It was the moment that millions of Democratic Party voters had been waiting for: Hillary Clinton stopped wandering in the woods and placed her not inconsiderable support behind the Joe Biden campaign. Or did she? In a virtual Town Hall for Women, the former queen of the Democrats stated that she wants Uncle Joe to be the man leading America against the threat of President Donald Trump, or at least that’s what’s being touted by the ever-hungry media machine desperate for confirmation that they’ve backed the right horse.

In reality, the whole segment came off as an opportunity for Clinton to not only show that she was far more stable than the presumptive nominee, but also to perform a livestream reading of her admittedly impressive resumé.

A Familiar Pattern

While we have seen candidate after candidate kneel before the future king, claiming their allegiance, the real Big Beasts of the party have been far more taciturn. Barack Obama, instead of lauding Biden’s accomplishments, used his endorsement to tout his own legacy, saying:

“We have to protect the gains we made with the Affordable Care Act, but it’s also time to go further. We should make plans affordable for everyone, provide everyone with a public option, expand Medicare, and finish the job so that health care isn’t just a right, but a reality for everybody.

“We have to return the U.S. to the Paris Agreement, and lead the world in reducing the pollution that causes climate change. But science tells us we have to go much further – that it’s time for us to accelerate progress on bold new green initiatives that make our economy a clean energy innovator, save us money, and secure our children’s future.”

And Hillary Clinton’s followed a similar theme.

Instead of talking about Joe’s successes, she discussed his geography, but only in relation to her own. She described his presence in the Situation Room (when she was there). She waxed lyrical on his time in the Senate (when she was there). And, naturally, she talked about his time spent in service to the executive, which for those who like math puzzles, was shorter than Clinton’s own.

The Elephants in the Room

This broadcast was billed as a Women’s Town Hall on COVID-19, and it began with Biden waxing lyrical on how badly women have been impacted by the Coronavirus. The reality, however, may be quite different. Almost all credible studies so far show that worldwide men are disproportionately hit by the virus:

• Italy – 71% of COVID deaths are men.
• Spain – Twice as many men have died than women.

As npr.org reported:

“Data from around 1.5 million tests done in the U.S. show that the majority of people tested, 56%, were women. Of those women, 16% tested positive for the virus. In contrast, only 44% of the tests were done on men. And 23% of them tested positive.”

So why the focus on women? Could it be that the former VP is attempting to deflect any negative coverage that may be coming his way from the Tara Reade sexual assault allegations? To date, the Biden-friendly media has largely ignored the mounting corroboration of Reade’s accusation, but as the election approaches, it is a small snowball gathering speed and size. Even CNN expressed surprise that the presidential hopeful didn’t address the elephant in the room:

“… it seemed like the perfect opportunity — whether naturally arising or created by the candidate or his staff — for the de facto 2020 Democratic presidential nominee to address the allegations of sexual assault leveled at him by one-time Senate staffer Tara Reade. Except he didn’t.”

Biden was not the only one who ignored the issue. With Hillary playing to the crowd as being an advocate for women, the episode highlighted how selective she is when it comes to women’s rights. She painted Donald Trump as a sexist after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced of him describing women in a vulgar manner. When Brett Kavanaugh was being raked over the coals due to sexual assault allegations, she asked, “Why would anybody put themselves through this if they did not believe that they had important information to convey to the Senate?” Yet, when her own allies are subject to the same accusations, she is notoriously quiet.

The Clinton Revival

Not to be outdone, Clinton reiterated and expanded greatly upon Biden’s worry over women being harder hit during the Coronavirus outbreak than others. She picked it up and ran with it, only stopping along the way to occasionally tout her experience and career, and most importantly, what she would be doing right now if she were president.

The former secretary of state appears determined to revive her 2016 popularity. Whether this is for her own sense of self-worth, or to sharpen a tool to be wielded in the upcoming fight remains to be seen. Only one thing is certain: Hillary Clinton’s political life is far from over.

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Read more from Mark Angelides.