What's plan B for Democrats if....

[JRP1994]

... this is the headline on May 4th, 2015:

"Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announces that she has decided against pursuing a Presidential campaign.
.... Mrs. Clinton stated in a Monday press conference that she will retire to private life and devote her time to advancing gender equality and reducing poverty in third-world nations through the Clinton Global Initiative. She has pledged her support to Vice President Joe Biden, who has recently announced the formation of an exploratory committee"

[Cory]

Well Biden becomes the frontrunner and Warren and Cuomo being preparations for their own campaigns.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Biden will keep the field fairly small and will be a Hillary '08 style frontrunner. If he declines as well, it's an absolute free for all, especially if Warren doesn't jump in.

[Mr. Morden]

Biden might briefly hold the national polling lead, but I don't think that would last very long.  Once other candidates became better known, Biden would fade, a la Lieberman 2004.

[IceSpear]

Nobody's bothered to make a plan B because Hillary is certainly in.

But I'll play along. Simply put, it would be chaos.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

I wonder if the media would be ecstatic given their hatred of her, or distressed knowing they wouldn't have her around to bully anymore?

[henster]

Biden will not be the nominee.

[whanztastic]

Her protege Gillibrand is guaranteed a place on the ticket.

[© tweed]

there is none.  it would be utter chaos.

Biden would likely be openly supported by Obama in a no-Hillary scenario, IMO -- against Hillary he withholds an endorsement.  that gives him a 20-25% floor in the early state.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

What will be really fun is if Clinton bows out - and then Warren, as she has maintained all along, confirms that she's still not running.

Biden will run, of course, but a white male candidate as old as Dole or McCain? The Democrats won't be enthusiastic. You will see a flood of flavor-of-the-month candidates looking to capitalize on the momentum Warren would have had.

[Oak Hills]

I wonder if the media would be ecstatic given their hatred of her, or distressed knowing they wouldn't have her around to bully anymore?

They would be ecstatic, since they would have an interesting campaign to cover.

[henster]

It will be a women. Likely Gillibrand given how close she is to Hillary.

[IceSpear]

I wonder if the media would be ecstatic given their hatred of her, or distressed knowing they wouldn't have her around to bully anymore?

They would be ecstatic, since they would have an interesting campaign to cover.

At first for sure, but a few months down the road? I think they'd miss her. They could easily pick a new punching bag, but it wouldn't be "the same".

[Beet]

It really would depend on who ran.

[Zioneer]

What will be really fun is if Clinton bows out - and then Warren, as she has maintained all along, confirms that she's still not running.

Biden will run, of course, but a white male candidate as old as Dole or McCain? The Democrats won't be enthusiastic. You will see a flood of flavor-of-the-month candidates looking to capitalize on the momentum Warren would have had.

At least Biden has some modicum of charisma; he's not completely bland like Dole or McCain.

Though I imagine that if Warren and Clinton both declined, 2016 would look like a liberal, more controlled version of the 2012 GOP primaries.

[© tweed]

It really would depend on who ran.

Biden would; one of Sanders/Warren (Sanders seems to want it more, Warren is better connected to the people and movements that matter); one of Cuomo/Gillibrand (rumors are that NY Dems hate Cuomo as much as everyone, so it would be the latter); and then the scattered names that would surprise you (the Jim Webb group).

I actually think Warren would have a chance, but in the end Obama would rally the troops (and money) for Biden just enough to push him over the line.  a parallel to LBJ and Humphrey in '68, but different circumstances, obviously.

[The Mikado]

The only scenario at this point in which Clinton doesn't run is that she has some severe illness she hasn't told us about yet.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

There should be plenty of Democrats who will suddenly be more interested in running.

[Blair]

John Kerry 2016?

[Lief 🗽]

Democratic Party disbands in disgrace.

Alternatively, my girl Kirsten Gillibrand takes the reigns and wins a 40-state landslide in November.

[morgieb]

Really depends on who runs. I think Biden would be the early favourite, but he'll fade, particularly as more well-known Dems jump in.

[heatmaster]

There's no plan B if Hillary doesn't run, I'd think Biden emerges as the most likeliest of alternative; many of the old Obama crew would probably prefer him; he's a known quantity. But beyond that it would be chaos and Obama would see that as a negative, as a free for all, would overshadow Obama's swan song lap.

[Lurker]

If Hillary wasn't running, she'd have told so by now. Whatever you think of her, I don't see Clinton attention-whoring just for the sake of it.

[Mister Mets]

Plan B is that many Democrats announce that they're running. They'll still have more than six months of campaigning in the primaries before the Iowa caucus.

It could be argued that Obama needed a long primary to defeat a well-known heavy favorite like Hillary Clinton. But a Kirsten Gilibrand probably doesn't need that long to be competitive against Biden. And if Biden shows staying power, that's to his credit.

The length of the primary might have an impact in determining what the race is about. Biden would have institutional advantages, while the party does seem to strongly want to nominate a woman, so that could create a dynamic that makes it hard for anyone else to stand out.

[Suburbia]

Kaine should run. He has Missouri roots and could flip some states in the Upper South.