Story by Adam Ebel
Vice President Joe Biden, somewhat infamous for his candid manner of speech, made bold remarks regarding Democratic chances this upcoming election at a party retreat last month.
Half of the speech covered America’s economic standing within the global economy, especially focusing on improving economic ties with China.
Biden was generally positive about America’s position, praising America’s ability to “continually remake itself” and accrediting it to a steady flow of immigration and a cultural imperative to “challenge orthodoxy.”
Afterward, however, the rhetoric gradually became more partisan.
Although nothing too vehement, a few mocking barbs thrown to “his friends on the right,” came off as confidence to liberal viewers and arrogance for some more conservative opponents.
Biden made his final jab at the lack of cohesion and general disarray of the GOP: “There isn’t a Republican Party, I wish there were. … I wish there was one person you could sit across the table from and compromise. … All you have to do is look at the state of the Union, what were there, three or four (rebuttals)?”
In fact, four rebuttals were made from the GOP to the State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, each coming from distinct and possibly conflicting voices within the Republican Party.
The most recent and infamous evidence of these ruptures within the GOP occurred during the government shutdown, during which compromise deals between moderate Republicans and Democrats were shut down by the growing Tea Party movement within the house.
According to the Pew Research Center, Republican voter identification has continued to decline since 2002, and Republican voter confidence, the percentage of voters surveyed who believe their party was going do better in the next election than in the last, has declined 17 percent, although it is still higher than its Democratic counterpart.
Both Democrats and Republicans have equal popularity in the polls for the upcoming election, however Republicans are projected to gain some seats due to the layout of the districts, just like the last election.
“The redistricting controlled primarily by republican governors gave the Republican Party and edge in the last election,” said Republican Keith Guenet.
This process known as “gerrymandering” is controversial with several solutions, such as using split-line algorithms to divide up states into districts mathematically, but legal and legislative obstacles remain.
Critics say Biden’s bold remark was to encourage the incoming Democratic candidates in face of the recent outcomes of recent fundraising efforts.
The Republican National Committee outraised the Democratic National Committee, which remains $15.9 million in debt.
The RNC has raised over 88 million dollars, whereas the DNC raised a little less than 74 million.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the RNC has continued to receive the majority of the support from Special Interest Groups and PACs, especially those involved in finance and retail.
Meanwhile, unions and other labor associations remain the primary special-interest group to lobby the Democratic Party.
Despite increasingly complex legislation regarding controversial lobbying, the amount funding election campaigns has continue to rise, with little disclosure.
The multibillion-dollar industry is generally seen negatively by most Americans and draws criticism for its fundraising process.
Regardless, the majority of funding comes from disclosed individual donors.
While the projections on upcoming congressional elections seem generally secure, the presidential elections of 2016 are more contested.
Democrats, demonstrating a strong preference for Hillary Clinton as the 2016 democratic nominee, are quick to point out the Republicans have yet to identify such a candidate.
However, Republicans point out that similar early expectations were laid out to Hillary Clinton for the 2008 election, before Obama became a senator, and that the Democrats have not won more than three consecutive elections since Harry S. Truman succeeded Franklin Roosevelt’s unprecedented fourth term.
“They said the same thing about Hillary Clinton last time. Mark my words, Hillary Clinton will not be the Democratic (Presidential) candidate in the next election” Guenet said.
