Joe Biden is assembling a transition team, which has surprised a lot of people considering election day is seven months away. But I wasn’t surprised. I just figured Biden thought it was December and that he had won. Of course, someone is going to keep reminding him what country we live in. Otherwise his transition team could end up consisting of Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel, Kim Jong Un and the Pope.
It is possible that without being able to campaign in the usual ways, he is just trying to build up excitement. He could have done that by selecting a vice president candidate, but no one is going to get worked up over the list of people he has to work with, especially since he promised to select a woman. Let’s face it, with a choice of Gretchen Whitmer, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, the excitement level would be subterranean.
Biden’s biggest problem is that he needs a vice presidential candidate that can stir up excitement without overshadowing him. Since I like creepy Uncle Joe, let me give you a few names that could fit the bill. Lassie, Meg Griffin, Hillary Clinton, Ursala Berkowitz, Abby Normal and Kelly Bundy. You’re welcome,Joe.
So, what’s the real reason Crazy Uncle Joe needs seven months before the election the start a White House transition for an election he hasn’t even won yet?
Now, it’s quite possible that Joe doesn’t know that the election hasn’t even happened yet. Given some of the bizarre things he’s said and done on the campaign trail, it honestly wouldn’t surprise me.
It could be just the campaign trying to project confidence in victory, though such displays tend to backfire. In 2008, Barack Obama’s team unveiled a campaign logo modeled after the presidential seal, which was mocked for being presumptuous and elitist, and the logo was then retired after one use. In 2016, Hillary Clinton clearly believed her victory was inevitable and she didn’t campaign in Wisconsin—which she ultimately lost.
Another possibility is that the campaign realizes that without the ability to campaign in traditional ways, they need something to get press coverage and get people excited. This White House transition is simply a gimmick to get his voters excited (since they clearly aren’t very excited about him) as well as set the stage for his eventual running mate to take a more prominent role in the campaign.
No matter how you slice it, this strategy (if you want to call it that) reeks of desperation.