Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh warned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday that “everything changes” in the Democratic primary if Vice President Joe Biden takes the plunge into the 2016 waters.
Opening his broadcast, Limbaugh told his listeners that while the Clinton campaign “can handle” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ challenge, Biden would pose a “real challenge” to the former first lady’s throne.
“The real challenge Hillary would face is if Biden decides to get in the race,” Limbaugh said. “I mean, [the Hillary campaign] can handle Bernie Sanders, because at the end of the day, behind the scenes, everybody is pretty confident that the Democrat Party is not going to let Bernie Sanders be the nominee. But, Biden, that’s a different matter.”
“[I]f Biden gets in this race, then everything changes for her, because with Bernie Sanders out there… You know, she can run to the right of somebody like Bernie Sanders,” Limbaugh said.
Limbaugh went on to bring up the recent reports that Beau Biden, the vice president’s son who recently passed away due to complications from brain cancer, gave his blessing for his father to run for the White House again.
“Imagine the optics of a Joe Biden campaign based on the dying deathbed wishes of an awesome son, and the question that…can you see Hillary if this happens?” Limbaugh said. “Oh my God, she’s going to say, ‘it’s 2008 all over again. It’s Obama back then; now I’ve got to deal with this?’ So the question will boil down to does a campaign based on the dying wishes of an awesome son from his deathbed trump the first female president?”
“I want you to envision and imagine how the Democrats would exploit what has been revealed to us: the Beau Biden deathbed plea or request that his father run for the presidency for him,” Limbaugh said. “Of course, it will all be for Beau. It will be to live the life that Beau would have lived had Beau lived. Biden can say, ‘I was going to get out of politics. I’ve done it all. I’ve seen it all. But my son told me to go for it, and my son’s life was tragically cut short. But I can live that life for my son.'”