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How’s this for a winning combo: our handsy, borderline lunatic vice president, Joe Biden, and the failed former governor of Massachusetts, “Cadillac” Deval Patrick, whose tenure in the overwhelmingly Democrat Bay State was so successful that he was replaced by a Republican.
Former Gov. Deval Patrick — long touted as a potential 2020 White House contender — is now being floated as a possible running mate for Joe Biden if the vice president enters the Democratic primary. Former New York Times Magazine editor Ed Klein reported on his website this week on a scenario that purportedly could pave the way for Patrick to actually become president by 2020.
Under Klein’s scenario, which cites “the talk in Democratic circles” and other unnamed sources, President Obama would endorse Biden’s White House bid — but only if the vice president lets Obama have “a final say” on Biden’s running mate.In return for the president’s endorsement, the Klein scenario goes, Biden would pick an African-American running mate — specifically Patrick. In the arrangement, Biden, who would be 78 years old at the end of his first term, also would agree not to run for re-election in 2020 but instead back Patrick as his successor, according to Klein.
That would make Patrick the Democratic presidential nominee in a matter of just five years.
Klein’s track record is mixed, but this idea is, alas, just crazy enough to work. And guess who was Patrick’s kampaign guru? That’s right, Jake Lingle himself.
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