The Ballot: CNN really wants Joe Biden to run (and debate)
Apparently, the prospect of Bernie Sanders debating Hillary Clinton next month isn’t quite enough for CNN officials.
CNN also wants Joe Biden to join the party. The network has changed its debate criteria for the Oct. 13 event so that Biden can take the stage as long as he declares for the Democratic nomination beforehand.
How bad does CNN want Biden? Even if he declares the morning of the debate, he’s in.
Biden, who’s been very public with his angst about running, seems to be moving that direction. Reuters reported Friday that a political action committee backing Biden is hiring staffers in several important primary states. It’s unlikely that the PAC is doing so without at least the implied blessing of the vice president.
There will be a point – perhaps soon – in which Biden will need to stop plucking the petals and make a call one way or another. (Even he acknowledges so.)
Democrats should hope he says yes, no matter how difficult his climb would be. Yes, Hillary Clinton has built a formidable organization in all the key primary states and beyond. Yes, she has all the big donors in her corner, and she leads Sanders and a hypothetical Biden by double-digits nationally. She will likely be the nominee.
Still, the email scandal that’s chewed at her poll numbers is not going away. Should Clinton falter in Iowa and New Hampshire – and should her favorability/trust numbers continue to drag – Democrats might want a centrist candidate to turn to. (Sorry, Martin O’Malley, you’re not it.)
Democrats also could use a moderating influence in the primary. Just as Donald Trump is dragging Republicans to the right in the GOP race, Sanders is similarly forcing Clinton far enough left to be costly with moderate general election voters. Biden changes that dynamic.
Plus, he makes for dynamite TV. CNN knows it. The door is open.
Peter St. Onge
The Ballot brings you news and perspectives on local, state and national races.
This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 10:32 AM with the headline "The Ballot: CNN really wants Joe Biden to run (and debate)."