Joe Biden’s impending entry into the 2020 presidential race has been anticipated by a swirl of stories painting him as an out-of-touch, racist, sexist, dirty old man. And that’s just from the Democrats.

The leftists now dominating the Democrat Party have made plain that they are interested in nominating someone for president who fits a solid socialist profile. That’s not Biden, and therefore a plan has been set in motion to take him out.

Nevada politician Lucy Flores recently wrote a hit piece about Biden for New York magazine describing how he got too close for comfort and smelled her hair at a 2014 event. We’ll probably never know if Flores’s claim is true, though Biden does do such things in public all the time. But proof of such allegations in the #MeToo era is not necessary. Elizabeth “Fauxcahontas” Warren has already stated publicly, “I believe Lucy Flores. And Joe Biden needs to give an answer.” Another female presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar, likewise said she has “no reason not to believe” the allegation.

And as these things usually play out, a second woman — Amy Lappos, a former aid to Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) — alleges that Biden touched her inappropriately.

Some other facts about Flores include that she was a staunch supporter of Bernie Sanders in 2016 (who by the way had his own sexual-harassment trouble among campaign staff) and that until last year, Flores also sat on the board of Our Revolution, a group committed to rallying Sanders supporters for 2020. She was also spotted at a recent Robert O'Rourke campaign rally.

In the current political climate, it’s hard not to be cynical about the timing of the Flores piece, especially when considering her own political allegiances. But, to her credit, there is a long list of similar complaints against Biden going back decades.

Biden’s reputation as a handsy guy in a post-Harvey Weinstein world certainly doesn’t do him any favors, though he swears he’ll “listen respectfully” to any challenges to his behavior.

That doesn’t mean Biden doesn’t have a shot at the nomination. Democrats are experts at demonstrating selective outrage in such matters. In 1998, they rallied around serial sex predator Bill Clinton when it looked like he might get kicked out of office. It wasn’t until recently, as Clinton enters his sunset years, that a few Democrats have had the courage to call him out for his reprehensible behavior.

Similarly, recent credible allegations against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax went nowhere when it became evident that kicking him out of office might mean a Republican taking his place. For all the grandstanding Democrats do about protecting women from such sleazy predators, they can only be counted on to walk the walk when it’s politically expedient. If Biden represents the best chance at beating President Donald Trump in 2020, Democrats will look the other way again.

Leftists want to smother Biden’s campaign before it even launches, though, and his reputation as a cad is merely one tool they plan to use. Allegations of racism because of his stance on busing four decades ago, his inability to stop Clarence Thomas from reaching the Supreme Court, and other gems from Biden’s long political career are already being wheeled out.

Biden has even been attacked for his civility. He recently criticized Vice President Mike Pence’s foreign-policy statements on Twitter, but made the mistake of referring to Pence as a “decent guy.” Former New York gubernatorial candidate and LGBT activist Cynthia Nixon slammed Biden for the remark, claiming that Pence was not a decent guy because his stance on same-sex marriage doesn’t conform with Nixon’s. A cowed Biden quickly apologized.

This is a glimpse into the Democrat Party in which Biden wants to secure the presidential nomination.

Joe Biden’s future as a candidate is very much up in the air. He’s a touchy-feely, gaffe-prone plagiarist who was veep to a president with no respect for the Constitution. Yet he would still be a formidable challenger to Trump if for no other reason than his connection to middle-class voters. But he still must survive the primary process in a party that has drifted too far left even for Joe Biden.