Biden accepts even Comey's endorsement, even as establishment anti-Trumpers flock to his campaign
Former Vice President Joe Biden is so determined to reassert himself in the polls on Super Tuesday, his campaign has accepted an endorsement from former FBI Director James Comey, after cheekily turning it down at first.
As Democrats in 14 states cast their votes in the crucial ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries, veritable anti-Trump superstar Comey tweeted his support to Biden, whom the party establishment now hopes will close the gap with socialist Senator Bernie Sanders and clinch the party’s nomination.
Democrats are the “party dedicated to restoring values” in the White House, Comey wrote – having previously said he had been a Republican before his firing by President Donald Trump in 2017.
“We need a candidate who cares about all Americans and will restore decency, dignity to the office,” he continued. “There is a reason Trump fears [Biden] and roots for Bernie.”
Biden’s campaign’s rapid response director Andrew Bates was having none of it, shooting back at the former FBI chief. “Yes, customer service? I just received a package that I very much did not order. How can I return it, free of charge?”
Yes, customer service? I just received a package that I very much did not order. How can I return it, free of charge? https://t.co/NK4VrYGzT1
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) March 3, 2020
A couple hours later, after getting roasted by #Resistance Democrats for rejecting their celebrity hero, Bates apologized for what he meant as “a lighthearted joke – not a rejection” and said that the campaign appreciates the vote “of anyone repelled by Donald Trump.”
I forgot the #1 rule of politics, which is that if you talk about anyone or anything related to 2016, common sense goes out the window. It was meant to be a lighthearted joke - not a rejection. We appreciate the vote of anyone repelled by Donald Trump.
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) March 3, 2020
Biden’s campaign has banked on his repeated assertion that Barack Obama’s former VP is the only man capable of unseating Trump and restoring “the soul of America.” He came back from a string of primary defeats to take South Carolina and pick up some high-profile endorsements this week, with Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropping out of the race.
Comey is not the only anti-Trump lawman to go for Joe ahead of the Super Tuesday vote. Former CIA Director John Brennan – who has spent his post-Langley career complaining about Trump on cable TV and firing off verbose tweets at the commander-in-chief – also gave Biden his support on Monday, calling him “one of the most honest, decent, practical, & experienced individuals with whom I have ever worked.”
Joe Biden is one of the most honest, decent, practical, & experienced individuals with whom I have ever worked. If nominated & elected, he is capable of unifying our country & restoring America’s standing around the world. https://t.co/JUtvAfPSLy
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) March 2, 2020
Obama’s National Security Adviser Susan Rice also stumped for Biden, tweeting on Monday that “there is no one kinder, more empathetic and caring.”
I'm proud to endorse @JoeBiden for President. Here he is comforting me on 1/4/17 just after my mother passed away. There is no one kinder, more empathetic and caring than @joebiden. He will lead America with the same deep compassion and decency. pic.twitter.com/4IBscj75VN
— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) March 2, 2020
Rice’s colleague behind the 2011 intervention in Libya, Ambassador Samantha Power, also jumped on the Biden bandwagon, going so far as to explain her motivation in a nine-tweet thread calling him a rare embodiment of “empathy and decency.”
I have been drawn to the vision & electricity of @ewarren and the policy record of @MikeBloomberg on guns/climate. But I voted today for @JoeBiden. Here’s why:
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) March 3, 2020
Obama’s national security and spying apparatus is only the latest section of the Democratic party establishment to line up behind Biden. In addition to Buttigieg and Klobuchar, Biden has been endorsed by three governors, eight senators, more than 50 representatives, and hundreds of state-level and former federal lawmakers – as well celebrities Cher, Tom Hanks, and Alec Baldwin.
Whether these endorsements can help Biden overtake Sanders at the primary ballot box remains to be seen. The progressive senator is still topping most national polls, even as the DNC appears to be doing everything its power to stop them, just like in 2016.
Trump has repeatedly said he doesn’t care which Democrat he runs against, but has jeered at the Democrats for propping up Biden in spite of Sanders’s grassroots popularity.
“They are staging a coup against Bernie!” he tweeted on Monday, before jibing that “Sleepy Joe” doesn’t know “what office he’s running for.”
WOW! Sleepy Joe doesn’t know where he is, or what he’s doing. Honestly, I don’t think he even knows what office he's running for! pic.twitter.com/454v9GFpgF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2020
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!