Opinion: Joe Biden needs to run for president, and why you should support him
Since last August, there has been speculation that Vice President Joe Biden is flirting with the possibility of starting a late entry into the 2016 primaries to become the next president of the United States. For me, this has filled me with excitement because Biden is someone I know I can get behind and offers a common ground between the far-left, self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders and the “presumed” nominee, a scandal-ridden and heavily-scripted Hillary Clinton. It’s hard to describe why I like the vice president so much. I guess you could say I love him because of his authenticity and experience. Very few people have managed to be a public servant in the United States Senate for as long as he has (almost four decades). And then he became the person who is a heartbeat away from the leader of the free world as Barack Obama’s vice president. It has even been noted that he is likely one of the most influential vice presidents in modern history. But experience alone cannot be the sole reason for electing someone to the office of president. The president of the United States is the embodiment of our democracy, the symbol for the American people. Often times, the world looks to our president to determine their opinion of our country. The same goes with how the American people look to the government, and the people want authenticity, which Joe Biden is chock-full of. Among us College Democrats, we affectionately refer to him as “Uncle Joe” because he acts like the cool uncle you may have that can come off as a little goofy at times but can always be relied upon for help in tough situations or give you good advice when times get rough. He’s someone who may have his gaffes and funny moments, but he has shown that when you mess with him, he will fight back. First, there’s Biden’s willingness to go off script. The stereotype of a politician is someone who always adheres to a very strict public image. Throughout his years as vice president, the “Biden Gaffe” has been a well-known, recurring feature of the Biden Administration. This includes notable moments such as dropping the F-bomb during the signing ceremony of the American Care Act and going public as being in favor of same-sex marriage in 2012 before the Obama administration had come out in favor of it. But most importantly, there’s the fact that despite so many struggles and personal hardships in his lifetime, he has continued his career in public service. Before even taking an oath of office, then Senator-Elect Biden experienced tragedy when he lost his wife and infant daughter to a car wreck, yet he chose to remain in the Senate and would commute from his home state of Delaware for the rest of his Senate career. And this past summer, he lost one of his sons, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, to brain cancer. His death reportedly almost led the vice president to consider resigning from office, yet he went on to return to work in the White House within two weeks of burying his son. Joe is still hurting from the death of his son. On Sept. 10, Joe Biden sat down to be interviewed by Stephen Colbert in the first week of him taking over “The Late Show” on CBS. There are very few moments in our country's history where a major politician is willing to show some of their deepest felt emotions, and of all the people who would be willing to create such a moment, it was our vice president. Biden tearfully answered questions about his son and some of the memories of him. Even when asked about running for president, Biden found himself rambling, eventually coming back to his son and once again teared up. This was not an interview with a politician; this was an interview with a real,, grieving human being. There is no doubt in my mind that the Joe Biden we saw in that interview was who he really was. There are bound to be people, though, who would argue that these are reasons Biden shouldn’t run for the presidency. But I think these, combined with his experience, make him the best candidate for the job. With the Obama era coming to an end, we need someone who can continue his legacy as well as still project the same feeling that the president is representing the people of the United States. Joe Biden can do this and if put in office, he’d give the same amount of awe-inspiring effort he has shown for his entire career. Of course, this all assumes that he will run. In the interview with Colbert, Biden said, “I don't think any man or woman should run for president unless, number one, they know exactly why they would want to be president and, number two, they can look at folks out there and say, 'I promise you, you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy, and my passion to do this,’ and I'd be lying if I said that I knew I was there.” Even when mourning the death of his son, Joe Biden’s experience and love for his country is still strong. Like many Americans, he believes even a presidential candidate must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and commitment that comes with the office. If he does not believe he can make that commitment in his current state, then he won’t run, and that is true patriotism. But if Joe Biden determines he is ready for the responsibilities of the presidency, then there are many of us who will be ready for him, and I believe that he can win if all of us want a president who will represent our country with honor.