Jon Gabriel

opinion contributor

“Bye, bye Bernard!”

That was the title of a virtual “celebration toast” arranged for Hillary Clinton’s former staffers to mark Bernie Sanders’s exit.

“He’s finally gone (again!),” the invitation exulted. “Join for a celebratory toast if you can!”

After the email was leaked to the media, the Zoom call was canceled. But the incident was revealing: Team Clinton wasn’t celebrating Joe Biden’s victory, but a rival’s defeat.

Clinton used her recent Hulu documentary to criticize the Vermont senator. "He was in Congress for years,” she said. “He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done."

While the former presidential nominee was eager to bash certain 2020 candidates (remember Rep. Tulsi Gabbard?), Clinton has repeatedly stated she will not endorse anyone, despite Biden now being the lone survivor. More surprising still, former President Barack Obama has also refused to endorse his former vice president.

Biden is gaffe-prone but can't make waves

The Democratic establishment rallied on Super Tuesday to defeat Sanders, but many voters aren’t sure what to think of Biden. The 77-year-old has been gaffe-prone throughout his career, but his recent stumbles have been nearly catastrophic.

He forgets points mid-sentence, claimed he was running for the Senate, thought New Hampshire was Vermont, confused Iowa for Ohio, and mistook his wife for his sister. Watching him on the dais and the debate stage has been nerve-wracking; will he make it through without a campaign-ending blunder?

On top of that, Biden just looks exhausted. Four years out of the limelight seems to have aged him more than his eight years in the White House. He should be enjoying a quiet retirement at a lakehouse rather than barnstorming the country. He’s earned it.

Despite COVID-19 dominating the coverage, Biden’s trying to make news. On Twitter, he’s offered tepid criticisms of Trump’s response to the virus. He’s held a couple of anemic Facebook town halls.

He even launched a podcast. “What do Fig Newtons and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have in common?” Biden promoted on Twitter. “Listen to this preview of this week's podcast to find out.”

Are Democrats planning a switcheroo?

You can’t blame Democrats for questioning if this guy can beat Donald Trump. Yes, Biden won the primaries fair and square, but the convention’s still months away. Originally scheduled for July, the pandemic has pushed it to mid-August. And talk of a big switcheroo is brewing.

One Democrat making news in the quarantine era is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. With daily pressers carried live across the country, he doesn’t need a Fig Newton podcast to create buzz.

New York State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs noted the groundswell. “I keep hearing, ‘Cuomo for President,” he said. “Whether it’s political people that talk to me; or neighbors on the street; or friends I haven’t heard from in a long time; my brother down in Marietta, Ga., texting me; my sister-in-law — it’s off the charts.”

Cuomo’s crisis leadership has been praised across the board. That includes President Trump, who said the obvious: “I think he’d be a better candidate than Sleepy Joe.”

There’s another option out there who is starving for attention. She’s spent the last four years remaining firmly in the public eye and sparring with the White House as a shadow president. Swanning about her Chappaqua mansion like a latter-day Norma Desmond, muttering, “I am big. It's the politics that got small.”

If a “Draft Hillary” movement “spontaneously” erupted from her media savvy contacts, she certainly wouldn’t say no.

In a year that’s already given enough surprises to fill a decade, 2020 still has some tricks up its sleeve. Bernie might be gone, but Team Biden better keep an eye on their rearview mirror.

Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Republic and azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter at @exjon.