It might not be popular with most Americans, but Vice President Joe Biden’s decision to snub Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington to speak before a joint session of Congress next month will be wildly popular among Democrats.
Only three other Democratic officeholders have confirmed their intention to boycott Netanyahu’s speech, but “dozens” have reportedly threatened to skip the address in a display of solidarity with President Barack Obama. The White House has made it clear that the administration’s political differences with the Israeli government have frustrated their preferred agenda both domestically and in the Middle East.
“It’s not clear where Biden will be — or whether the travel plans could have been rearranged if the vice president had wanted to. Obama already has ruled out a meeting with Netanyahu during the visit, and the State Department says no meetings are planned between the prime minister and Secretary of State John Kerry,” Politico reported.
Biden’s display of fealty to the Democratic Party’s most progressive elements is conspicuous, particularly considering the timing. His ostentatious display of disdain for Netanyahu comes just days before Biden makes another high-profile trip. This time, the destination is Iowa.
“Biden will speak in Des Moines on Thursday, according to sources familiar with preparations for his trip” The Des Moines Register reported on Friday.
Biden’s timing suggests he wants to keep his name in circulation as presidential material – any time top-shelf politicians make a trip here it reinforces the notion that they harbor aspirations for the top job. He is currently in Belgium, meeting with European leaders in part to talk about sanctions against Russia and security and aid to Ukraine. He’ll also attend a security summit in Germany.
Democrats generally think the 2016 Democratic nomination is Clinton’s if she wants it, although she has yet to announce an official candidacy. In September, Biden made headlines for chasing Clinton here just three days after she made her Iowa comeback after a seven-year absence; she spoke before an audience of 10,000 and a horde of media at the Harkin Steak fry.
Biden’s event Thursday, like the one in September, will be an official White House trip to talk about the Obama administration’s economic policies. Biden remarks in September, with the Iowa Capitol in the background, had the air of a campaign stump speech, as he called for raising the minimum wage and making life better for the middle class.
This news comes less than a week after a Bloomberg/DMR poll revealed Biden trailing both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) among prospective Democratic caucus-goers in the Hawkeye State. Just six years ago, the state that launched Barack Obama’s national political career also provided Biden with less than one percent of the vote.
But it is widely believed that Warren will decline to mount a presidential bid in 2016, and Clinton, as the prohibitive favorite, does not face a Democratic challenge from a figure with substantial enough national name recognition to be considered formidable. It is unclear if Biden has the desire to mount a third quixotic bid for the presidency, but the vice president doesn’t make a highly publicized trip to Iowa during campaign season on a whim. Some Democrats are hoping that Clinton draws a credible challenge, if only to sharpen her skills as a campaigner and provide her with some early enthusiasm. Maybe Biden is just the sacrificial lamb Clinton needs.
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