Biden's boomlet
by digby
I took some serious shit recently for writing this piece in which I speculated that the Biden boomlet indicated that the political establishment was starting to get wobbly over Clinton.The headline was misleading and since most people don't read past them, there was quite a bit of misunderstanding of what I was saying. But even some who did read the article thought my thesis was nonsense --- the establishment is completely in the tank for Clinton and any thought to the contrary says that I'm a lazy sod who fails to do the deep reporting that would prove what an idiot I am.
Here's Chuck Todd this morning on MSNBC. I don't know who he's talking to, but it's the same feeling I was getting from various sources. The new Q poll shows that Biden matches Clinton in favorability and matches up better against some Republicans in the general than Clinton does right now. Todd says:
Why does this matter? Because Biden is talking to donors. Donors care about this right now. And as donors contemplate whether either to leave Clinton or to jump in with Biden, maybe they were on the fence, that evidence matters to them and it will help Biden put together a campaign even faster.
That's Chuck Todd, so take it for what it's worth. But I continue to get a strong sense that the Democratic establishment is nervous and that they increasingly believe they need a fallback. Clinton has a ton of endorsements and is clearly in the drivers seat. But going back to the 90s the Democratic elite have always been ready to abandon Clinton at the first sign of trouble. The pseudo-scandals turn them into nervous nellies every single time.
Do I think it will make a difference? No. If Clinton has a real rival it's Sanders, who has captured the imagination of the large liberal faction of the Party. Biden could jump in and it would be a thrilling story for the media, but I having the support of a bunch of rich guys and timorous political types won't get the job done.
But it is a genuine phenomenon within Party circles. This is how they roll.
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