Would Joe Biden be a formidable Presidential candidate? I have read more than one article that answers “no.” These articles note that Biden ran for President in 1988 and 2008, and he did not do very well.
There are a lot of factors in whether a person does well in a Presidential race or not. I think, though, that Biden could be a more effective and formidable candidate in 2016 than he was in 1988 and 2008. The reason is that we have gotten to see more of Biden’s personal side—-his honesty, his human vulnerability, his sensitivity. Speaking for myself as a voter, when Biden ran in the 2008 Democratic primaries, I saw him as a pompous jerk. Nowadays, I appreciate his human side more.
Although Hillary has a larger political organization, she remains enmeshed in scandal, fairly or not. She is, and will continue to be, an easy target by Republicans this election year. Republicans will probably wear kid-gloves, however, when it comes to attacking Biden, or at least they will focus on the issues rather than attacking Biden personally. The reason is all of the things that Biden has been through, and Republicans would look insensitive to attack him personally.
James' Ramblings 