It's starting to look like Uncle Joe might actually throw his hat in the 2016 ring.
Reports are surfacing that in the days before dying of brain cancer earlier this year, Beau Biden, the vice president's son, urged his father to run for president, and that later this month Joe will mull the idea over with his family while they're on vacation together. Presumably, a decision will be announced in short order.
Columnist David MartinThough he could prove me wrong, I'm betting he runs.
And when Biden launches a campaign for the White House, his candidacy will instantly become the biggest disruptor to the entire 2016 field - yes, even more disruptive than that guy named Trump.
Even without a big-name, well-funded primary opponent, Hillary's campaign is already teetering. Her favorability numbers are sinking fast, reflecting that people just don't trust her, while Bernie Sanders, of all people, is enjoying modest, steady gains as more Democrats learn who he is.
Side note: I spotted my first Bernie yard sign in Chattanooga this week, almost wrecking my car doing a double take.
A Joe Biden cannonball into the Democratic pool of candidates will surely sink the no-namers on that side - Jim Webb, Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chafee, who I still have to Google whenever I type his name because I can never quite remember who he is.
But it's Hillary who should be worried (really, really worried) by Biden. There has long been a riff in the Democratic camp between Team Clinton and Team Obama dating back to the 2008 presidential primaries, and many of those in Obama's circle would love to see Hillary's Oval Office ambitions stall again. Joe would be a perfect candidate for this crew since he's one of their own, has strong ties to the Obama fundraising machine, would be seen by many Obama loyalists as a reliable torchbearer of Barack's policy legacy. Plus, he's infinitely more likeable than Clinton.
A Biden candidacy would also expose Hillary on policy matters that she has, so far, skirted. For example, the Keystone XL pipeline debate. Last week at a town hall discussion in New Hampshire, Clinton offered this gem when asked what her stance is on the proposed oil line: "If it's undecided when I become president, I will answer your question. This is President Obama's decision. I'm not going to second-guess him."
Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza might've had the best response to that answer: "Er, what?"
It sounds like Hillary has been taking media pointers from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. "You have to elect me to find out what's in my policy portfolio."
Without Biden in the race, Clinton's been able to safely hide behind non-answers like her Keystone explanation. To date, no one has effectively called her hand on them. However, on a debate stage flanked by Sanders and Biden, she won't be able to dilly dally.
If she wants to distinguish herself from Biden on an issue like Keystone, she'll have to distance herself from the current administration's handling of it, which has been to delay construction at all cost. By taking a diverging path, though, she'll present an opening for Bernie, who will be able to laser in on her, channeling the universal wrath of the environmentalist crowd.
But, if Hillary decides to follow Obama's lead on Keystone and other matters (like trade agreements), the two strongest Democratic candidates - herself and Uncle Joe - would be muttering almost identical progressive platitudes, which would lead many left-leaning voters to think, "Well if it ain't broke don't fix it," preferring an Obama third term, via Biden.
The Clinton coronation needs to be derailed. It would be great if a strong GOP ticket could make that happen, but it would be even better if it ran off the tracks during the primaries.
David Allen Martin is a syndicated columnist who writes from Chattanooga. You can email him at davidallenmartin423@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DMart423.