The Atlantic

Republicans Keep Underestimating Joe Biden

And that’s good for the president.
Source: Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg / Getty

Joe Biden knows how to handle a tough crowd. This was evident last night at the State of the Union, and it was apparent to me seven years ago, on March 20, 2016. On that day, President Barack Obama sent Biden to sell the recently struck Iran nuclear deal to the national conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This was the political equivalent of asking the vice president to push subscriptions at a Donald Trump rally. Over the previous year, AIPAC had spent every ounce of its political

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