Former Obama officials rally behind Biden as he trails top rivals in money race

By James Oliphant

 

FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden embraces former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe at a "Get out the Vote" event in Sterling, Virginia, U.S., November 3, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a flex of establishment muscle, a slew of former Obama administration officials came out on Wednesday to support Joe Biden’s Democratic U.S. presidential bid at a time when he is fighting to maintain his front-runner status.

 

Biden, 76, who was vice president for eight years under Barack Obama, was the guest at a fundraiser that marked the latest effort by his allies to confront the mounting threat posed in polls and fundraising by his top Democratic rival, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.

 

Warren, a progressive who promotes sweeping institutional change, has vowed to change the way Washington does business. Biden has become increasingly reliant on the Democratic political establishment to repel her charge.

 

Last month, a cadre of Biden’s loyalists launched a Super PAC, something Biden previously resisted. The political action committee allows wealthy donors to give unlimited amounts to support his candidacy. Warren, by contrast, largely accepts only small, online donations.

 

Biden and Warren sit atop most national opinion polls, with Warren holding an edge in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire and Biden running strongly in other states.

 

Overall, 17 Democrats are seeking the party’s nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 presidential election.

Biden also has stepped up his attacks on Warren, particularly her embrace of single-payer, government-run healthcare. He has increasingly painted Warren, a Harvard University law professor and senator from Massachusetts, as a condescending “elitist” who would not be able to unite a country polarized by Trump’s presidency.

 

But Biden was the one mixing with the local political elite on Wednesday at the Washington home of Jeffrey Zients, a multimillionaire executive who served as Obama’s top economic adviser.

 

Among those in attendance were former Obama Chiefs of Staff Bill Daley and Pete Rouse, former Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former U.S. Transportation chief Anthony Foxx and former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

 

“This is like coming home,” Biden told the crowd.

 

In all, more than 50 former Obama officials attended the event.

 

FUNDRAISING BLITZ

It has been a frenetic week of fundraising for Biden.

 

As his campaign has lost some altitude over the past several months, one reason often cited was tepid support from Obama alumni. Along with bringing in badly needed cash, Wednesday’s fundraiser was an attempt to refute that argument.

 

Of course, the man whose endorsement matters most – Obama – was not present, and as yet, he has not endorsed Biden or any other candidate in the Democratic race.

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Biden spoke at a fundraiser held at the powerhouse law firm of Sidley Austin and was introduced by Tony Gardner, who served as the ambassador to the European Union under Obama.

 

On Sunday, he attended an event at the home of former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Democratic Party fundraiser and himself a multimillionaire, greeting guests by McAuliffe’s pool. He followed that up with a quick stop in Pittsburgh for a fundraiser held by two real estate developers.

 

The hyper-aggressive schedule has been necessary because of the fiscal might of Warren, who has raised more than $60 million this year as of the end of September. Biden by contrast had raised just $36.7 million and has particularly lagged in online donations.

 

Biden’s campaign said online contributions had increased, however, since he became the target of Trump’s attacks over the past work of Biden’s son in Ukraine. Trump’s request that the Ukrainian government investigate Biden and his son is the basis of the impeachment probe being conducted by the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives.

 

October was the campaign’s best month for online fundraising to date, with Biden bringing in $5.3 million, a campaign official said.

 

Biden has also had to worry about the steady rise of Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who, like Biden, has claimed the moderate lane in the Democratic field and who has raised more money than Biden while relying on many of the same traditional Democratic business sectors.

 

(Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-07

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His goose has been cooked.  He should try and enjoy his life with Hunter while they still have time.

The missing ingredient is Obama himself...very bad for the Biden/Hunter ticket...????

Biden has entered the Twilight Zone in terms of electability. 

Biden doesn't stand a chance. Trump is a lot of bad things, and one of them is he's a street scrapper. Biden has only taken the high road, he doesn't know how to fight dirty. Trump will take his lunch money, throat punch him, then walk away with another four years. At that Democratic debate where Joe said to "keep a record player running for the kids," he lost every vote from anyone under 50 years old.

