his entire presidency, Biden could campaign on a platform stressing the accomplishments of the previous eight years.

Biden also conveys a sense of empathy that some of the other candidates seem to lack.  In light of the multiple personal tragedies he has experienced, his persona appears authentic.  At the very least, his entry into the race would make for a more robust nomination process.

This is an interesting question, and the answer really depends on your personal opinion.  On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders seems to be gaining momentum.  The question about his candidacy is one of electability.  I feel he may be too far too the left which would diminish his chances of winning. The only other announced candidate is Hillary Clinton. The email question continues to drag her down. If people can get past that issue, I would say she is the best candidate on the Democratic side. She has the experience from her role as First Lady and from her role as Secretary of State. She understands how government works and brings a perspective that would be very helpful to working families. She is well known and is a fighter for causes for which she believes. Her candidacy gives the Democrats the best chance to win in my opinion.

On the Republican side, I would say Chris Christie is the best candidate. He appears to be more of a moderate Republican. He probably understands middle class issues better than the other candidates. Many of the other Republican candidates seem to take positions on issues which are much more to the right on the political spectrum. These positions that are more to the right appeal to some groups, but the question of electability remains. Chris Christie is a fighter for the causes in which he believes. In my opinion, he would represent all Americans better than the other Republican candidates would be able to do.

I believe moderate candidates who understand what the majority of Americans faces are best for each party.

This is, of course, a matter of personal opinion.  My own view is that Donald Trump is the worst candidate for president.  I say this because he is not running on a set of policy positions.  Any candidate who is running based on actual policies that they support is superior to him.  The only policy of Trump’s that we know about for sure is his immigration plan.  Outside of that, his main arguments are that A) he is so smart that he will be able to get everyone to do what he wants and that B) he is so rich that no one will be able to influence him by giving him money.  I see this as a dangerous platform because it is completely out of touch with reality.  A president cannot govern by superior intelligence, even if Trump really has that.  A president needs policy positions and a president needs to be able to deal with and compromise with other leaders.  Trump shows no signs of having many policy positions or of an ability to compromise with other leaders.  He would, in my view, be the worst possible candidate to choose.

I am not completely impressed with any of the candidates.  If I had to pick the one I think is best right now, I would probably pick John Kasich, though he has little chance of winning.  While he is more conservative than I am, he is not a complete radical by any means.  He has done a fairly good job of governing an important state.  He seems to be open to talking to and compromising with people who disagree with him.  These are the most important attributes, in my view, for a candidate right now.

Overall, I would prefer that a Democrat wins, but I do not necessarily trust Hillary Clinton’s honesty or judgment and I believe that Bernie Sanders is too far left to govern effectively.  Therefore, I prefer a moderate Republican like Kasich. However, it is much easier for me to choose the worst candidate than the best.