With former Vice President Joe Biden making the rounds on his book tour, many in the media have been fawning over the idea of him running for president in 2020. But during HLN’s S.E. Cupp Unfiltered, the panel had a reality check for all those hoping and praying for Biden to be president.
“And the other thing too is, going back to our previous story, in this environment where groping is obviously on the outs, do we really want Joe Biden as a nominee,” wondered Matt Lewis of The Daily Beast.
And with a smirk on her face, host S.E. Cupp quipped “I don't know what you're referring to, Matt Lewis.” “Can we roll tape? Maybe not. There's lots of videotape. He does this -- this is not behind closed doors, he's publicly handsy,” Lewis elaborated.
The jokes aside, Cupp was familiar with Biden’s creepy behavior around women over a wide range of ages:
It is weird. And when you talk about it, it doesn't sound bad. I watched today a string of these videos. And they are weird, creepy, a little disturbing, and I have to think that you're right if he actually did run in 2020, we'd see a lot more of it.
“And that's the thing about being old too. There's a lot of baggage. A lot of old stuff that comes out,” Lewis agreed.
And they absolutely had a point. With Hollywood being flooding with women and men speaking out about sexual misconduct and it spreading the world of politics, it could become a major problem for the man whose persona was that of the bumbling uncle. This current moment in American history was so influential it had actually made some people in the media allude to how Bill Clinton’s accusers were mistreated by the press.
Biden’s unsettling history of oddly engaging with women came up as the panel was discussing just how old and out of step the Democratic Party was when it came to their politicians. “Guys, I'm not just crapping on old people for no reason, I'm saying the party needs to refreshen,” Cupp argued. “The party needs to meet the needs of new generations. And if they just keep recycling the same people that have already been rejected, like Joe Biden.”
Erin Gloria Ryan, also of The Daily Beast, asserted that both parties were putting up candidates that were subpar. “So it was like crazy versus old. And it's almost like both parties are racing to see who can give us the worst deal,” she opined.
But TV’s Andy Levy wasn’t so sure Biden could be dissuaded from trying to run in 2020:
His reasons for ultimately not running in 2016 were obviously totally understandable, there's no way he's not looking at that and thinking he not only would have won the Democratic nomination against a weakened Hillary Clinton but he'd probably be President right now and that is a hell of a drug.
While the rest of the media spend the remainder of the Biden’s book tour (and quite possibly beyond) dreaming about his candidacy, there were those who weren't enticed by the shiny object, realizing the danger it might pose.
Transcript below:
HLN
S.E. Cupp Unfiltered
November 13, 2017
7:41:00 PM Eastern(…)
S.E. CUPP: Guys, I'm not just crapping on old people for no reason, I'm saying the party needs to refreshen. The party needs to meet the needs of new generations. And if they just keep recycling the same people that have already been rejected, like Joe Biden. I just -- I don't think that people are going to be inspired by that Democratic Party.
MATT LEWIS: And the other thing too is, going back to our previous story, in this environment where groping is obviously on the outs, do we really want Joe Biden as a nominee? This is a guy who—
CUPP [with a smirk]: I don't know what you're referring to, Matt Lewis.
LEWIS: Can we roll tape? Maybe not. There's lots of videotape. He does this -- this is not behind closed doors, he's publicly handsy.
ERIN GLORIA RYAN: To his credit, he's doing it in public. I’m just kidding.
CUPP: It is weird. And when you talk about it, it doesn't sound bad. I watched today a string of these videos. And they are weird, creepy, a little disturbing, and I have to think that you're right if he actually did run in 2020, we'd see a lot more of it.
LEWIS: And that's the thing about being old too. There's a lot of baggage. A lot of old stuff that comes out.
CUPP: He's lived a lot of life.
LEWIS: He ran for president in 1988!
CUPP: Yes! Yes, he did!
DAVID DRUCKER: Then again, the Republicans offered up a whole new young generation and the voters just said: “Get lost. I want the 70-year-old.”
CUPP: We want the old guy.
RYAN: What is interesting to see what dynamics are at play here because we have old people on the Democratic side, but the cold open on SNL this weekend was Kate McKinnon’s Jeff sessions talking to his father who was a badger—a stuffed possum. So it was like crazy versus old. And it's almost like both parties are racing to see who can give us the worst deal.
DRUCKER: On the other hand, S.E. look, it's harder to retire these days. People can't stockpile as much money. Politicians need to keep working just like the rest of us.
CUPP: Until they're 100!
ANDY LEVY: Look, as you pointed out, Biden has been trying to be president for 30 years now.
CUPP: Clearly thinks he'd be great at it.
LEVY: No. And that’s the thing. His reasons for ultimately not running in 2016 were obviously totally understandable, there's no way he's not looking at that and thinking he not only would have won the Democratic nomination against a weakened Hillary Clinton but he'd probably be President right now and that is a hell of a drug.
(…)
