Time for Joe Biden to Fly

I've been around for you
Been up and down for you
But I just can't get any relief
I've swallowed my pride for you

I've lived and lied for you
But you still make me feel like a thief

Oh, I make you laugh
And you make me cry
I believe it's time for me to fly...

I heard this timeless REO Speedwagon song while I was working out this morning, and I thought it described the Democratic electorate's relationship with Joe Biden.

Last April, when the former vice president entered the race, he was immediately hailed as the front-runner. During his yearlong courtship with voters, many suitors tried to bump him off. Kamala Harris rose, Elizabeth Warren led, Pete Buttigieg teased, and Bernie Sanders popped up, dropped down, popped up, and leveled off. As Biden's fortunes appeared to sink, Mike Bloomberg dropped a fortune just in case Joe got dumped.

After last night's Super Tuesday outcome, it looks like voters have come back into the loving arms of Joe Biden, and now it's time for him to fly.

So how does Joe go on to earn the love of voters who were leery of him, unimpressed by him, and doubtful of him? At the same time, how does the Democratic Party get behind him and become the wind beneath his wings?

This is the time to engage with the Biden campaign. Many pundits forecast the possibility of a brokered convention. That would be suicide for the Democrats. So, in a perfect world, and in no particular order, this is how everyone unites behind behind Biden to beat Donald Trump.

Barack and Michelle Obama

The two most popular figures in the Democratic Party can now come out with their full-throated support of their close friend and former companion in the White House. Getting behind Joe now with a ringing endorsement will allow America's most popular couple to hit the ground running, campaign for Joe, appear in ads for him, and help him raise money -- and fast!

Joe's biggest disadvantage now is that his cash flow has been slow. Getting the Obamas' validation will open up the coffers and give Joe the resources he needs to continue.

Mike Bloomberg

Speaking of resources, Mike's got plenty of them, and with his withdrawal (all he was waiting for was for Biden to prove himself) from the race today and his endorsement of his friend Joe (Joe has lots of friends -- we'll get to that), Biden has access to Bloomberg's exceptional assets, an outstanding ground game with over 2,000 boots on the ground around the U.S., ad space on TV stations across the map where Bloomberg has already bought and reserved time, and Mike's mountain of moola. Bloomberg's number 1 goal is to defeat Trump, and he vowed to keep his operation in place for the eventual nominee. Bernie Sanders said he wouldn't accept this, and that's political suicide. The Democrats need Mike's muscle, and he's glad to turn it over to his old pal Joe.

Stacey Abrams

There's a slew of VP choices for Biden, but Stacey Abrams makes the most sense. Along with the Obamas' support, Abrams will also rev up the influential Black vote. Further, she gives Democrats a chance to win in the South, particularly Georgia, which would be a major victory. Finally, women would be thrilled with Abrams choice. Abrams covers people of color and women, two crucial voting blocs for the Democrats that must turn out on Election Day. Plus she's young, a good complement to Joe's age.

Disenfranchised Republicans

Moderate, fed-up, and former Republicans have been waiting for the Democrats to make up their mind and are growing nervous about the potential candidacy of Sanders. The Democrats cannot ignore this large and powerful bloc of voters, and Biden's elevation gives them solace.

Republican and ex-Republican groups like the Lincoln Project, which is run by former GOP operatives like Steve Schmidt, who was John McCain's campaign manager, and the smartest member of the Conway family, Kellyanne's husband, George, are ready to get behind a candidate like Biden, who they not only know but like.

These smart strategists know where disenfranchised Republicans are, and they know how to reach them. A candidate like Biden has lots of friends on the GOP side and is viewed as a moderate. His nomination would be a boon to organizations like the Lincoln Project.

Down-Ballot Candidates

One of the great advantages of being an experienced and seasoned candidate is the ability to tap and personally know influential Democrats all across the country, and Joe nails this. Biden's longtime service in the Senate and the fact that he ran in two national presidential campaigns will be a valuable commodity. Just look at the potent effect that Congressman James Clyburn's endorsement had on the Biden campaign. Now many other federal, state, and local Democrats, whose opinions hold sway, will be able to chime in. Most of them know Joe because as vice president he campaigned in their districts twice and worked with them while he was in the White House. And they like him too!

Democrats need to keep the House and have a fighting chance for the Senate. Joe's network will help make that happen.

Likability

Trump will be a mean candidate -- just as he is a mean president. And that demeanor will look a hell of a lot worse next to a congenial guy like Joe. This contrast will become ever clearer when Americans are reminded about Joe's personal story, the loss of his first wife and daughter and the recent loss of his beloved son Beau, his stutter, and his blue-collar roots.

Those blue-collar roots will also give Joe the credibility to win the blue-collar vote in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. And this voting bloc likes Joe. They went for Trump because they didn't like Hillary, plain and simple, so this time, they can actually relate to someone who pulled himself up by his bootstraps. It's time to take that silver spoon out of Trump's mouth.

And with laborers, Biden has plenty of connections and long histories with all of the unions who will go full-throttle for his candidacy. It was telling that Sanders could not get the endorsement of the powerful Nevada unions prior to the caucus. Biden will have no trouble corralling these vital Democratic influencers.

Pete Buttigieg and LGBTQ Voters

When Joe Biden compared Pete to his late, beloved son Beau at a Texas rally on Monday, that was a harbinger of things to come. If Joe truly feels that way about Pete, likening him to the son he still mourns for, then there is something big in the works for the former South Bend mayor if Biden is elected president. Previously, I said that Pete would become the first LGBTQ member of the cabinet and predicted the secretary of Veterans Affairs post. Regardless of what department, Pete is going to be a secretary of something, and he will proudly break another barrier for our community.

We know Joe is on our side, with his all-out support for LGBTQ causes and all he did with Obama while in the White House. After all, he spilled the beans about gay marriage, which got Obama "off the pot," so to speak.

Biden's Gaffes

The slip of the tongue about gay marriage is just one of many examples where Biden didn't think before he spoke -- although in the marriage equality situation, he did the right thing. He's bound to have many others along the way, but unlike Trump, he'll be smart enough to apologize for them or make light of the ones that aren't offensive. If handled the right way, as it was during the Obama campaigns, Biden's bloopers will be looked at as another example of his "regular Joe" cred.

It won't all be smooth sailing, and things are going to be nasty, perhaps before the Democratic convention in Milwaukee. And most definitely, because Trump will make it as blistering as he can. But if Biden and his team get all the right support, and his campaign deploys all of the available resources and assets that will come their way, Democrats will love Joe again, and he'll be free to fly.