leo
@Charles Coughlan: only part of Ulster say no.
have your say