“McClatchy interviewed 31 Democratic strategists — pollsters, opposition research experts, media consultants, ex-party officials, and communications specialists — from across the country about a potential Biden campaign. Nine agreed to speak on the record; all others quoted anonymously do not plan to be affiliated with any candidate running in the presidential primary.”

“Strikingly, these conversations yielded a similar view: The Democratic political community is more broadly and deeply pessimistic about Biden’s potential candidacy than is commonly known. While these strategists said they respect Biden, they cited significant disadvantages for his campaign — from the increasingly liberal and non-white Democratic electorate to policy baggage from his years in the Senate and a field of rivals that includes new, fresh-faced candidates.”

“Joe Biden is working one of his most important constituencies as he closes in on a decision about running for president: Capitol Hill Democrats,” Politico reports.

“In recent weeks, the former vice president and longtime Democratic senator has spoken with former congressional colleagues about how he sees his chances in 2020, his timing for entering the race, and what it would take for him to compete in a crowded Democratic primary.”

“Biden has an established fan base among Democratic lawmakers, particularly in the Senate, where he served for 36 years. The outreach indicates that Biden is looking to lock down establishment support on the front end of a campaign to give him an edge in a splintered field.”

“As Joe Biden decides whether or not to run for president in 2020, top Democratic leaders in the first caucus and primary states have heard little, if anything, from the former Vice President,” BuzzFeed News reports.

“Biden’s plans remain a mystery to state and county party chairs, as well as other prominent activists who spoke to BuzzFeed News. Many said they’re not even in touch with close advisers or allies who would have to spring to action if and when Biden announces.”

The Atlantic: “Joe Biden reliably blows through every public and private deadline for making a decision about running for president. But he’s giving everyone he’s seen in recent weeks the feeling that he’s very close to saying yes.”

“Top positions for a campaign have been sketched out. Donor outreach has accelerated, with Biden himself telling staff at some events to write down the names of people who say they’re eager to help. A list of potential “day-one endorsers” among elected officials has been prepared. Basic staff outreach is happening. Biden has even joked to people that he’s upped his daily workout to get in shape.”

Said one insider: “I have been told that if it happens, I need to be ready to go with a moment’s notice.”

Joe Biden brought his not-yet-a-campaign campaign to Florida’s biggest liberal bastion on Tuesday and said he’s “a lot closer” to deciding to run for president in 2020 and plans to make “the decision soon,” Politico reports.

Joe Biden “swept into Benton Harbor, Mich., three weeks before the November elections, in the midst of his quest to reclaim the Midwest for Democrats. He took the stage at Lake Michigan College as Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) faced the toughest race of his career,” the New York Times reports.

“But Mr. Biden was not there to denounce Mr. Upton. Instead, he was collecting $200,000 from the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan to address a Republican-leaning audience… The group, a business-minded civic organization, is supported in part by an Upton family foundation.”

“Mr. Biden stunned Democrats and elated Republicans by praising Mr. Upton while the lawmaker looked on from the audience… The remarks quickly appeared in Republican advertising. The local Democratic Party pleaded with Mr. Biden to repair what it saw as a damaging error, to no avail. On Nov. 6, Mr. Upton defeated his Democratic challenger by four and a half percentage points.”

New York Times: “Advisers to former Vice President Joseph Biden are circulating a document to his supporters that outlines a rationale for him to run for president and rebuts potential lines of attack — the latest indication that Mr. Biden is leaning toward a 2020 bid but has not yet fully committed.”

“The talking points reflect some of his core arguments he would make if he does enter the Democratic primary. He and his advisers contend that his long experience in politics — he served in the Senate for over 35 years — would represent an appealing contrast to President Trump’s erratic style.”

CNN: “Yet for all of those challenges, conversations with more than two dozen aides, donors and supporters, point to a consensus that Biden is still likely to run in what he repeatedly calls the most important presidential race of his lifetime. But until he gives the final nod, many caution he could also decide against it.”

“Another ally who recently spoke to Biden said he was left the impression that the former vice president was closer to launching a bid than retreating to the sidelines. And his team is preparing a detailed campaign plan to be ready the moment he pulls the trigger.”

Joe Biden has told some top Democrats he’s definitely running for president, and even threw out Jan. 15 — next Tuesday — as a target announcement date, Mike Allen reports.

Said Biden: “If I’m walking, I’m running.”

However: “Jan. 15 will come and go with no Joe-mentum — I’m told no chance of an announcement by then. No staff has signed up for a campaign, or been given a commitment of a job.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden “is in the final stages of deciding whether to run for president and has told allies he is skeptical the other Democrats eyeing the White House can defeat President Trump, an assessment that foreshadows a clash between the veteran Washington insider and the more liberal and fresh-faced contenders for the party’s 2020 nomination,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Biden would instantly be the early front-runner if he ran, but he would have to bridge divides in a primary that would test whether Democrats are willing to embrace a moderate white man in his 70s if they view him as the best bet to oust Mr. Trump.”

New York Times: “He has done so while building a network of nonprofits and academic centers that are staffed by his closest strategists and advisers, many making six figures while working on the issues most closely identified with him. It has effectively become a campaign-in-waiting, poised to metamorphose if the 76-year-old Mr. Biden announces his third bid for the presidency.”

“Mr. Biden is expected to reveal his plans early this year, after consulting with his family over the holidays. Having skipped the 2016 race after the grueling death of his elder son, Beau, from brain cancer, he would enter the coming Democratic contest as an early front-runner. With his political self-branding as ‘Middle-Class Joe,’ he is seen by Democratic strategists as well equipped to make inroads into President Trump’s base of blue-collar white voters.”

“As he considers running for president, Joe Biden is talking with friends and longtime supporters about whether, at 76, he’s too old to seek the White House, according to several sources who have spoken with the former Democratic vice president,” the AP reports.

“The discussions suggest Biden is aware that his age may be the biggest hurdle to launching another bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, especially in an era when many in the party yearn for a new generation of leadership. He would be the oldest person to ever be elected president.”

“I am a gaffe machine, but my God what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth.”

— Joe Biden, quoted by CNN.

Joe Biden said that he considers himself “the most qualified person in the country” to be president and that he would make a decision about moving forward with a 2020 bid in the next two months, the Washington Post reports.

Said Biden: “I’ll be as straight with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president. The issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I’ve worked on my whole life.”