On Wednesday October 21, Vice President Joe Biden made an announcement from the White House gardens with President Obama and his wife at his side. He informed the nation he will not be a presidential candidate for the 2016 election. Here are a few reactions you may have had while tuning in on Wednesday.
1. Heartbreak
You were really looking forward to having someone enter the race who has worked directly with the current president who has an extensive political background.
Let’s face it, who could resist that smile?
Certainly not us!
Plus, you were getting pretty excited about how the other Democratic presidential candidates would react if he decided to run.
2. Guilty
After listening to Biden’s announcement, you remember that he lost his son to cancer this year. Now you feel pretty bad for thinking he could turn around five months later and announce that he is running for president. It would be extremely difficult to build a campaign while still greiving the loss of a child.
3. Fired up!
In just a few minutes, you’ve been on an emotional roller coaster. After getting a handle on the situation, you find Biden has turned his announcement into a discussion of changes that need to be made in regards to policy.
These areas of need Biden references include public education, child care, tax codes, social justice and division between Republicans and Democrats. But what really gets you is Biden’s decisive tone when he talks about finding a cure for cancer, the disease that took his son Beau this year. He closes by reiterating that, as a nation, “we can do so much more.”
4. Frustrated
You agreed with everything Biden had to say. He knows exactly what the next president needs to do when they enter the office in just over a year. Alas, it was not meant to be!
5. Understanding
Biden leaves the podium and as you’re flooded with a million emotions, you know that this is the way it has to be. Biden made the right choice not to run at this inopportune time due to his recent loss. He also avoided having to compete for Obama’s Democratic seal of approval with former fellow Obama administration member Hillary Clinton.
You take a couple of deep breaths and turn on the SNL Democratic cold open to calm yourself down.