BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from TheFeeheryTheory.com

I used to think that Hillary Clinton was the front-running to take the Democratic nomination once Barack Obama stepped aside.

Now, I think it is Joe Biden.

Clinton’s health problems are only part of her problem. She will be dogged by Benghazi the rest of her career. And I think people are actually pretty tired of the Clintons and their act.

Biden might be the last white male Democratic nominee in history. But right now, he is the odds on favorite.

Biden is pretty much the acting President right now.

Obama has absolutely no relationships on Capitol Hill. Biden has almost too many.

Obama has no international experience (except for maybe being born overseas…haha). Biden has plenty of it as the former Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Obama has no ability to conclude deals. He is like the star pitcher who just can’t close in the 9th inning. Biden is a closer and a compromiser. He is the guy who comes in to get the save.

Biden says a lot of stupid things. He is a walking gaffe machine. He also frequently plays the role of court jester. He sometimes speaks the truth too plainly.

But I don’t think that hurts him with the Democratic base. In fact, I think they kind of like old Joe because he says stupid things on occasion. It gives the snobbish elites in the Democratic party comfort to know that they are better than him and it gives the working class folks a sense that he is one of them.

Biden should not be under-rated by Republicans. He appeals to working class white Catholics in a way that Obama never could, and the rest of the Obama coalition won’t turn their back on Obama’s number two.

Conservatives can’t believe that Mr. Obama got a second term and they don’t believe that they have to change or modify their message to win elections. They probably think that Joe Biden would be easy pickings.

I don’t think that is necessarily so. Should Joe Biden run, he may very well be the Democratic nominee and he could cause considerable head-aches for whoever the Republicans put up in 2016.

Editor’s Note: John Feehery worked for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republicans in Congress. Feehery is president of Quinn Gillespie Communications. He is a contributor to The Hill’s Pundits Blog and blogs at thefeeherytheory.com.