Susan Page: ‘Biden Has the Great Luxury of Not Having a Credible Primary Opponent’

JANSING: “I mean, that’s another thing Matthew did mention, but it is part of a trajectory, right? You start with the base, maybe save money until you actually get a serious challenger, because you don’t have one in the primary, and just wait for the general to really ramp things up. What do you make of it, Susan?”
PAGE: “Well, you know, Joe Biden has the great luxury of not having a credible primary opponent. The same situation Matt faced with George W. Bush, it’s the situation his father, George H.W. Bush, did not face. He had no choice but to get into an early and vigorous and wounding campaign when he was challenged by Pat Buchanan. So, there is time for Joe Biden to ramp up his campaign. I would argue, though, and this is a point Mark was making, there is no line between being president and being a candidate. This election will be determined by whether voters think Biden has done a good job as president and whether going forward he would do a better job than his opponent, and we’re not quite at that point in this political process.”