And so, the cast of characters is pretty well set at this point. The notable exceptions, of course, are Beto and Biden, both of whom are expected to run. How do they stack up against each other?
In a lot of ways, they are polar opposites. Biden probably has suits that are older than Beto. He couldn’t possibly be more qualified; that is a bona fide question with Beto, who has no meaningful administrative experience at a level higher than a small city council. On the other hand, Beto is a born campaigner, with charisma to burn; Biden’s previous presidential campaigns resulted in ignominious failures, and it is unlikely that he has improved with age.
The surprising thing, however, is that they are relatively similar from an ideological perspective. Just because Beto has a strong appeal to young people doesn’t mean he’s a Sanders-style leftist. He’s proof of my argument that you can be colorful and successful without making lots of ridiculous promises you can’t keep, particularly when such an obvious and vulnerable foil resides in the White House.
It’s not hard to imagine Biden agreeing to serve as a transitional figure for a single term with Beto as his running mate (the Killer B ticket?) and presumed heir. I’m not saying that will happen, but it definitely could, and it would be fine with me.