Though former President Barack Hussein Obama refuses to publicly endorse Joe Biden for the upcoming 2020 Democrat primaries, his influence can nevertheless still be felt in Biden’s campaign.

How so? Because of the vast campaign email list that Obama and Biden had generated together during their 2012 reelection campaign. According to The Daily Beast, the former VP is now using that same mailing list to attract voters to his just-announced campaign for the presidency.

“On Tuesday, Biden’s American Possibilities PAC sent an email to supporters asking them to sign up to be the first to know what Biden had in store in the coming days,” the outlet has confirmed.

“A number of recipients told The Daily Beast they hadn’t registered for updates from the PAC but had put their email addresses on the Obama list. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Biden confirmed to The Daily Beast that American Possibilities had the list at its disposal.”

And shortly after, Biden’s American Possibilities PAC sent out an email hinting at the big announcement– pic.twitter.com/BkZCnyXOEf — Molly Nagle (@MollyNagle3) April 23, 2019

This list provides the former VP with an alleged advantage over his competitors, given as it’d helped him and Obama raise more than half a billion dollars during the 2012 campaign alone.

As Joe Biden gets ready to launch his third run for the presidency, he brings with him one of the most valuable pieces of infrastructure in all of politics: the Obama-Biden 2012 campaign email list https://t.co/UaZ8VHSMsZ — The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 25, 2019

“As part of that ticket, the former VP has a claim to it, giving him access to a base of potential grassroots supporters at a time when other Democrats in the race — including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) — were building large networks of their own,” The Daily Beast notes.

And therein lies the mitigating factor. The truth of the matter is that most of the current crop of Democrat candidates have already built their own grassroots networks of support. Biden has failed at this task because of, one, his late entry, and two, because he’s “never been a prodigious money-raiser.” He is, in essence, a man of slick words and intrusive hugs (and sniffing), not a man of concrete action.

Biden does it in front of us! ‘Outraged’ Dems won’t talk about creepy Joe’s inappropriate touching https://t.co/wGsJ57eTEB — Ignatius Haryono (@Guguudel) October 18, 2016

The problem with Biden’s arguably lazy strategy, however, is that his list is severely old and outdated — kind of like the former VP himself. The list reportedly dates back to 2009, when it reportedly boasted 13 million names. The Beast notes that “no one is quite sure how many remain.”

“A source close to Biden sought to downplay the perception that it would be a massive difference-maker, since a significant number of the contacts are likely faulty or dated. And many of the people who signed on in the first place likely did so because of their affinity to Obama.”

“[Having the list] is certainly helpful,” Obama era White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri reportedly said. “I don’t know if it is a golden ticket.”

No kidding …

The only real advantage it provides Biden is the ability to pretend that he and Obama are still a team. In recent weeks, for instance, he’s repeatedly described himself as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”

That’s technically a falsehood since Obama refuses to endorse him or anybody else.

“The 44th president plans to remain on the sidelines right now in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination,” Fox News reported Wednesday. “Two sources familiar with Obama’s thinking say the former president has made clear he doesn’t plan on endorsing early in the primary process — if at all. They add that Obama prefers to let the candidates make their cases directly to the voters and that former first lady Michelle Obama feels the same way.”

Joe Biden has no business running for president again. Just ask President Obama, who’s chosen *not* to endorse his right-hand man. Biden has been losing presidential bids for decades – 2020 won’t be any different. — Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) April 25, 2019

That being said, Biden is currently leading the polls. A Monmouth University poll published Tuesday found Biden leading with 27 percent of support, and Sen. Bernie Sanders and South Bend Mayor Pete Butelieg at second and third place, respectively with 20 percent and 8 percent:

HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE MISSING …

And according to Morning Consult’s weekly tracking data, Biden leads with 30 percent of support among Democrat primary voters, with Sanders at second place with only 24 percent of support.

What remains unclear is whether the more radical elements of the Democrat Party will ever accept him. Earlier this month radical congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made it clear she doesn’t find Biden animating, and she doesn’t really want to relive the Obama years.

“That does not particularly animate me right now,” she said of the former VP’s then-unannounced campaign. “I can understand why people would be excited by that, this idea that we can go back to the good old days with Obama, with Obama’s vice president. There’s an emotional element to that, but I don’t want to go back. I want to go forward.”

Listen:

Some of that sentiment has been reflected in the trending #NeverBiden hashtag.

Look:

Joe Biden is running on fumes of Obama nostalgia & an “Uncle Joe” image completely detached from his neoliberal policy record. Bernie Sanders is running on a bold, substantive, progressive agenda. The choice could not be more clear. #Bernie2020 #NeverBiden — Millennials for Revolution ? (@Bernlennials) April 25, 2019

The establishment is making the same mistake by running @JoeBiden like they ran @HillaryClinton in 2016. Trump won because people who voted for Obama felt they got screwed. When will you idiot democrats learn that people aren’t falling for it anymore? #Biden2020 #NeverBiden — Justin Garcia (@JustinG19923188) April 25, 2019

Biden is the Hillary of 2020. The more people know about him, the more his numbers are going to go down. Dems trying to push this freak have learned nothing from 2016. He’s like McCain; wrong on virtually everything, and a perv to boot. #NeverBiden — Rocky 2020 (@Rocky4President) April 24, 2019

WHAT!! Never Ever Biden! A vote for Biden is a vote for Trump and the big money donors they share are good with that.#Biden2020 wait till he gets vented = #NeverBidenhttps://t.co/3tcqEMTGKq — Ra Ta (@Thinkersact) April 19, 2019

When that Republican is part of a mobster regime that is responsible for the murder and maiming of women, immigrants, journalists and soldiers, it’s necessary to dislike that man. Biden embodies white male privilege. He’s an old fool.#NeverBiden — Sam Spiegel (@UNSEATpac) March 17, 2019

HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE MISSING …