Subject: Re: Will He Run? Biden Speculation Mounts - WSJ
From: "Eric Schwerin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Alexander S. Mackler" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 20:38:35 -0400

And reporters gravitate to him like bees to honey.

Eric D. Schwerin
[email-masked]

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 28, 2015, at 8:36 PM, Alexander S. Mackler <[email-masked]>
wrote:

I'm sorry, I know Harpootlian is a supporter, but what kind of person tells
a reporter something like that? "If he does what Beau wanted him to do."

Clown.

On Sun, Jun 28, 2015 at 8:29 PM, Eric Schwerin <[email-masked]
> wrote:

>
> http://www.wsj.com/articles/will-he-run-biden-speculation-mounts-1435529527
>
> Will He Run? Biden Speculation Mounts
>   [image: Beau Biden, left, late son of Vice President Joe Biden, right,
> in 2012. Both of Mr. Biden’s sons are said to have urged him to run for
> president.] ENLARGE
>
> Beau Biden, left, late son of Vice President Joe Biden, right, in 2012.
> Both of Mr. Biden’s sons are said to have urged him to run for president.
> Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
>    By
> Colleen McCain Nelson And
>  Peter Nicholas
>  June 28, 2015 7:33 p.m. ET
>
> When deciding whether to run for office, Vice President Joe Biden
> <http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/Joe-Biden/6352> has made it a practice to
> seek his family’s counsel. That advice has included at least two members of
> his immediate family—his sons—urging him to run for president in 2016,
> Biden friends and advisers say.
>
> Before his death last month, elder son Beau Biden encouraged his father to
> get into the race, people familiar with the matter said. And Hunter Biden
> told a friend in recent weeks he, too, would like to see the vice president
> wage one more campaign for the White House.
>
> The Biden family’s wishes add an intriguing wrinkle to a Democratic
> presidential race that has unfolded in unpredictable ways. But a White
> House official said speculation about the vice president’s political future
> was premature during this tough time for the family.
>
> National polls show Hillary Clinton
> <http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Hillary-Clinton/6344> is the runaway
> front-runner. But one rival has gained ground in New Hampshire as
> revelations surface about Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private email account as
> secretary of state and foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation. A
> survey last week showed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders trailing Mrs. Clinton
> in New Hampshire by just eight points.
>
> Mr. Biden, 72 years old, lost two previous bids for the White House, in
> 1988 and 2008, and he would enter the 2016 contest as a clear underdog. Yet
> as a sitting vice president with loyal supporters in states that hold early
> contests, he has the potential to scramble the Democratic field.
>
> A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll earlier this month showed that
> Americans’ image of Mr. Biden is growing more positive. A total of 40% saw
> him in a favorable light, versus 31% who had a negative view of him. In
> November 2014, Mr. Biden’s favorability rating stood at 35%, compared with
> 38% who viewed him unfavorably.
>
> Dick Harpootlian, a former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic
> Party, had coffee with Mr. Biden at the White House in May, just days
> before Beau Biden’s death at 46 from brain cancer. They talked through the
> possibility of launching a campaign, Mr. Harpootlian said. “It’s no secret
> that Beau wanted him to run,” he said. “If he does what Beau wanted him to
> do, he’ll run.”
>
> James Smith, a Democratic state representative in South Carolina, said
> that in a conversation in the last two weeks, Hunter Biden reiterated that
> he wanted his father to jump in the race. “He feels strongly about his dad
> running and serving,” Mr. Smith said.
>
> Hunter Biden, who is 45, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
>
> Several Biden allies said they expect a decision to come by August. But
> some suggested a campaign isn’t likely to be at the top of the vice
> president’s mind.
>
> A spokeswoman for the vice president, Kendra Barkoff, said: “The Biden
> family is going through a difficult time right now. Any speculation about
> the views of the vice president or his family about his political future is
> premature and inappropriate.”
>
> Jay Carney <http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Jay-Carney/6498>, a former
> White House press secretary who once served as Mr. Biden’s communications
> director, said, “Right now the vice president is focused on just two
> things: his family and the job he has for another 18 months.”
>
> As he has coped with the loss of his elder son, Mr. Biden has told friends
> and colleagues that his best antidote to grief is to plunge into work. In
> recent days, he delivered speeches and met with foreign leaders. He also
> has been a visible public presence, standing at President Barack Obama
> <http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Barack-Obama/4328>’s side for both somber
> and celebratory moments during what was one of the most consequential weeks
> for this White House.
>
> On Friday, the president and Mr. Biden mourned together in Charleston,
> S.C., at the funeral of Clementa Pinckney, the pastor slain in the June 17
> church massacre. Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley said he got a phone call
> from Mr. Biden the day after the shooting. “He’s been through an awful lot
> himself, and he understands what we’re going through,” Mr. Riley said. And
> on Sunday, Mr. Biden made a surprise appearance at Charleston’s Emanuel AME
> Church, in a show of solidarity for a grieving congregation.
>
> Amid speculation about Mr. Biden’s plans, some supporters are trying to
> create a campaign-in-waiting. An independent group called the Draft Biden
> committee is working to nudge Mr. Biden into the 2016 fray. Ithas been
> hiring staff in Iowa and New Hampshire and launching grass roots organizing
> efforts.
>
> Like Mr. Biden, the draft committee is a good-humored group that is
> serious about politics. William Pierce, executive director of Draft Biden,
> said he and his colleagues often ask themselves “W.W.B.D.” (What would
> Biden do?) A life-size cutout of the vice president—dubbed “Cardboard
> Joe”—is ever-present at the group’s events and has proved to be a draw in
> lieu of an actual candidate. Supporters can buy “I’m ridin’ with Biden”
> merchandise to back the cause.
>
> Mr. Biden hasn’t signed off on the effort. But, Mr. Pierce is quick to
> note, the vice president’s allies haven’t discouraged it, either.
>
> Still, some Democrats say it is simply too late to launch a presidential
> bid from what would be essentially a standing start.
>
> Sue Dvorsky, former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said that
> none of the talk of a Biden campaign had been followed by any sort of
> action. “Joe Biden is beloved in Iowa, but honestly, I just don’t see it,”
> said Ms. Dvorsky, who is backing Mrs. Clinton.
>
> *Write to *Colleen McCain Nelson at [email-masked] and Peter
> Nicholas at [email-masked]
>
>
> Eric D. Schwerin
> [email-masked]
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

-- 

Alexander Snyder Mackler
(302) 598-867