General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Some Progressives say President Biden is a moderate.... [View all]Nasruddin
(741 posts)Joe Biden was already in DC as Delaware senator when Jimmy Carter was elected. He's been there in the Senate and as VP most of his life.
Jimmy Carter ran, and was, an outsider to the federal government. He had been a Georgia governor and office holder earlier but he had no "friends" (I guess we should be careful about that word in politics) in DC, or relatively few. In that sense he and Bill Clinton are a lot alike at the starting gate. And Mr Obama, but then he had Joe Biden on the team.
Mr Biden is about the ultimate insider. His address book is practically everyone who's been in & out of DC in the past 6 decades. This is a huge advantage, if he can muster and use it wisely. It isn't always - same could be said of George Bush the lesser (or Richard Nixon).