Here We Go: Biden Reportedly Telling Associates He's the Democrats' Best -- or Only -- Shot at Beating Trump

Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the intertwined shutdown and immigration dramas this week was yet another significant indication that former Vice President Joe Biden is leaning heavily toward doing something he opted out of last cycle: Mounting his third bid for the presidency. Werecently noted Biden's carefully-calibrated moves designed to avoid certain errors and pitfalls that helped sink Hillary Clinton (the details for that piece were almost certainly leaked into the open by Bidenworld), and now another insight into Biden's timing and thinking has miraculously ended up in the pages of the New York Times. Nothing's settled until it's official, but it sure sounds like he's planning to go for it:

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is in the final stages of deciding whether to run for president and has told allies he is skeptical the other Democrats eyeing the White House can defeat President Trump, an assessment that foreshadows a clash between the veteran Washington insider and the more liberal and fresh-faced contenders for the party’s 2020 nomination. Many Democratic voters, and nearly all major Democratic donors, are keenly interested in Mr. Biden’s plans because of their consuming focus on finding a candidate who can beat a president they believe represents a threat to American democracy. But there is also a rising demand in the party for a more progressive standard-bearer who reflects the increasingly diverse Democratic coalition. “He has the best chance of beating Trump, hands down,” said Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, Mr. Biden’s longtime friend and former colleague. “On a scale of one to 10, that’s probably about a 12 for us.”...

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