I love me some Joe Biden.
I always thought Biden was the best white guy running for president this cycle. For me, he is the quintessential old-school American politician – someone who is funny, smart, brilliant on his feet and has always shown himself able to get things done. He brings real gravitas to the ticket and shows everyone that Barack Obama is serious about putting the post-Bush government back together. Obama said he was looking for someone who would feel free to speak his mind and challenge Obama when he thought he was wrong. He’ll certainly get that.
That’s the easy part. Because of his long record of service and his big mouth, Biden also comes with loads of baggage for Republicans – who can only win by tearing their opponents down – to poke through. Even before the announcement this morning, they were already dragging out video from his ‘88 campaign, saying that the presidency was no place for on-the-job training, showing his use of line from a British politician the same year, squawking about his calling Obama "articulate" and "clean" last year and blah blah blah. McCain even put out an instant ad in the middle of the night, showing Biden at a debate earlier in this campagin, saying that Obama was "not ready". This is the sort of thing that they would have done with anyone – like I said, they have no other argument for their own election.
But Biden is going to give as good as he gets. He does not suffer fools gladly, and will turn the lies of the GOP against them when he has a chance. Senatorial comity notwithstanding, if I were John McCain, I would stay away from any direct public debate with Biden. All he would have to do is remind McCain what it was like when he was really independent, really a maverick, before he was stuffed into the uncomfortable straightjacket of right-wing Republican orthodoxy for this campaign.
Biden is also perfect for the VP-as-bulldog role – he’s the best choice in that way since Bob Dole, without the dark surliness and without being wrong all the time. The Joe Biden that has sharply grilled Bush lackeys and judicial nominees is going to be an invaluable resource for the campaign and in the White House after that. We can only hope that the campaign consultants get out of the way and let Joe be Joe, with no "play it safe" constraints.
Most exciting is the prospect of Biden in the vice-presidential debate. It will be one thing if McCain tries to get cute by picking a newby like Pawlenty or Jindal. Either will most likely be stunned into Qualye-ian silence by Biden's superior experience and intellect. But, my dream scenario continues to be to have Captain Underpants, Mitt Romney, on the ticket. I would love to see Romney try to mix it up with Biden – Biden would take Romney’s empty rhetoric and stuff it down his golden throat. I can’t wait to see those vacant eyes glaze over the way they do when he knows his goose is cooked. Besides the entertainment value of having Mitt to kick around for a couple of months, an all-rich/all-elitist McCain-Romney ticket would provide an excellent contrast to the far more modest Obama-Biden pairing. The motto: Obama and Biden – we only have one house each!
The only drawback in the choice of Biden is that, at 65, he is unlikely to be a viable candidate if Obama serves until ‘16. But that’s a small consideration and there will be no shortage of heir-apparents if the Democrats are able to govern effectively when they have control of both houses of Congress and the White House. The choice of Biden shows that Obama will be ready to hit the ground running, ready on Day One. That was someone else’s most effective argument for her candidacy, and Joe Biden takes care of that for Obama.
18 comments:
Biden — the perfect foil for Palin!
*yawn*
A talky windbag nominates a talky windbag, and for reasons that are beginning to escape me I read the blog of another talky windbag.
You sound just like Bob Beckel, and Chris Matthews, and Keith Olbermann, and all the other democratic talking heads who've trotted out the "great pick" lines.
Guess this takes away the "McCain is so old" and "McCain's been in Washington too long" arguments, since Biden's 6 whole years younger, and has been in the Senate longer.
But this is about a new way of doing things, right, where people from outside Washington come in and clean up the mess so that America can be great again/finally? Uh-huh, right.
Obama could have named an inanimate steel rod as a running mate and the Democrat echo-chamber would have goose-stepped in unison touting how "perfect" the pick was and it was exactly what Obama needed. Olbermann would have orgasmed on cue soiling the MSNBC set.
It's funny that Mike brings up Biden's OWN WORDS and says how the Republican smear machine will use them...well yeah, when Biden says racist things against African-Americans, Indian-Americans, and God knows who else...it's not rocket science to use that against him. His own words are his own undoing, the Republican Smear Machine needs little ammo since Biden himself has kindly offered it up.
I also got a kick out of Mikey referencing debates between the veep candidates...uh Mike...how about debates between the PRESIDENTIAL candidates??? Obama has only agreed to a few because he knows he will get his clocked cleaned by McCain.
If Obama is the anti-Beltway candidate running the anti-Beltway campaign...by choosing Biden he has just completely shattered that image.
To recap, then, tim: Biden = losery losing loser.
Do I understand the nuances of your view?
Tim, thanks for adding your unique perspective to the discussion!
It's just unfortunate you didn't choose to base your argument in reality.
Stopped Bork, sure, but treated Anita Hill like shit and eventually all-but rolled over for Thomas. He is a tireless champion of the usurers in the credit card industry, the only Donk candidate during the primaries to vote for the so-called "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005". He's practically counsel for MBNA, so aggressively does he protect their interests (and eagerly accept their largesse).
Oh, champion of the working man, that Biden.
I'll never understand how happy so many supposed "progressives" are with the Donks' continual betrayals of the New Deal, the Civil Rights Acts and so many other liberal values they claim to profess.
Have fun voting for the Republican O'Biden ticket so that you can defeat the John Birch Society ticket. The wars will go on, the ranks of the poor will continue to expand and they'll listen even less to you "progressives" as you give them office while demanding nothing from them ... again.
An anonymous said,
"Obama could have named an inanimate steel rod as a running mate and the Democrat echo-chamber would have goose-stepped in unison touting how "perfect" the pick was and it was exactly what Obama needed."
And the right side is different...how again?
Mike,
I love how you dismiss Biden's own words about Obama while saying how smart he is.
What's ever better is how you'll say Romney's words about McCain are of utter importance once he's the choice, as if there is some kind of difference.
I never said the right side is any different. I have routinely said that McCain is not my guy, has never been my guy, but will vote for him solely because I think Obama is a deeply flawed candidate who is more surface than substance.
There are a number of veep picks that McCain would make that would be bad...Romney (to me) being one of them. So please just don't go assuming that conservatives like me will follow in lock-step considering how reluctant a lot of the right is to McCain already.
Tim,
Those are GOP talking points. Everyone knows Uncle Ted is blameless here.
Tim...Mary Jo was merely a 29 year-old fetus, and as such, Plaisted respects Teddy "FF" Kennedy's freedom of choice. Besides, what was her life compared to all the important work Teddy would go on to do?
Some may think I'm being sarcastic...but it should surprise no one that a political party that places a woman's vanity and personal preference above the life on an innocent would so easily dismiss the rights of young Miss Kopechne.
http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kennedyposingatchappaqujx7.jpg
PS: Tim, prosqtor ain't the enemy. He was mocking Mike and his band of merry men..."talking points" is Mikeys oft used retort when he has nothing else.
Here's a windbag that won't run out of air... www.obamawindbag.com
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