From the last Morning Jolt of the week…
Is Joe Biden Running? Here’s One Little Indicator…
Ryan Lizza, writing in The New Yorker:
Joe Biden has taken another step toward entering the Presidential race.
Representatives of the Vice-President held a meeting this week with Democratic National Committee staffers. They briefed Biden’s aides on arcane but crucial rules that the Vice-President would need to understand if he decides to run, according to a D.N.C. official.
It was the most significant sign the source had seen to indicate Biden’s intentions. “I think it means he’s running,” the source said.
The D.N.C. has held similar meetings for representatives from the five declared Democratic candidates: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Jim Webb, Martin O’Malley, and Lincoln Chafee. The D.N.C. offered the meeting to Biden earlier this year, and the party committee was scheduled to brief his aides back in June, but that meeting was cancelled.
By the way, that web video from Draft Biden? It won’t run. Turns out our gut instinct was right – it was too emotionally manipulative… for Biden:
“The vice president appreciates that they are trying to help,” the person close to the vice president said. “But he has seen the ad and thinks the ad treads on sacred ground and hopes they don’t run it.”
The vice president’s office declined to comment.
In a statement, the super PAC said it would “honor his wishes” and pull the ad.
“Nobody has more respect for the Vice President and his family than we do,” senior advisor Josh Alcorn said in a statement.