With Vice President Joe Biden still mulling whether he’ll jump into the Democratic presidential primary, a former top aide penned a letter to former staffers seemingly to ready them for a potential run.
Ted Kaufman, Biden’s longtime Senate chief of staff, who also was appointed to replace his boss as a senator, noted in the letter that Biden has made no decision, but wrote at length about the kind of campaign the veep would run.
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“If he runs, he will run because of his burning conviction that we need to fundamentally change the balance in our economy and the political structure to restore the ability of the middle class to get ahead,” Kaufman wrote. “And what kind of campaign? An optimistic campaign. A campaign from the heart. A campaign consistent with his values, our values, and the values of the American people. And I think it’s fair to say, knowing him as we all do, that it won’t be a scripted affair– after all, it’s Joe.”
Sources close the vice president tell NBC News that Biden is in the final stages of making a decision – and the window could be closing. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is polling at the top of the pack and gave a much praised performance in Tuesday’s debate, while the insurgent Sen. Bernie Sanders drawing massive crowds and raking in big bucks from small donors.
Still, Kaufman’s letter seems aimed at readying Biden’s supporters in case he decides to run.
“I know in the daily ups and down of the political swirl, we all get bombarded with the tactics. So sometimes it’s good to take a step back and get real again. Let’s stay in touch. If he decides to run, we will need each and every one of you – yesterday!” Kaufman concludes.
Jane Timm