Biden 2016!

Biden’s inner circle believes the strategy will position him to inherit key players on President Obama’s political team. The adviser notes, for example, that Jim Messina, the president’s 2012 campaign manager, is a huge Biden fan who could play a leading role in a future campaign: “Jim and the vice president have built up a nice relationship these past four years.” Likewise, Rufus Gifford, the Obama campaign’s chief fund-raiser, could give Biden entrée to deep-pocketed donors (who have eluded him thus far) in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and the financial sector. “I know [Gifford] felt the vice president has done a great job. He could be instrumental in pulling together money for this,” the adviser explains.

Step two of the master plan is leveraging Biden’s deep ties to traditional Democratic constituencies, such as labor, trial lawyers, and African American, Jewish, and gay groups and donors, the last of which were thrilled by his plug for same-sex marriage this May. The vice president cultivated some of these ties for decades as a senator, but has strengthened them significantly during his punishing tour of Holiday Inn ballrooms over the past four years. “Biden has a special call on a lot of people’s loyalties, starting with the president,” says the adviser. “That’s why you’ve got to take him seriously. And he’s serious.”…

“I’VE GOT A BETTER SHOT at being president than him,” groused one Obama fund-raiser when I first floated the idea. Then something curious happened. The longer we spoke, the more this person convinced himself that Biden did have a real shot, at least without Clinton in the race. “This guy has done everything the president asked him to do,” said the fund-raiser. “Even if he wasn’t going to win … I’m writing him checks, raising money as a thank you.” The source estimated that, when this “thank-you money” was combined with what should be solid early poll numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden would be a bona fide contender.