Despite being tragically white, male, straight, cisgendered and elderly, former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead in polling for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. This has been true in surveys taken both nationally and in the early primary states. And now he’s starting to rack up some endorsements. One of the first out of the gate to jump on the Biden bandwagon, however, might not be exactly the sort of endorsement Joe is looking for. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has looked over the field and decided that Biden is the right man for the job. (Washington Post)

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said Wednesday that Joe Biden “has the best case” to be president among those in the large field of Democrats eyeing 2020 White House campaigns.

Cuomo, who has ruled out a presidential bid of his own, offered his “two cents” on his fellow Democrats during a radio interview in which he argued that Biden’s experience as vice president makes him stand out.

“I think Joe Biden has the best case because he brings the most of the secret ingredient you need to win for a Democrat, which is credibility,” Cuomo said in a radio interview with WAMC, a public radio network headquartered in Albany. “You don’t hire an airline pilot who has never flown a plane. Joe Biden can say ‘I was there — I was not the president, but I was the second seat.’ ”

This rambling explanation offered during a local radio interview was a bit hard to follow, but it was definitely an endorsement. And to give credit where due, Cuomo is absolutely correct about Biden. He has extensive experience in both legislative and executive duties. His approval ratings and name recognition are the envy of most politicians. If you can look past his age (and he’s only four years older than Donald Trump), he’s the complete package on paper.

Is experience all that really counts in this race, though? Back in 2008, Cuomo was the Attorney General of New York State and was preparing to run for Governor. I don’t recall him having any objections to Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee. And yet Obama had arguably less experience than almost anyone in the anticipated Democratic nomination race this year.

Be that as it may, as I suggested above, Biden might not be all that thrilled with this particular show of support. Was this the best time to offer an endorsement, coming within 24 hours of yet another Cuomo donor barely escaping a guilty verdict in a corruption trial? Yes, that’s right. Another Cuomo crony was making all the wrong sorts of headlines just before this radio interview aired. (NY Post)

Will we ever see another public official convicted for a clear-cut case of bribery and corruption? The odds against it keep getting longer.

The latest shock came Wednesday, when a Manhattan federal court jury acquitted former NYPD Deputy Inspector James Grant on charges he took bribes in return for special police favors for businessman Jeremy Reichberg.

This was the same James Grant that was involved in the private jets full of hookers heading to Vegas story we covered here previously. Cuomo’s administration has the stench of corruption covering it like a dumpster fire on a hot summer day. None of that was enough to stop him from being reelected, of course, because… New York. But Biden could probably have his choice of many high-profile Democrats lining up to support him. It will be interesting to see how tightly he embraces Cuomo’s support if he makes his candidacy official this month.