Biden the dealmaker: Can his approach work in a polarized post-Trump America?
WASHINGTON - Joe Biden proudly boasts of how he persuaded Republicans in 2009 to cross the political divide and vote for President Obama's economic recovery plan.
He doesn't often mention he only got three or that in the years since, one died, one quit Congress and the third, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, is in danger of losing her seat this fall.
Even for a consummate dealmaker like Biden, the kind of pragmatic Republicans he's dealt with in the past are increasingly hard to find.
Biden has put his ability to forge compromises at the center of his quest for the White House, believing that after nearly four years of tumult, weary voters are hungry for a unifying leader, a competent problem solver for a crisis-torn country.
Biden offers his 40 years of experience as a senator and vice president - his relationships, his institutional knowledge, his dealmaking prowess - as the antidote to the chaos
