# Biden's running-mate in 2016 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 18, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858 "2012-08-18T06:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/41 "2012-08-20T20:34:13Z")
Biden’s not going to run, and there’s really no way to predict who the candidate will be in four years. It’s tricky to guess a year or two out. Speculation at this stage usually just focuses on the people with the most name recognition, which has almost nothing to do with their policies and their ability to run a national campaign. Clinton has been saying since 2009 that she is going to retire in 2013 and teach, and I think that’s what she’ll do. She’s won praise from almost all corners as secretary of state and even if it’s not the top job, that’s a major capstone on her career. Cuomo has name recognition and his first term has been pretty successful to this point, but who knows. Even in 2016 he may think he has unfinished business in New York. So I really don’t know. Since 2008 my pick has been Bev Perdue based on the quote-unquote logic that the first woman president would follow the first African-American president, but her term hasn’t gone so well and she’s not running for re-election. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/42 "2012-08-20T21:51:32Z")
Martin O’Malley is often touted as a 2016 contender: > **[O’Malley to get convention speaking role](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-politics/post/omalley-to-get-convention-speaking-role/2012/08/19/a523627c-ea62-11e1-9ddc-340d5efb1e9c_blog.html)** > > Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) will be among the featured speakers at next month’s Democratic National Convention that party officials are set to announce Monday. He’s the chair of the Democratic governor’s association. Bill Clinton had that role too. I disagree though that Biden would win the nomination if he ran. He’s already run two campaigns and flopped. The guy is a bad campaigner and while I think he’s very intelligent, very serious, and very honest, he doesn’t have a history of running anything. He’s a career legislator. He’s not going to be able to match a governor like Cuomo or O’Malley in terms of governing experience. Biden can just say he’s been a politician a really long time. Cuomo and O’Malley can say they’ve DONE things. O’Malley has very real accomplishments. As Mayor of Baltimore, he reduced Baltimore from the sixth most crime-ridden city to 12th. > **[Martin O'Malley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_O%27Malley)** > > Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 48th Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. > O'Malley was elected mayor of Baltimore in 1999 after a surprise win in the Democratic primary. As mayor, O'Malley prioritized reducing crime within the city. He was reelected in 2004. O'Malley won the 2006 gubernatorial election, defeating incumbent Rep... However, while his competence is unquestioned, he does seem too liberal to win a national election, IMO. Cuomo’s record is more centrist and his approval rating among conservatives is high. [http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/07/25/cuomos\_approval\_hits\_new\_high.html](http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/07/25/cuomos_approval_hits_new_high.html) 69% approval among Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/43 "2012-08-20T21:59:55Z")
> [@TheSlapIsBack](#): > > It is clear Clinton will run as she turned down the Obama campaigns offer to replace Biden. Did I miss something? When did that happen? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/44 "2012-08-20T22:03:09Z")
It’s a rumor pushed by an author who had inside access, so it could be true. But we can’t know for sure. But logically, there’s nothing in that for Clinton. In 2008 it would have made sense, in 2012 there’s no benefit. Her stature has increased so much due to doing her job well. VP would just yoke her either to a failed campaign or a Presidential 2nd term, which usually doesn’t go so well. She’s better of staying where she is or taking a break. As for age, women live longer than men. I doubt there’d be much voter resistance to a 70 year old woman the way you normally see for 70 year old men. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/45 "2012-08-21T01:42:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And the main reason there hasn’t been more talk about Schweitzer before now is that he’s been deliberately avoiding the national stage. But all of his avoidances have been couched in such a way that he could easily change his mind in 4 or 8 years. If he does run, I think his chances are excellent: He’s an expert at getting across his views concisely and in ways that make sense, and he’d probably peel off a good number of the single-issue pro-gun voters (_everyone_ in Montana is pro-gun). I wouldn’t bet on him vs. the field, but he’s probably got a better chance than most individuals. I think Schweitzer might also have some problems in a primary and with fundraising because his positions on fossil fuel use aren’t exactly in line with the current Democratic orthodoxy. He supports alternative energy and especially things like clean coal and carbon capture, but he’s also been very accommodating to coal and oil development in the eastern part of the state. He’s more concerned with domestic energy than clean energy, which has become more of a conservative position. I personally really like his energy policy, and much like his unambiguous gun rights support it could be an asset in the general election, but in the last decade or so the environment has become the left’s big wedge issue. I think Schweitzer’s environmental record would be very open to attack in a primary and I could see it turning off a lot of the big dollar Democratic donors. He’d probably be a great ticket-balancing VP candidate, though. