“Inevitability” was always just a bluff to cover up how weak and shallow her base of political support actually is. The problem is not just the usual air of scandal that follows the Clintons (most recently, her use of a private e-mail server to hide official correspondence). It’s also that her own party’s voters regard her as calculating, insincere, and motivated by nothing but raw ambition. The political establishment that supports her does so for equally calculating reasons, motivated by fear or favor.

Some say the problem is that Democratic voters aren’t sure who Hillary Clinton is. I think her problem is more fundamental and much harder to fix. It’s that everyone knows exactly who she is.

That’s why Democrats have been flocking to Bernie Sanders, a bewildered old hippie who really seems to mean all that woozy socialist claptrap. But Sanders is perhaps a little too far out, man. He’s used to being an independent gadfly and not being near the center of power, whereas Joe Biden is vice-president, which is—well, it’s not near the center of power, either. But he used to be a senator who was actually in charge of important committees. So he may pose a more formidable challenge.

The early response to the idea of his candidacy, including some pretty gushy prose, confirms our suspicion that everyone—the press very much included—really wants to see someone other than Hillary Clinton as a contender for the nomination.