Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 9-11-15 Edition

Race For White House And Presidential News
V. P. Joe Biden Testing The Waters For Possible Presidential Run
NCAA Champs Duke Basketball Team Visits The White House
One group Joe Biden feels he can count on if he de- cides to run for president will be union workers. He was in Pittsburg on Labor Day and many came out to march next to him: white, ethnic, from families that have been paying local chapter dues for genera- tions. Vice President Biden gave a glimpse of what a Biden race for the Democratic presi- dential nomination would look like should he decide to make a late entry into the race after a highly public period of soul-searching.
In a speech a, Biden marked Labor Day with a full- throated appeal for steps to fix income inequality and gave a picture of the personal touch he would offer on the cam- paign trail.
Biden, 72, looked ener- getic and eager. He jogged back and forth across a down- town Pittsburgh street to greet people who met him with cheers of “Run Joe Run.”
The problem for Biden: there are fewer and fewer of those union workers left.
It’s a movement now that’s less male and far less Italian, Polish, or Irish than when Biden got started in politics in the 1970s. It’s one that cares about immigration reform as
V.P. Joe Biden marched in a Union workers parade in Pittsburgh on Labor Day.
much as trade. And it’s one that’s highly conflicted about a potential contest between the vice president and Hillary Clinton.
The potential contest be- tween Biden and Hillary Clinton is dividing organized labor. Many union leaders aren’t thrilled with Clinton, but they’re not convinced Biden will run, and they’re trying to stay away from the speculation to avoid antago- nizing her or hurting him -- and damaging their already declining influence in the process.
When the parade ended at the United Steelworkers head- quarters building, Biden went inside for a private meet- ing with USW President Leo Gerard as 150 union workers rallied inside.
President Obama poses with Coach Krzyzewski and the Duke University team on Tuesday.
cording to Coach Krzyzewski, who told re- porters he was surprised the President knew some of the details.
At the White House event, which was intended to cele- brate Duke's victory, there was some good-natured rib- bing over the President's bracket choice this year. He had picked Kentucky to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament and for Duke to lose in the semi-finals.
"My bracket again?" the President joked.
President Obama told the crowd he could find some similarities between his pop- ularity and that of the Duke team. "I can relate to this pro- gram," the President said. "Does well in the classroom. Won twice in the past four years. Know what it's like for people to oppose you no mat- ter what you try to do. When IfliponESPNandIseeadoc- umentary about how people still 'hate' Christian Laet- tner -- a guy who played for Duke 23 years ago. I realize, well, maybe I don't have it so bad. Or I think this is going to be a long 23 years."
President Barack Obama found some words of praise and encouragement from an unlikely source Tues- day -- Duke University men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski -- when the NCAA champion Duke Blue Devils visited the White House.
"On behalf of our Duke community, we want to thank you for serving our country over these last two terms," Krzyzewski told the crowd as he urged them to give the President a standing ova- tion. "You've been an amazing leader for our country. And it's not just you, but your fam-
ily and the sacrifices. So thank you very much for your service."
Coach K is the same man who criticized the administra- tion's strategy regarding ISIS and said in 2009 when Pres- ident Obama didn't choose Duke for the Final Four. "The economy is something he should focus on, probably more than the brackets."
The President is a major basketball fan -- known to often play and closely follow details of the game and teams. In fact, he knew the various summer activities of the Duke players and asked them about them before the event, ac-
Hillary Clinton’s Poll Numbers Declining With Growing Support Of V.P. Biden Getting Into Race
Hillary Clinton's lead among Democrats nationwide is continuing to recede, according to the latest nationwide Mon- mouth University poll released Tuesday morning.
But unlike in past months, it's not just independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the former secretary of state's rear- view mirror. This time, Vice President Joe Biden, who has been entertaining the possi- bility of a run, is effectively tied with Sanders in second place among Democrats nationwide.
In the latest Monmouth sur- vey, Clinton drew 42 percent to Biden's 22 percent. Sanders picked up 20 percent, while 10
percent were unde- cided and all other candidates earned 1 percent or less.
In last
month's has seen declin- Monmouth ing poll numbers poll, Clin- recently.
ton picked
up 52 percent, compared with 16 percent for Sanders and 12 percent for Biden.
An additional 34 percent said it would be somewhat likely for them to throw their support be- hind Biden.
Hillary Clinton
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