Monday, August 25, 2008

The Pick is Joe Biden


In a recent IM (Instant Message) discussion with one of my dearest Republican friends I said that if Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate it wouldn't really excite me. With the recent struggles of the Obama campaign I was starting to lean towards him taking Hillary Clinton and felt that was the only choice he could make that would create excitement and get him votes.

I committed the mistake many pols make, I started to panic when I shouldn't have and thought he needed a VP with a big contincuency like Hillary with women, Evan Bayh with Indiana, or Tim Kaine with Virginia. These three all have more flaws than Biden. The election has to be about Obama and by picking Hillary the election would have been all Clinton, all the time. Bayh is a good guy, but boring and wouldn't have brought any gravitas to the ticket. Kaine I really liked and think he helped in Virginia, but Kaine would have been the pick if Obama were up 15. Obama needed experience on the ticket and I like the spin that Biden hasn't been changed by Washington.

I am ashamed of my negative recent feelings about Biden. He is a man I really respect. Last November I was talking to a friend and said if I could have financially, I would have quit my job and gone to work for Biden in Iowa. Joe Biden has been my favorite Senator for some time and a man I have always admired and identified with. When I hear Biden talk I usually think two things. 1st, wow, that's what I was thinking. 2nd, Joe, wrap it up!

After the Iowa caucuses I concluded my blog post by writing the following about Biden.

And to Joe Biden, one of my favorite Senators and the person I would have voted for, you deserved better. The intelligence, experience, and eloquence of Joe Biden is an important voice for this country and hope he gets strong consideration for the VP slot on the ticket for either Hillary or Obama as they and the country would both would greatly benefit from this true statesman.
I should have stayed more firm in my support for Biden throughout the process, but am excited to have him on the ticket today. The biography or 'narrative' of Joe Biden is even more compelling than I knew. He appears to be a family man in a business that doesn't lead to that being an easy thing to do and his 'blue collar' roots are deeper than I realized and I respect that.

I read the other day that he can't stand the 'limousine liberal' crowd, and that spoke directly to liberals like me. We that can't stand people who talk about helping the poor or struggling, but want nothing to do with them in their neighborhoods or life.

I watched him on Saturday and was energized about the Democratic ticket in a way I haven't been in,,,, well,,, ever. I was reminded about why I love Biden so much. He delivers clear attacks without sounding like a complete jerk. Plus I know I'm the minority, but I think it's great that he is so incredibly qualified.

I went back to the 1st ever blog on this website where I reviewed a Democratic debate and here is what I wrote then.

Edwards is no longer my candidate. Last night I decided to leave one guy who probably won’t win the nomination for another guy who definitely won’t win the nomination. Joe Biden proved to be the smartest, most thoughtful person on the stage. Biden was the clear winner of the debate when it comes to issues.

He was concise, clear, funny and eloquent on actual issues. Biden was passionate talking about education, brilliant in illustrating an Iraq strategy,made sense out of the messy situation that is Pakistan, and flashed his credentials on the Senate Judiciary committee when the story of the next Supreme Court justice came up.

My concern with Biden is that he is too old school to do well in the era of sound clips. I feel he is too much like me on this blog, "why say 10 words when 100 will do?". We are at a time when it's time to be more detailed and stop treating the nation like we all have ADD?

I have always identified with Joe Biden in a way I have with almost no other politician. I have always viewed myself as a 'common sense liberal' and think that is what Biden is. We are unionists who put real blue collar issues, above all and are willing to mix it up for what we believe when most Dems are chickenshits on hot button issues. Whether it be true education reform, not the lame ass 'No Child Left Behind', or the intelligent, non-macho, foreign policy Biden can and will go toe to toe with everyone.

Personally, I feel a connection to his work ethic and values instilled by humble, hard working parents. We also both went through a scary unforeseen medical condition. I bet that Biden's 1988 aneurysm was the kind of experience that even in his 40's gave him a toughness that those who haven't had an experience like that totally understand.

As I already stated, we also both can't shut up and sometimes lose arguments and attention by rambling. We may win on content, but not on conciseness. Though as I try to do on this blog Biden uses humor and self deprecation as often as possible, though that humor is used sometimes too much for our own good and faar too often, not that funny.

Some have said Biden in arrogant, yet its a different kind of arrogance. It's more a disdain for people who are full of shit. When many Democrats whimper away from fights on wedge issues, Biden calls people out for their stupidity and does so effectively. It's not always what you want to hear, and when you hear things you don't want to and they are right, people call them arrogant.

In the end Biden in the right choice for Obama. He brings needed experience to an inexperienced candidate against a very experienced Republican. He likable guy who will help in Pennsylvania and as I wrote the other day has a narrative people will connect to. Plus Biden is the best debater in the party and when it comes to being the running mate the VP Debate is the most important moment. The bar will be set high for Biden, but if it is Pawlenty or Romney, I think it will be the moment of the campaign to watch him carve them up.

Obama could have made a more flashy choice, but in the end he made the right choice and should they win, I believe we will be a better country with Joe Biden as our Vice President.

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Could you imagine if all Democrats had the balls of Biden? They'd be... well... Republicans that I could actually like.