Obama was not running against independents really,
Not sure what that means.Obama did have a problem with progressives,many of them who voted for him in 2008 did not do so in 2012.Unlike Biden will be able to do Obama had more blacks to come out and vote for him in 2012 than did in 2008.If Obama hadn't gotten the highest black voter turnout ever to make up for the lost of some progressives he would have lost.Thats why Biden has no chance.Biden has lost far more progressives than Obama did and he has lost millions of blacks that voted for him in 2020.