The Democratic race is down to Joe Biden v Bernie Sanders ... or is Hillary Clinton just waiting to be called in?
Joe Biden got the boost he needed to go on to smash his rival Bernie Sanders in Super Tuesday polls, but some experts aren’t convinced the race is definitely down to a field of just two.
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While Joe Biden waits for the endorsement he most craves - that of his former boss Barack Obama - American commentators continue to watch former candidate Hillary Clinton’s every move.
The Democratic race has effectively shrunk to a field of two, moderate Mr Biden and lefty Bernie Sanders, although Tulsie Gabbard is still technically on the ballot too.
But some respected conservative commentators wonder whether Ms Clinton - who has been hitting the interview circuit to support her new documentary - has really put away her bottle of ambitions for good.
“Before you laugh at the prospect of a Hillary Clinton comeback, consider the too-weird twists and turns of Biden’s campaign,” opined New York Post senior columnist Michael Goodwin.
Goodwin argued that while Mr Biden now seemed to be the favourite as the Democratic establishment tries to lock out the socialist Mr Sanders, the outcome is still far from certain.
And Ms Clinton may yet perform a Stephen Bradbury and take the gold medal after all others have fallen.
“Questions about whether Mr Biden is capable of being president can’t be avoided. That should force the party to quietly consider others who could be called upon at the July convention to take the nomination if Biden reverts.
“Otherwise, Sanders would get the crown, and I don’t believe Dem leaders will let that happen. They realize he would be an Electoral College disaster and cost them their gravy train of power, patronage and donors.
“All of which leaves Clinton as the best backup plan. She’s hardly my cup of tea but for all her problems, including doubts about her physical stamina, she is a fundraising machine, has a true following and could hit the ground running.
“And, in case you hadn’t noticed, she’s advertising her availability.
“All the party has to do is call. Her bag is packed.
Indeed, Clinton would have to be dead not to dream of a miracle, one that would give her the victory fate has twice denied her.”
JOE BIDEN WAITS AND WAITS FOR HIS PHONE TO RING
When Joe Biden last weekend rode a wave of black voter support to the lead for the Democratic nomination, one voice was missing from those congratulating him.
Barack Obama, to whom Mr Biden had served as a popular vice president, has not commented on the hotly disputed race to take on US President Donald Trump.
And while the abiding affection for Obama’s VP certainly gave Mr Biden the boost he needed to go on to smash his rival Bernie Sanders in Super Tuesday polls, the biggest prize remains the endorsement of America’s first black president.
Last minute public support from South Carolina’s most powerful Democrat, black leader Jim Clyburn, has been broadly credited with giving Mr Biden the juice to take the Palmetto State last week with more than 50 per cent of the vote after weeks of flailing in early primary contests.
“Multiply Clyburn by a thousand and you could really see how Obama’s nod to Biden could represent a massive momentum shift,” the New York Post said last week.
About 40 per cent of the available delegates who decide the nomination have now been awarded, and primaries over the next fortnight could potentially decide a winner between the moderate Mr Biden and the socialist Mr Sanders, who are effectively neck and neck.
If there is no clear winner, then it is likely Democrats will go to their July convention without a leader, losing months on internal manoeuvring that could instead have been spent uniting behind an opponent to Mr Trump.
Mr Sanders in recent days acknowledged that the Obama nod to his opposition could be a killer blow for his campaign.
“I have not the slightest doubt that there is enormous pressure on President Obama to jump into this race and support Joe Biden, and some of you may have read the other day that he said no,” Mr Sanders said.
“He thinks the best role that he can play, and I agree with him, is to support the winner, so he doesn’t create more division. And I think he’s right, but that’s not easy for him to do, and I very much appreciate his willingness to do that.”
With the moderate field now backing Mr Biden, Mr Sanders, a registered independent who lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, is at risk of again being pipped at the last moment by a united Democrat establishment spooked that his far left agenda has no chance in a general election.
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And while he could have been expected to enjoy the support of his fellow progressive, Elizabeth Warren, with whom he shared several signature policies, her endorsement has also not been forthcoming after she withdrew on Thursday.
“I need some space around this, and I want to take a little time to think a little more,” she said.
That reluctance could be professional pragmatism from the Massachusetts senator, who waited until late 2016 to endorse Ms Clinton. Or it could be down to the bruising primary campaign in which she and Mr Sanders clashed publicly on the debate stage.
“Elizabeth Warren is a champion of the progressive movement who has a number of supporters, who voted for Bernie in 2016, who will likely decide today that they’re going to vote for Bernie going forward,” strategist Waleed Shahid from Justice Democrats said yesterday.
“And then she has another part of her base that voted for Hillary in 2016, who are likely still undecided.”
Originally published as The Democratic race is down to Joe Biden v Bernie Sanders ... or is Hillary Clinton just waiting to be called in?