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Why Obama Needs Biden
With all the talk of VP picks, I thought I'd add my two cents. I always hear about Webb, Clinton, Rendell, Bayh... the list goes on, but an under-discussed pick is Delaware Senator Joe Biden.
So who is Joe Biden? Well, if you're really interested, go read his Wikipedia article or check out his legislative record. But for those of us who are too lazy, I'll give you the shorthand. Biden was elected to the US Senate in 1973. He tried to run for president in 1988 and this year as well, but didn't make it very far. He's made good use of the interim, though, becoming the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and coming up with one of the most comprehensive and realistic plans for how to handle Iraq.
Joe Biden is a strong counterpoint to every one of Obama's weaknesses. People complain that Obama is too inexperienced. Biden's been in the Senate for three decades! When it comes to time in public service, he can run relatively even with McCain (excluding military service, which is, admittedly, a big exclusion).
This leads to one of his perceived weaknesses - the fact that he's a Washington insider in a campaign against Washington. But Biden does not speak like your stereotypical politician. He gives strong opinions and then backs them up. He has earned a reputation for straight-talk among those who are familiar with him, and his is quite arguably more deserved than McCain's - although it does get him into trouble every so often.
But this is where his record helps him out. When he called Obama the first articulate and clean black candidate (to paraphrase), part of the reason that story itself didn't doom his chances (his lack of media attention did) is because Biden has a long record of supporting civil rights and equal opportunity. People knew that Biden wasn't a racist (just a little clumsy with the mouth) precisely because he has been in the public eye for so long.
He is a guru on matters of foreign policy, and during the debates over the past year, constantly served as a fact-checker against most of the main candidates, keeping them on the straight and narrow. One area where Obama needs cred is foreign policy, and I don't know anyone who could say that Biden couldn't lend him that with a straight face.
Perhaps one of the best things about Biden is that this is a guy who can speak to the Scots-Irish who Obama is having so much trouble with. A lot of time, grabbing someone for help with a region doesn't work too well. However, Biden, coming from Scranton, PA, has just the kind of persona that resonates with the people being classified as the "white working class" that pundits love to go on about.
Part of the reason that Edwards, the sunshine boy (no disrespect intended) didn't help much with the South (and Gore before him) is because they didn't give off the gritty, toussler reputation that is supposedly respected by people in the Appalachia region. Biden, on the other hand, even if it gets him in trouble on occasion, can benefit from his straight-talking persona to give him some cred in the area.
Obama/Biden '08 is the perfect ticket for the next administration. Anyone interested can go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Obama-Biden2008 . Thank you for your time.
So who is Joe Biden? Well, if you're really interested, go read his Wikipedia article or check out his legislative record. But for those of us who are too lazy, I'll give you the shorthand. Biden was elected to the US Senate in 1973. He tried to run for president in 1988 and this year as well, but didn't make it very far. He's made good use of the interim, though, becoming the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and coming up with one of the most comprehensive and realistic plans for how to handle Iraq.
Joe Biden is a strong counterpoint to every one of Obama's weaknesses. People complain that Obama is too inexperienced. Biden's been in the Senate for three decades! When it comes to time in public service, he can run relatively even with McCain (excluding military service, which is, admittedly, a big exclusion).
This leads to one of his perceived weaknesses - the fact that he's a Washington insider in a campaign against Washington. But Biden does not speak like your stereotypical politician. He gives strong opinions and then backs them up. He has earned a reputation for straight-talk among those who are familiar with him, and his is quite arguably more deserved than McCain's - although it does get him into trouble every so often.
But this is where his record helps him out. When he called Obama the first articulate and clean black candidate (to paraphrase), part of the reason that story itself didn't doom his chances (his lack of media attention did) is because Biden has a long record of supporting civil rights and equal opportunity. People knew that Biden wasn't a racist (just a little clumsy with the mouth) precisely because he has been in the public eye for so long.
He is a guru on matters of foreign policy, and during the debates over the past year, constantly served as a fact-checker against most of the main candidates, keeping them on the straight and narrow. One area where Obama needs cred is foreign policy, and I don't know anyone who could say that Biden couldn't lend him that with a straight face.
Perhaps one of the best things about Biden is that this is a guy who can speak to the Scots-Irish who Obama is having so much trouble with. A lot of time, grabbing someone for help with a region doesn't work too well. However, Biden, coming from Scranton, PA, has just the kind of persona that resonates with the people being classified as the "white working class" that pundits love to go on about.
Part of the reason that Edwards, the sunshine boy (no disrespect intended) didn't help much with the South (and Gore before him) is because they didn't give off the gritty, toussler reputation that is supposedly respected by people in the Appalachia region. Biden, on the other hand, even if it gets him in trouble on occasion, can benefit from his straight-talking persona to give him some cred in the area.
Obama/Biden '08 is the perfect ticket for the next administration. Anyone interested can go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Obama-Biden2008 . Thank you for your time.
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A bold premise.
May 22, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Boldly stated.
Joe Biden, however, has a mouth problem. That is, his brain is often not connected to it.
May 22, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love Biden's work in the Senate and his honesty. However, Obama is running on the idea of CHANGE and looking toward the future, not the past.
He COULD however, tell voters that while HE is looking forward, he will at times need to be reminded of the PAST
May 22, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
No senators for VP.
Biden as Secretary of State, and Bill Richardson as UN ambassador.
May 22, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink