The Republicans with Bob Dole ‘96, nominating the most senior figure of an obsolete generation kinda made sense – his Senate experience bridged the pre-Reagan, Reagan, and post-Reagan periods, no one was better positioned to appreciate what the Republican Revolution of '94 meant going forwards. Most importantly, who else was there, so they didn’t run.

(If she could peel her own fundraisers – this was the pre-McCain-Feingold “hard money/soft money” era where Dole’s party establishmentarian record counted for a lot – Christine Todd Whitman might’ve had a shot but she held off for more seasoning not appreciating it was last call for her kinda Republican)

But seeing Joe Biden putting effort into reaching for that same tarnished brass ring, knocking actual competitors off along the way – well if I was invested in some Biden “up from the tragic wreckage” narrative it might be inspiring to see him finally win a state in his third primary run, but as is it’s just a little farcical