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/46 "2012-08-21T02:33:49Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > As for age, women live longer than men. I doubt there’d be much voter resistance to a 70 year old woman the way you normally see for 70 year old men. There would be exactly as much voter resistance to a 70 year old woman. I.e., little to none for Congressional candidates and extremely high for Presidential candidates. Despite the Boomers - indeed, probably because of the Boomers - we will never see a 70-year-old candidate in our lifetimes. We Boomers all ache too much to allow that to happen. And you younguns’ hate us. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/47 "2012-08-21T09:43:59Z")
Ryan. Meh. “The gates swung open and a Fig Newton entered.”~~Groucho ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/48 "2012-08-21T14:09:10Z")
Wait until after the Democratic National Convention. Barack Obama gave the keynote speech in 2004 and went on to become President, we may see a repeat of that with the next keynote speaker. Edit: [Julian Castro is the keynote speaker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Democratic_National_Convention#Speakers), if the speech goes well it could be a portent of things to come. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/49 "2012-08-21T14:12:04Z")
A mayor in a red state? Doesn’t seem too likely unless he can become governor of Texas. Obama had the easiest path possible, Castro will have to work his ass off. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/50 "2012-08-21T16:26:56Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > Wait until after the Democratic National Convention. Barack Obama gave the keynote speech in 2004 and went on to become President, we may see a repeat of that with the next keynote speaker. > > Edit: [Julian Castro is the keynote speaker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Democratic_National_Convention#Speakers), if the speech goes well it could be a portent of things to come. That’s a big if. People talked about Mark Warner as having national aspirations, and then he got the DNC keynote speech in 2008 and was supposedly boring as hell. Bill Clinton managed to recover after bombing that way, but it’s tough when you make a bad first impression. > [@adaher](#): > > A mayor in a red state? Doesn’t seem too likely unless he can become governor of Texas. Obama had the easiest path possible, Castro will have to work his ass off. Right, Obama only had to run against Hillary Clinton with all of her connections and name recognition and money. But you’re correct that mayors don’t have a great track record in presidential elections. Maybe of bigger importance: Castro is 37 and he’s been in office for all of three years.If elected in 2016 he’d become the youngest president in U.S. history, and if he were on the bottom of the ticket he’d be one of the youngest vice presidents (fourth-youngest, I think). So he could set himself up for big things this year but 2016 seems kind of soon. Then again in 2016 he’ll be about the same age Paul Ryan is now, so I guess it’s not unimaginable. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/51 "2012-08-21T16:52:31Z")
The convention keynote speaker (of either party) is always going to be someone the party is grooming for bigger and better things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean running for President in the very next election. Obama was rather remarkable in that regards, and even there, he already had a position rather higher than mayor. A mayor, especially a very young mayor, has a lot of room for bigger and better things before going straight for the top. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/52 "2012-08-21T16:57:43Z")
Not to hijack (he says while hijacking the thread), but who do y’all expect to be the keynote speaker for the Democratic Party convention this year? That might give us some insight as to where the party leadership, such as it is, is looking to for the next election. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/53 "2012-08-21T18:36:18Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Not to hijack (he says while hijacking the thread), but who do y’all expect to be the keynote speaker for the Democratic Party convention this year? See **gamerunknown** ’s post. They’ve already announced that it’s going to be Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio. The Republican keynote speaker will be Chris Christie. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/54 "2012-08-21T18:46:11Z")
Oops. Hate it when I ask an already answered question. Thanks, **Marley23**. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858/55 "2012-08-21T21:30:29Z")
I’m chuckling over the thought of President Joe Biden and Vice President Howard Dean. This is full employment job creation for the news services and comedians. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-running-mate-in-2016/631858.md?page=2)