The president sometimes struggles to connect with Ohio and Pennsylvania’s white working-class voters and with Jewish voters who make up a core constituency for Florida Democrats and who view him with skepticism.
Biden has built deep ties to both groups during his four decades in national politics, ties that could make a difference.
As a long-serving member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden cemented his reputation as an unyielding supporter of Israel, winning the respect of many in the Jewish community. And Biden’s upbringing in a working-class Catholic family from Scranton, Pa., gives him a valuable political intangible: He empathizes with the struggles of blue-collar Americans because his family lived those struggles.
“Talking to blue-collar voters is perhaps his greatest attribute,’’ said Dan Schnur, a Republican political analyst. “Obama provides the speeches, and Biden provides the blue-collar subtitles.’’
While Biden’s campaign travel will not kick into high gear until next year; he has already been making stops in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida this fall, speaking at events focused on education, public safety, and small businesses, and raising campaign cash. Behind the scenes, he’s working the phones with prominent Jewish groups and Catholic organizations in those states, a Democratic official said.
Biden is also targeting organized labor, speaking frequently with union leaders in Ohio before a vote on a state law that would have curbed collective bargaining rights for public workers. After voters struck down the measure, Biden went to Cleveland to mark the victory with union members.
The Democratic official said the vice president will also be a frequent visitor to Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming weeks, seeking to steal some of the spotlight from the Republican presidential candidates blanketing those states ahead of the January caucus and primary.
And while Obama may have declared that he won’t be commenting on the Republican presidential field until there’s a nominee, Biden is following no such rules. He’s calling out GOP candidates by name, and in true Biden style, he appears to be relishing in doing so.
During a speech last month to the Florida Democratic Convention, Biden singled out “Romney and Rick,’’ criticizing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for saying the government should let the foreclosure crisis hit rock bottom, and hammering Texas governor Rick Perry’s assertion that he would send US troops into Mexico.
Democratic officials said Biden will follow in the longstanding tradition of vice presidents playing the role of attack dog, allowing Obama to stay out of the fray and appear more focused on governing than campaigning.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.
