US Presidential Elections 2020: Joe Biden 2020: How he could win. And why he might not - by Jonathan Tamari

 Former vice president Joe Biden joined the Democratic presidential primary campaign Thursday as the consensus frontrunner, based on early polling.

Still, history and the changing Democratic Party suggest that Biden still faces obstacles in his attempt to win the nomination. Here are three reasons why Biden might win the primary and the right to challenge President Donald Trump, and three reasons why one last campaign might fall short.

How he could win: Early lead: It helps to have eight years as vice president to a president who remains hugely popular among Democrats. After his stint alongside Barack Obama, Biden has nearly universal name recognition, giving him an immediate advantage over many of his rivals, and 75 percent of Democratic voters view him favorably, according to the latest Morning Consult poll.

How he could lose: A changing party: For all the fond memories Democrats have of the Obama years, many want to see new, younger voices, and leaders who reflect the party’s increasing reliance on women and people of color. At age 76, and with nearly five decades in public life behind him, Biden hardly represents change.

Some voters say he’s simply too old to be president, even if they like him.

Past stumbles: Biden has tried this twice before, without much success.

Read more at: Joe Biden 2020: How he could win. And why he might not.

US Presidential #Elections: Bernie Sanders: Racism, Economic Inequality are 'Parallel Problems' - by Carrie Dann

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said recently that economic inequality and institutional racism are "parallel problems" that both must be addressed at the same time.

"We have to end institutional racism, but we have to deal with the reality that 50 percent of young black kids are unemployed, that we have massive poverty in America, that we have an unsustainable level of income and wealth inequality," he said on NBC's Meet the Press.

"We have to address both," he added, referencing the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. to combat poverty in America.

Sanders was lambasted by some black activists last weekend at progressive conference Netroots Nation, where critics accused him of focusing on economic issues over racial inequality.

"My view is that we have got to deal with the fact that the middle class in this country is disappearing, that we have millions of people working for wages that are much too low impacts everybody, impacts the African American community even more," he said on Sunday. "Those are issues that do have to be dealt with, and just at the same time as we deal with institutional racism."

Read more: Bernie Sanders: Racism, Economic Inequality are 'Parallel Problems' - NBC News