Joe Biden Draws Distinctions Between Himself and Hillary Clinton

The vice president portrays himself as pragmatic and bipartisan as he weighs a bid.

By Margaret Talev
October 20, 2015 — 10:41 AM EDT

If Vice President Joe Biden decides to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, the contours of his stump speech are in place.

For the second time this week, Biden portrayed himself as a pragmatist who's capable of working with Republicans, drawing a subtle contrast with party front-runner Clinton.

"I don't think my chief enemy is the Republican Party,'' Biden said during a panel discussion at an event honoring former Vice President Walter Mondale in Washington. By contrast, Clinton named "the Republicans'' as one of her greatest enemies when asked at the Oct. 13 Democratic candidate debate.

“I don't think my chief enemy is the Republican Party.”
Vice President Joe Biden

Like Mondale, Biden spent years before becoming vice president as a member of the Senate, where the rules make it nearly impossible to move legislation without compromise. He has served as President Barack Obama's chief emissary to Congress, particularly in negotiations with the Republican leadership there.

During the panel discussion at George Washington University, Biden also portrayed himself as a loyal and vital part of Obama's administration who was involved in key issues during the past seven years. Clinton also has embraced her time as Obama's first secretary of state.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-10-20/biden-portrays-himself-as-pragmatic-bipartisan-as-he-weighs-bid