This election is not the best opportunity or best timing for the vice president to win the White House, says political scientist John Aldrich.• Quotes: “Joe Biden has wanted to be president for a very long time. His best chance was his 1988 run, but getting caught up in a bit of a scandal cost him his best opportunity,” says John Aldrich, a professor of political science at Duke University. “2016 would not be either his best opportunity or his best timing. It is not his best opportunity because Hillary Clinton is way ahead on just the sort of people, groups and issues that make him a potentially attractive candidate at his best. And the timing is off because of the tragedy of Beau's illness and death. Maybe if his son had been well, the VP would have run on time and not been so behind. But that was not to be and he might be like Henry Clay of the 21st century -- the best president never to be elected.” “So why might he run? Two reasons. He still wants to be president, of course. But more importantly, such a decision would be a signal that there are enough key people who worry that the Clinton campaign might not work out.”“So, if he were to run, he would be a sort of shadowing candidate, imagining success realistically only if Clinton were to fail.”• Bio:John Aldrich is a professor of political science at Duke. He specializes in American politics and political institutions. Aldrich has served as co-editor of the American Journal of Political Science and as president of the American Political Science Association. He is author of the book "Why Parties?" and co-author of "Change and Continuity in the 2012 and 2014 Elections."• Archive video interview (different subject):(4:52 mark) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfh7xv1RStc• For more comment, contact Aldrich at:aldrich@duke.edu
