(JNi.media) Vice President Joe Biden is embarking on Florida to push the Iran nuclear deal while also checking out his chances as a possible presidential candidate in the 2016 Democratic primaries, and, in Florida, both endeavors involve meeting with a lot of Jews.
Tony Bisagnano, an Iowa state senator who supported Biden for president in 2008, told the NY Times, “There’s a malaise inside the race right now with Clinton. People I know who are supporting her are not necessarily withdrawing, but are unenthusiastic.”
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is not having a good summer. Clinton is being dragged down by Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire and in Iowa, and word is they might split the two states. In a Quinnipiac poll of potential general election matchups, Hillary is barely beating Donald Trump (by 4 points), and Marco Rubio (by 1 point).
Biden’s overnight trip to Florida, which has become a must-win state for both the primaries and the national elections, includes meetings on Thursday morning with Jewish leaders who are still not sold on the nuclear deal with Iran. The discussion was organized by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
“During a meeting on a host of issues the vice president offered to be helpful, and so as the Congresswoman continues to review the deal and talk with experts and constituents she invited him to South Florida to meet with key leaders in the community,” a spokesman for Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.
“The vice president has a long and strong history with the Jewish community, and he is considered to be incredibly well respected by many members of the community,” Andrew Weinstein, a South Florida lawyer and longtime Democratic fundraiser, who is active in Jewish politics, told the Wall Street Journal. Weinstein, who attended two of President Barack Obama’s meetings with American Jewish leaders on the Iran deal, said Biden’s Florida visit is “an important step” that “will be nothing but helpful.”
On Thursday night, according to the NY Times, Biden will address Jewish leaders in Atlanta, at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue, on the topic of “Challenges Facing the US and the World in the 21st Century,” according to a statement from the Synagogue.
Biden is also scheduled to host an event in Washington after Labor Day to mark Rosh Hashanah, where he will host some of the Democratic Party’s top donors.
The first Democratic televised debate is scheduled for Oct. 13, and Biden should make up his minds by then. At this point, the Democratic field includes Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Biden could easily siphon votes from Democrats who would vote for anyone but Hillary, and from Hillary voters as well. But people close to the VP say he is still in pain over the loss of his son, Delaware attorney general Beau Biden.
Biden’s daughter, Ashley, in 2012 married Howard Krein, a Jewish doctor, in an interfaith Jewish-Catholic ceremony at the Biden family’s church in Delaware. Biden has referred to himself since then as being part of the Jewish “mishpucha.”