Hm? The last two times a sitting VP ran for President, an established politician from within his party ran a serious nomination challenge against him (Bill Bradley vs. Gore and Bob Dole vs. Bush I). Biden would have the inside track, but he wouldn’t be unchallenged.
I remember both of those challenges as being more flashes-in-the-pan, but then, I wasn’t all that active in politics at the time, so I may be mistaken.
Bush I certainly had to fight for the nomination, IIRC. Pundits called it “the wimp factor”: he was seen as meek and unassertive. Kind of ironic given the later praise for his handling of Desert Storm.
I see Nikki Haley in the 2016 race. And Gavin Newsom. Brown will not run for re-election in 2014, Newsom will be elected Governor of California, and he’ll immediately start his campaign for President, since it’s what he’s been after for years now.
And I’m betting they aren’t. Emphatically.
Jindal? Rubio? Cuomo? Qin, it’s almost like you aren’t even trying.
Just a little frivolous:
Republican:
The tea party movement’s favorite female governor, Mary Taylor of Ohio, who was able to push out her own party’s governor in the 2014 primary. To balance concerns about her youth and inexperience, she picks 6-term governor of Iowa Terry Branstad to be her running mate.
Democrat:
Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado. Questions are raised about his electability, as the primary campaign was driven sharply to the left after the surprise entry of the Mayor of New York City, Anthony Weiner, whose eventual concession was greeted with a cacophany of double (and single) entendres.
Bring it on, I’ve got pix of Unknown Republican at the sickest bondage party you ever saw.
We are NOT doing a multi-generational performance of Waiting For Cuomo.
I don’t know much about Andrew Cuomo, but his suggestion introduces the possibility that Food Network horrorshow Sandra Lee could be the First Lady. Is the world ready for Semi-Homemade State Dinners?
I highly doubt Joe Biden could win the Dem nomination in 2016. He’s done nothing but shoot his mouth off and embarrass Obama since he was picked, and he’ll be too old next time 'round. I could see either Mark Warner or Tim Kaine of Virginia (the latter if he wins the U.S. Senate seat he’s now seeking), or Kathy Sebelius, the former governor of Kansas and now Secretary of HHS, snagging the Dem nomination.
On the Republican side, we’ll see quite a few familiar faces from the 2012 cycle, and maybe Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Nikki Haley. I agree that Chris Christie is much too liberal to win the GOP nomination five years hence.
I would suggest a Cuomo White House skip a formal Kwanzaa dinner…
I think Elizabeth Warren might be somebody to keep an eye out for on the Dem side, she’s calling out Wall Street and wealth inequality now in the same way Obama was calling out the war in Iraq before it was popular. She tosses out talking points like it ain’t no thing, and she presents herself as knowledgeable, unflappable, and in control. I realize that it’s way early in the game, but she’s favored to beat Scott Brown for the MA senate. If she wins the seat I think she’s well placed to make a move for the top spot.
Speaking as a New Yorker, Cuomo clearly has bigger ambitions than governer. I don’t know if 2016 is the year, but he’s already making a play for the Oval Office with his attitude about everything (including running campaign commercials when there’s no campaign).
I’m thinking it’s gonna be Matt Damon vs. David Mamet. Damon will win on the basis of being much better looking and not using so many swear words.
I was wondering about her too. Definitely one to watch.
I wonder what she’s doing New Year’s Eve? 
Agreed.
Dark horse special: Maria Cantwell / Nikki Haley
I have to confess: I mostly included Cuomo so it wouldn’t seem like I was just being dismissive of Republicans like Jindal and Rubio.
I don’t doubt Cuomo has the ambition; I just think he doesn’t have much name recognition outside the Northeast yet. That makes it tough for me to imagine how he would play on the national stage. As familiar as the people of New York undoubtedly are with him, the rest of the country really isn’t. Here in Chicago I doubt you would find many people who would recognize his picture and I bet most folks would confuse the name with his father. I watch a lot of news and political talk on cable and I haven’t noticed him being a big presence. OTOH, he will be at the end of first term and about to turn 60 so he might see it as his time to make a move.
Having said that, anything could happen by 2016. Rubio I could see making a mark nationally by then but he has plenty of time so why not wait until he has a couple of terms in the Senate? I’ll never be convinced about Jindal though. He comes across as a light weight.
Have you seen the alternatives?
Reposted without further comment:
On the D side, I’d vote for Brian Schweitzer or Mark Warner.
It will be interesting to see who gives the Democratic keynote address this year.
Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton will be getting a little long in the tooth by 2016. Biden will be 74, Hillary 69. Of course Reagan was 70 when he won, but then again, he started having some age-related issues while he was in office, too.