Former Vice President Joe Biden officially launched his presidential campaign in Philadelphia on Saturday. Presenting himself as the antidote to President Donald Trump, Biden promised that he would unite and bring the nation together again. “I am running to offer our country — Democrats, Republicans and independents — a different path,” he said. …
But the criticism that Biden has faced from progressive Democrats is more than misplaced noise from a Twitter universe that some say is disconnected from the “real world.” …
A clear-eyed understanding of the state of American politics is the best way to go in a presidential campaign. If Biden doesn’t acknowledge the roots of Trumpism, then it is fair to question whether he can win the election and what he will be able to do with presidential power. But if Biden can engage the critique that progressives have made about his campaign and offer them a realistic path forward, he could turn into a formidable candidate. CONT.
Julian Zelizer (Princeton), CNN