Biden Risks His and Obama's Legacy with Third Presidential Run

Biden isn’t simply putting his legacy on the line, but also the legacy of Barack Obama.

The Democrats’ leftward shift has made their party more extreme compared to what it was in the days of John F. Kennedy, or even Bill Clinton. The Obama years continued that trend, with the Democrats going all in on abortion without restrictions, government-run health care, transgenderism, massive government spending, slavery reparations, felons voting, and a full slate of radical positions as they embrace socialism. That leftward shift has continued since Obama has left office, which poses a big problem for Joe Biden.



Riding on Obama’s coattails is undoubtedly Biden’s biggest advantage in the 2020 field, but it’s also his biggest weakness. Right now he has the name recognition, which certainly is helping him in the polls at this point, but as Barack Obama’s vice-president, Joe Biden becomes the face of the Obama years. In a party racing further and further to the left, his primary opponents will do everything they can to paint the Obama years as insufficient—having not gone far enough for a party that will settle for nothing less than the most radical of positions anymore. Democrats' past love for Obamacare has been replaced by the movement for “Medicare-For-All.” Democrats' past support for strong border security (and even a border wall) has been replaced by the desire for open borders. At the moment, it appears Biden’s approach to these issues might not be what the party’s base wants.