What the Veep? Biden's been busy

(LIN) — January is almost over, but Vice President Joe Biden has already had a busy year.

Earlier this month, Biden helped broker a deal between House Republicans and the White House to avoid the fiscal cliff (or at least the brunt of it). When President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner couldn’t work out a bipartisan solution, Biden stepped in and worked out a game plan with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Once that was said and done, Biden reassumed his role on the gun control task force created by Obama. There, Biden and his team met with public service officials, activists and other vested individuals. Biden sent suggestions to the White House, and days later, Obama announced 23 executive actions to curb gun violence.

Usually, Biden is remembered for the off-kilter comments during campaign season and revealing the location of secret bunkers. But now, it seems he’s reaching across party lines and working alongside the president in some of the country’s most serious conversations.

So is Biden just that much more involved in political matters, or are we finally starting to pay attention now that Obama is into his second term?

Many could argue that the vice president is updating his resume to run for president in 2016. Although he would be 74 years old in 2016, he’s a very likeable candidate.

The only other familiar Democratic name being tossed around at the moment is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and she continues to deny the intention to run.

Biden isn’t exactly printing out the bumper stickers yet, either. The vice president told CNN before the inauguration, “There’s a whole lot of reasons why I wouldn’t run. I don’t have to make that decision for a while.”

It isn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination, though. The Democratic Party wants to continue to align itself with a strong candidate of progress, and America can follow Biden through his every move. By aligning himself with Obama, he’s already a favorable candidate for many Democrats.

It’s helpful that Biden can also distinguish himself from areas where some argue Obama failed. Working with congressional Republicans and reaching compromise is a great start.

It may not be 2016, but campaigning for president has already begun. Expect to see more Biden in the near future.

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What the Veep is a bi-weekly feature about the office of the vice president. Jessica O. Swink is a contributing editor to onPolitix . Join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter .