October 10, 2018 | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski

The 2020 tap dance is on!

Joe Biden was in London on Wednesday. Giving a speech. And of course, someone in the crowd asked him about whether he was going to run for president in 2020.

"I am not a candidate at this point," Biden responded.

"At this point" -- !

What the former Vice President of the United States is saying here is, well, absolutely nothing. That he is not actively running for president on October 10, 2018 is no secret. It also tells us zero about whether he WILL be running for president at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Biden is far from the only probably-going-to-run Democrat who is using all sorts of present tenses and fancy footwork to avoid answering The Only Question Anyone Cares About these days.

"I'm not running today," former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told Politico's Jake Sherman in late September.

California Sen. Kamala Harris told MSNBC's Kasie Hunt over the summer that she was "focused on a lot of other things as a higher priority" when asked if she was running for president.

You get the idea. The goal of all of these statements is simple: Say something ("yes, I am running" or at least "I am looking at running") while appearing to say nothing at all. It's saying "no" while nodding "yes." It's demurring, with a wink.

Think of what Biden and his peers are doing through the prism of that episode of "The Simpsons" where Homer becomes a missionary. Asked by his son, Bart, whether he is licking toads (a known hallucinogenic), Homer responds: "I'm not NOT licking toads."

That's what Biden, Harris, Patrick and the rest are saying: I'm not NOT running for president.

This is a time-honored tradition. People running for president have forever been denying they are running in this nanosecond in time right up until they announce they are, in fact, running. That this charade -- a) fools no one and b) is dumb -- seems not to have any impact on how often politicians still do it.

The Point: Barring some unforeseen event, Biden is likely to run for president. Ditto Harris. And Patrick. And the rest. (The Democratic field could be more than two dozen strong). That remains true -- even if they aren't running RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.

-- Chris

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Michelle always says ... 'When they go low, we go higher.' No. No. When they go low, we kick them."

-- Former Attorney General and potential 2020 contender Eric Holder offered a new spin on Michelle Obama's iconic adage, stumping for Stacey Abrams in Georgia.

MELANIA ON 'ME TOO'

Melania has spoken.

The First Lady weighed in on the "Me Too" movement, saying women should be heard but that they "need evidence" if they are going to be believed.

"If you accuse (someone) of something, show the evidence," Trump said in a sit-down interview with ABC News recorded last week. As CNN's Kate Bennett notes, Trump is echoing similar comments she made in 2016 in the wake of allegations against Trump on the campaign trail.

CHRIS' GOOD READS

Is there a Kavanaugh bump for Republicans?

A remarkable piece of journalism by the Center for Public Integrity -- six communities not feeling the economic boom

Can you win a competitive race without running negative ads?

The Hollywood Reporter's Lacey Rose on the (very) complicated politics of Alec Baldwin

The future is exactly as terrifying as I thought, according to Farhad Manjoo

The coffee wars. The struggle is real.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

John Prine -- one of Chris' five favorite artists of all time -- turns 72 years old today. Here's him covering "I Just Called To Say I Love You."

INSTA POINT

Today's topic: Michael Bloomberg just registered as a Democrat. But whatever for?

BY THE NUMBERS: SENATE AD SPENDING EDITION

Yesterday we brought you the House's numbers, so today, it's the Senate's turn.

Check out the five most expensive Senate races for TV advertisements – CNN's David Wright crunched the numbers and found Democrats outspent Republicans in Florida and Arizona while Republicans have an edge in Tennessee. And because issues matter, the most-advertised issues in these toss-up races: by and large, it's health care and taxes.

1. Florida (CNN race rating: Toss-up)
Total spending: $94,076,676
Dem spending: $49,372,598
GOP spending: $44,685,553
Bill Nelson: $20,745,276
Rick Scott: $24,967,716
Top ad theme: Taxes ($23,995,530)

2. Nevada (CNN race rating: Toss-up)
Total spending: $72,559,554
Dem spending: $40,861,003
GOP spending: $29,726,228
Dean Heller: $6,697,202
Jacky Rosen: $12,025,996
Top ad theme: Health care ($22,354,430)

3. Missouri (CNN race rating: Toss-up)
Total spending: $66,994,114
Dem spending: $33,233,075
GOP spending: $33,747,039
Claire McCaskill: $12,928,979
Josh Hawley: $3,928,370
Top ad theme: Health care ($13,528,700)

4. Indiana (CNN race rating: Toss-up)
Total spending: $61,251,270
Dem spending: $30,651,205
GOP spending: $30,347,687
Joe Donnelly: $7,050,179
Mike Braun: $4,812,956
Top ad theme: Jobs / Unemployment ($14,180,970)

5. Tennessee (CNN race rating: Toss-up)
Total spending: $40,883,272
Dem spending: $17,622,921
GOP spending: $22,874,405
Phil Bredesen: $6,237,128
Marsha Blackburn: $7,239,881
Top ad theme: Taxes ($8,228,450)

MUELLER STRIKES

The latest person caught in Robert Mueller's dragnet: A California man, caught selling fake IDs to Russians.

Prosecutors say Richard Pinedo gave Mueller's investigators "signifiant assistance" and that his admissions and testimony "saved the government significant time and resources in the investigation."

Pinedo has been sentenced to six months of prison, CNN's Katelyn Polantz reports: "Pinedo helped the investigators identify previously anonymous Russians who allegedly ran the social media propaganda scheme during the election. He then explained to investigators how the scheme of using false identities worked."

Pinedo has faced online harassment and security concerns since his testimony became public. He now plans to move out of his rural California neighborhood.

HURRICANE MICHAEL MAKES LANDFALL

Hurricane Michael barreled into the Florida panhandle today, battering the coastline with "life-threatening storm surge and catastrophic winds," according to the National Weather Service.

After making landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, the storm is expected to turn northeast tonight across southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia. The storm is expected to climb north before moving offshore from the mid-Atlantic coast on Friday.

YOUR DAILY GIF

From Brenna: "Y'all know I love a good dramatic pulling off of glasses in the middle of a Senate hearing. And boy did Sen. John Kennedy deliver. You think I could order a similar pair from Warby Parker, or my grandma? Speaking of grandmas, you should share The Point with yours!"

We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. Follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter.

Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters.

Forward

Subscribe to The Point

Copyright © 2018 Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved., All rights reserved.
You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter.

Our mailing address is:

One CNN Center

Atlanta, GA 30303

Add us to your address book

unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences