CLINTON, BIDEN OR ??? IT MIGHT NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE

…If Clinton has problems with the Benghazi Committee, this man may decide to run.

 

Republicans show no changes in their “Just say No” approach to getting anything done in Washington.

 

I had wondered what would come of Hillary Clinton’s comment that she off-handedly added during the last debate saying that she was proud of the fact that she has made “enemies out of Republicans”.

 

As expected, both the "enemies" and possible Democratic competitors have come out of the woodwork to offer their two-cents about that comment.

 

You would of course expect some negative comments from the Republicans.  But from the still allusive vice president Biden, a VP that may or may not be running, he commented that, “I really respect the members up there and I still have a lot of Republican friends. I don’t think my chief enemy is the Republican Party. This is a matter of making things work.”

 

Biden has made this kind of comment twice last week, so it is obviously a way to show a difference between himself and Hillary, should he decide to run.

 

The reality is that Biden has a reputation for being able to deal with the Republicans where the GOP totally loathes the idea of working with Hillary.  We know that whomever wins the White House in 2016 will have to deal with a Republican Congress.  But the America voters today are very upset that nothing is getting done in Congress.  Therefore, a Biden president might be a better choice than Hillary.  And that point could convince Biden to throw his hat in the ring.

 

But first let’s get real. Based on what we know today, how could anyone condemn Hillary Clinton and require her to explain in more detail how she will work with Republicans?  Given the recent history of no one being able to work with the Republicans, isn’t there some serious truth to Hillary’s underlying analysis and comment about the situation?  Being a friend or an enemy, what’s the difference to the GOP in doing the people's business?

 

Does anyone think criticizing Clinton for being overly confrontational with Republicans will not appeal to Democratic voters?  Voters that want a president who might get things done while avoiding endless partisanship and political gridlock.

 

I personally believe that, if we are going to have an argument over how a Democratic president can best achieve a functional government.  A government that just happens to have both chambers of Congress being run by the GOP.  It then seems that a real reckoning of the nation's recent political history might totally be in order.

 

If we seriously think Biden is the right choice, and it appears that his long-time connections to the Hill might just give him an ability to forge relations with Republicans.  Biden has a proven record of negotiating deals across the aisle, and those are positive attributes in a presidential candidate.

 

But up to this point, the Grande Olde Party has not shown any desire to work with anyone on the other side of the aisle.  So whether it’s Hillary or Biden, without some changes within the ruling party in Congress, what would be the point?

 

Based on what the Republicans are saying today, if a Democrat takes the White House in 2016, it may not matter which Democrat is sitting in the Oval Office.  Nothing will still get done anyway from the GOP’s point-of-view.

 

So, the reality may be that if a Democrat does win in 2016, there may be no changes in the status-quo between the executive branch and either chamber in the US Congress.

 

So be it!

 

Copyright G.Ater  2015