Meacham: Biden Represents the White Working Class Wing of the Obama Years

EXCERPT:

MEACHAM: "Yeah. Remember that moment in 2008, there was a debate where I think Brian Williams asked, 'Are you at all more disciplined now? Can you just give us short answers? Do you believe you’ve conquered this?' And I believe I’m right that Joe just said 'Yes' and stopped, and it was actually the most disciplined thing in American politics, because how many politicians do we know who could do that? You know, I think that's right. Now, here's how wise I am. I came away from spending some time around him in February with this inchoate sense that he might not run. I was sort of buying into that conventional wisdom, full disclosure, about the party has moved through the progressive side, generationally, all the issues that we all hear about. But, you know, there have been two things recently that are really, really interesting. One is that study about how the left on Twitter is not the base of the Democratic Party. It’s the base of the Progressive part of Twitter, and that does not speak for the heart of the country. I think that’s significant. And the other thing is most Americans, for better or for worse, and I would say for better, don’t follow the public life of the nation in as detailed a way as we all do. And so Biden to them represents a working class — white working class wing of the Obama years. They think of Obama; Obama looks pretty good right now. Of course, all previous presidents now look like Cicero, but that’s okay."