Obama plays starring role in Biden’s presidential campaign

DAVENPORT, Iowa — During a campaign swing through Iowa this week, Joe Biden mentioned that his family recently dined with former President Barack Obama’s family. “It just simply doesn’t translate.” On the ground in South Carolina, where African Americans dominate the first Southern primary, state lawmaker Gilda Cobb-Hunter said Biden’s association with Obama may be effective in winning over older African American voters. Nina Turner, co-chair of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, said it’s offensive to think black voters would support Biden simply because of his association with Obama. “The question is what you’re going to do for the black community when you have the power in the face of a recalcitrant GOP.” Although he has not endorsed a candidate, Obama issued a statement through a spokeswoman upon Biden’s entry into the campaign noting, “President Obama has long said selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made"— a plug from the popular former president no other candidate can boast. They definitely have stayed in touch,” Dunn added, noting that they shared “eight years of accomplishment, eight years of battles to do what was right for the American people, eight years of shared values.” Biden pollster John Anzalone noted that Biden and Obama shared some major accomplishments, but he said, “It’s important that from Day 1, Joe Biden has laid out his own vision, his motivation for getting into the race, why he’s running and what he wants to do.” “This is wholly Joe Biden’s own run,” Anzalone said.