34 minutes ago, J Town said:

Biden doesn't stand a chance. Trump is a lot of bad things, and one of them is he's a street scrapper. Biden has only taken the high road, he doesn't know how to fight dirty. Trump will take his lunch money, throat punch him, then walk away with another four years. At that Democratic debate where Joe said to "keep a record player running for the kids," he lost every vote from anyone under 50 years old.

Trump will (hopefully) get in for another 4 years for the same reason that he got in for the first term. He said what people wanted to hear, and he is the first president in a while who actually tried to fulfill his election promises as soon as he got into power. Unfortunately most if not all his attempts have been thwarted by an idiotic political faction who have absolutely nothing on their agenda other than to dethrone Trump. Where has democracy gone ?

8 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Trump will (hopefully) get in for another 4 years for the same reason that he got in for the first term. He said what people wanted to hear

I can't let that one go. Any group that calls a black POTUS who was married 25 years to 1 wife with 2 children, no mistresses or affairs "the Antichrist," yet call a white POTUS, three times married, 5 kids by 3 different women, mistresses, multiple affairs and scandals "God's anointed" proves they are NOT holding Christian values. He lost the popular vote. He said what a hate/fear filled minority wanted to hear. There will never be a high road for this man who is morally rotten to the core.

This guy will never make it to the WH and I know for sure that Obama don't want to see him there either. This guy is too corrupt to even hold the position as President. Obama knows it it for sure, and if things start to leak out then they are both thrown to jail. 

4 minutes ago, racket said:

This guy will never make it to the WH and I know for sure that Obama don't want to see him there either. This guy is too corrupt to even hold the position as President. Obama knows it it for sure, and if things start to leak out then they are both thrown to jail. 

I've always suspected politicians are hesitant to "out" other politicians for that very reason, but I bet the Obama/Biden ties are probably REALLY bad!

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

Trump will (hopefully) get in for another 4 years for the same reason that he got in for the first term. He said what people wanted to hear, and he is the first president in a while who actually tried to fulfill his election promises as soon as he got into power. Unfortunately most if not all his attempts have been thwarted by an idiotic political faction who have absolutely nothing on their agenda other than to dethrone Trump. Where has democracy gone ?

Actually, when Trump launched his campaign his big promises were higher taxes on the rich and a 1 trillion dollar infrastructure program. And allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. His big legislative achievement was slashing taxes on the rich - the opposite of what he said he would do. Shortly after being elected, he ruled out allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and his infrastructure program vaporized.

6 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Actually, when Trump launched his campaign his big promises were higher taxes on the rich and a 1 trillion dollar infrastructure program. And allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. His big legislative achievement was slashing taxes on the rich - the opposite of what he said he would do. Shortly after being elected, he ruled out allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and his infrastructure program vaporized.

Has he won that trade war yet? Has he figured out how to rebuild the wall that Mexican children easily climb over and anyone with a $100 Skilsaw can cut right through? Has he . . .

2 hours ago, J Town said:

Biden doesn't stand a chance. Trump is a lot of bad things, and one of them is he's a street scrapper. Biden has only taken the high road, he doesn't know how to fight dirty. Trump will take his lunch money, throat punch him, then walk away with another four years. At that Democratic debate where Joe said to "keep a record player running for the kids," he lost every vote from anyone under 50 years old.

Really? After all the slime Trump has thrown at Biden, guess what? Biden is still doing the best of any democrat against Trump? It's not 2016 anymore. The time is long past when most of the electorate would construe Trump's invective to be plain speaking.

I like Biden, but he had his turn and he gave it up to Hillary. 

31 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Really? After all the slime Trump has thrown at Biden, guess what? Biden is still doing the best of any democrat against Trump? It's not 2016 anymore. The time is long past when most of the electorate would construe Trump's invective to be plain speaking.

No. Biden is failing by any REAL measure. His rallies draw DOZENS of blue hairs, his coffers are dreadfully empty, his gaffs are sad, his fumbling/mumbling during debates draw no interest.

Hey Joe, why doesn't your son Hunter give you some of his Ukraine money?  Or better yet, why doesn't he give you some of the $1.5 Billion he got from China??  After all, he got all that money because of you, dear ol dad...

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Of course, the man whose endorsement matters most – Obama – was not present,

Says it all.

I do hope it's Warren though. The campaign will be most entertaining if it's her.