Dem
51
GOP
49
So far, Joe Biden has failed to follow a basic rule of politics: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The minute Chris Christie told the No Labels people "No thanks, I'm not going to help elect Donald Trump," Biden should have been on the phone with him offering Christie a prime-time speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention so he could share his thoughts about Trump with the entire world. He could have also thrown in an ambassadorship to Italy (Christie's mother has Italian heritage) if Biden won. Biden didn't do that.
He also hasn't approached any of the anti-Trump Republican senators for an endorsement, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitt Romney (R-UT). Maine and Alaska are not fiercely partisan states and Romney is retiring, so they all might have done it. Sure, they could do it without being prompted, but they haven't, and Biden knows them all well. Romney, in particular, is surely very annoyed with Trump on account of how he dumped niece Ronna, despite her having done everything Trump asked of her for years. Maybe Biden is bidin' his time, but waiting until September to ask seems somewhat insulting, like the senators' endorsement doesn't really matter. He could, of course, ask now, with the announcement coming in September when more people are paying attention. But Politico's politics bureau chief, Jonathan Martin, has contacted them all and confirmed that Biden has not reached out to them. Very strange for a guy who puts personal relationships above all else. (V)