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Joe Biden Is the Democratic Frontrunner, Explained

Veep's embrace of metric system makes him preferred candidate of American elitists

The 2016 Democratic frontrunner and Hillary Clinton. (AP)
February 24, 2015

There is a fever across this great land, and the only prescription is Joe Biden. The 2016 frontrunner has been touring early primary states, winning hearts and minds in the process.

"[Biden] is the perfect successor to this president because he is part of the team that developed the policies that brought us this far," South Carolina Democratic activist Dick Harpootlian told the Wall Street Journal. "Joe Biden ought to be the next president of the United States."

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is nowhere to be found.

But while Biden may be wooing crowds in South Carolina, some have doubted his ability to connect with a crucial Democratic block: rich, liberal elitists. Hillary Clinton is naturally suited to appeal to that demographic, but on at least one issue, Biden appears to have the edge.

No, he doesn’t pretend to enjoy soccer. Biden is too American for that. But he has proven himself willing to pander to elitist liberals by embracing the metric system. As a member of the Senate in 1975, Biden did not object to a unanimous consent motion to approve the Metric Conversion Act, a bill that was intended to facilitate the country’s "voluntary conversion to the metric system." Fortunately, this never happened. But Biden was well ahead of his time, and his efforts to transform the United States into a European-style nation of cowards should play well with Vox.com readers.

Proponents of converting to the metric system are constantly touting its simplicity. Will the Democratic Party "keep it simple" in 2016 by nominating the most obvious choice to succeed Barack Obama? Or will the elitists stick with Hillary?

Stay tuned.

How do you measure up?
How do you measure up?