"In Iowa, Biden has advice for candidates" by Catherine Lucey and Josh Lederman, Associated Press February 13, 2015
DES MOINES — Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that Democrats running for president in 2016 should embrace the record that he and President Obama have built.
‘‘Run — yes, run — on what we have done,’’ Biden told a crowd of more than 800 at Drake University in Iowa.
Will he be among the candidates?
‘‘That’s a family, personal decision that I’m going to make sometime at the end of the summer,’’ he said.
Democrats, not too long ago, were distancing themselves from the Obama administration and its economic policies, he said. Continuing that would be a ‘‘terrible mistake,’’ Biden said. He predicted a further economic resurgence if the country follows policies that have proved successful.
‘‘Some say it would amount to a third term for the president,’’ Biden said. ‘‘I call it sticking with what works.’’
Iin Iowa, where the caucuses will kick off the election calendar in early 2016, Biden said the election will come down to a choice between continuing Obama’s policies or going with a Republican approach focused on tax cuts and deregulation.
‘‘Are we going to continue this resurgence, focus on growing the middle class, or are we going to return to the policies that have failed the middle class,’’ Biden said.
While his visit to Iowa fueled speculation, there are few signs that he was taking steps toward a third run for the presidency.
‘‘I’ve been here a lot, I have a lot of friends, I’m going to see some of my friends” in the Legislature, Biden said. ‘‘I’m not doing any organization, if that’s what you mean.’’
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"In N.H., Biden avoids talking of presidential run; Visit to Granite State keeps VP in the mix" by James Pindell, Globe Staff February 25, 2015
MANCHESTER, N.H. — In the past three weeks Vice President Joe Biden has made the rounds to the first three presidential primary states of Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, but when he visited the Granite State on Wednesday there was not even a wink at potentially launching a presidential campaign.
There were no hints. He did not announce a timeline to make a decision on whether to run. He did not even given an obligatory line about listening to the people.
At his two New Hampshire events, Biden talked collectively for three hours about two of his favorite subjects: the US Senate and the manufacturing sector. The closest he got to talking about presidential politics was at a bagel shop for lunch when he entertained a question from a reporter.
The question was about a recent report that the Clinton Foundation received significant donations from foreign donors. Given the chance to tweak Hillary Clinton, his potential main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden demurred.
Officially, Biden came to receive an award from the University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord and then to discuss college affordability at Manchester Community College. Unofficially, campaign observers say the trip was about keeping his name in the conversation as a potential presidential candidate.
“This trip, like those to other early primary states, is about keeping Biden’s options open,” said New England College political science professor Wayne Lesperance. “He’s heard all of the analysis that questions his chances of getting the nomination. He’s seen the polls that put Hillary way ahead of him and any other challenger. But, he’s also looking at a Democratic nominating contest that has very few takers who could mount a serious bid.”
And New Hampshire’s House minority leader, Steve Shurtleff, a Biden supporter in 2008, said there is a hunger in New Hampshire for a competitive primary.
“I think there are a lot of people here who are very fond of Hillary Clinton, but they want two or three options to choose from,” said Shurtleff. “Should Biden run, he would be a very viable candidate.”
He's already been vetted by Israel.
As vice president, Biden has been a frequent visitor to New Hampshire. This day trip was his first to the state since September.
In Concord, Biden received an award named for former Republican New Hampshire senator Warren Rudman, whom Biden served with for 12 years. After paying homage to Rudman, he defended the Obama administration’s policies, particularly on the economy.
“Thanks to the great determination of the American people and the actions we took together over the past six years, this country has gone from crisis to recovery, and now we’re on the verge of resurgence,” Biden said.
Defending Obama’s policies is smart politics if Biden enters the Democratic presidential primary, according to Dartmouth College professor Russell Muirhead.
“Biden is making himself helpful while he’s perhaps helping himself,” Muirhead said.
He might have just lost his grip, wink, wink.
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