Former vice presidential rivals, Rep. Paul Ryan, left, and VP Joe Biden. One could be the next President? — the other, the next GOP Speaker of the House?

THE VICE PRESIDENT’S BEST STRATEGY:
BIDE HIS TIME, STAY OUT OF THE RACE,
AND HOPE FOR A DRAFT-JOE MOVEMENT
BETWEEN NOW AND THE CONVENTION

ORIOLE FANS ARE BEING SHORTCHANGED
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering if low-rated Democratic presidential candidates like Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, who are barely registering in the polls, will gain some traction after their first debate appearances this week, it’s interesting to note the following:

 While the media keeps establishing and promoting upcoming deadlines for Vice President Joe Biden to make a decision whether or not he is going to get into the presidential primary race, it makes sense for him to sit back and wait.

The smartest and most practical strategy Biden can follow is to remain noncommittal up to the Democratic National Convention, set to take place in Philadelphia next July.

Instead of entering now and subjecting himself to a bruising and difficult campaign, he can sit back, leaving options open, and watch what develops between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

If Sanders maintains his support from the far left and Clinton proves unable to put the email controversy behind her and break into a decisive lead, the two candidates will be stalemated going into the convention.

A MASSIVE DRAFT-BIDEN MOVEMENT COULD UNFOLD

At that point, a massive draft-Biden movement would unfold and, as a likable compromise nominee who has a better chance of defeating the Republican candidate — whoever he or she may be — he’d be handed the nomination on a silver platter.

If Clinton and Sanders do remain relatively close through this primary campaign, the draft-Biden movement might even accelerate months before the convention.

By waiting for a full-fledged draft of his services, Biden guarantees that if he does jump into the race, he emerges as a winner.

The bottom line is, he has nothing to lose by waiting. If Clinton does get her campaign together and takes off as a re-energized, unbeatable candidate, then Biden avoids a wearing, painful losing campaign effort.

By waiting, he stays above the fray, keeping his name alive by performing vice presidential duties, and he’ s available to come out of the bullpen and save the Democrats if Clinton shows she’s struggling to gain the nomination and would have a hard time winning the presidency.

 In this age of Washington turmoil and moving away from political traditions, why wouldn’t a candidate for Speaker of the House like Kevin McCarthy have tried to secure the necessary vote total by crossing party lines and getting support from Democrats?

McCARTHY HAD THE MAJORITY OF REPUBLICAN VOTES

Before he bailed out, McCarthy had the majority of Republican votes but not quite enough, thanks to 30 or so inflexible right-wing hardliners who are willing to shut down government to promote their extreme viewpoints.

Certainly, it would have been a stunner, making a deal for votes with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

But these are crazy times and perhaps it would have taught this small group of obstructionists that governing requires some compromising and finding common ground.

The Democrats might have been willing to at least consider this since McCarthy would have been a more moderate, reasonable person to work with than whoever does end up saddled with this impossible job.

 Why is it that mandatory attendance, when the branches of government are in session, is not required for U.S. Senators and Congressmen?

And would it be asking too much if, when the chambers are in session, they be required to put in a full day of attendance?

Like all of us in the full-time workforce, Congressmen and Senators should receive an established number of sick and vacation days. If they miss too many sessions, they deserve to get docked some of their pay.

The last time the Democrats held their National Convention in Phila- delphia they nominated President Harry Truman in 1948.  (Note the doctored headline on the Chicago Tribune being triumphantly held overhead in what may be Truman’s best-recognized photograph.)

Mandatory attendance, and being forced to sit through all of the rhetoric, would probably serve to speed up the proceedings, making the elected officials know that if they held fellow members captive by being too long-winded, they could suffer the same fate.

More importantly, it would force a greater focus on what is discussed and dealt with in formal sessions. This might also reduce the time available for fundraising and tracking down lucrative lobbying jobs to fatten their wallets and pocketbooks when they finish their elected terms.

 I don’t know about you, but it makes my blood boil when I hear Orioles executives saying their goal is to put a competitive team on the field.

What does that mean?

Don’t Orioles’ fans deserve a front office that publicly states that the goal every year is to get into the playoffs and win a World Championship?

If the team doesn’t want to make the financial commitment, dipping into the extra revenue it receives from a portion of the Washington Nationals’ TV rights, then it should lower ticket prices and celebrate .500 seasons as huge successes.

 Do you need to have at least a trace of a British accent to get an on-air job in National Public Radio?

It’s always been a puzzler to me why there isn’t more of an outcry for NPR stations to produce and air more local programming while cutting back on such heavy reliance on BBC material.
 
davidmaril@voiceofbaltimore.org
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
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