In choosing Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his running mate, Barack Obama has acknowledged his own shortcomings while recognizing that the election he and his people thought a cakewalk a few months ago is now a battle royale along the lines of the 2000 and 2004 contests.
Republicans would do well not to celebrate too much over this choice. On the surface, it may appear to be a mistake – an almost comically bad selection by Obama due to Biden’s well known (and well documented) verbal gaffes. And, as Politico points out, this should worry the Obama camp:
But while Biden, 65, made strides during the primary season on curbing his legendary penchant for leaving no thought unspoken, those who have watched him (and listened to him) over the years know the Obama team will spend some sleepless nights wondering what he might say at any given moment.
Leaving that aside, Biden is a formidable presence and brings quite a bit to the table. He is, by Democratic party standards, a moderate, especially on foriegn policy where he has distinguished himself as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Senate. He voted for the Iraq War and has consistently advocated victory in that conflict. An early and harsh critic of Administration Iraq policy (like John McCain), Biden and McCain have been seen as the biggest advocates for putting more troops into Iraq as far back as 2004. He supported Bush’s Pakistan policy until he began to run for president. He has taken a tough stance against the Russians. He has fully backed our efforts in Afghanistan.
He can be called a foreign policy realist – something he will have to abandon now that he is running with the most idealistic and naive candidate in history. But Obama doesn’t care where he stands on issues as much as his perceived “experience” overcomes his own lack of foreign policy credentials.
Domestically, he is further left but has been known as a friend of credit card companies and banks. He is very liberal on social policy (he received a 0% rating from the Family Research Council) and does well with organized labor. He got a perfect score from the liberal ADA in 2005 and 2006.
What are Obama’s expectations? What does he bring to the ticket?
Joe Biden is an attack dog, a savage puncher who brings some skills to a debate. He will more than ably fill the traditional role of a running mate by attacking McCain like there’s no tomorow while Obama preaches his hope and change mantra staying above the fray.
It is true that Biden is in love with his own voice (most senators are) and he can be very windy at times. But the Obama camp will keep him on a very short leash which will help and I expect he will also be somewhat protected from the press. This may minimize the gaffe potential.
As far as his personal attributes he is an emotive sort of fellow which plays well with most voters. He has a working class upbringing although after 36 years in the senate, he is far beyond those humble beginnings. He is a Catholic and may help shore up Obama’s working class Catholic base that Hillary won so handily in Pennsylvania and other states.
I’ve listed most of his negatives except the intangible. Joe Biden is the consumate inside the beltway, Washington insider. For Barack Obama to go before the people now offering “hope and change” is ludicrous. Also, Biden is only 7 years younger than John McCain so using his age against him is now under the bus.
But it is his ability as a back alley brawler that Obama probably chose him. His sarcasm can sometimes be too biting and at times he comes off as just plain mean. But when he smiles that huge, teeth baring grin and lets loose a torrent of invective against his opponent, he can be fearsome.
This campaign started with both men saying they wanted to elevate dialogue and stay away from personal attacks. But any student of history can tell you that this is the strategy of the loser and the winner is usually the one who is most able to portray his opponent as the devil incarnate. Negative politics is like torture; it is used because it works. And with the country still in a 50-50 split, the candidate who can hit first and hit the hardest will probably come out on top.
This blog post originally appears in The American Thinker
9:15 am
Biden’s the right choice. And you’re still off-base trying to picture Obama as naive. This was not a naive choice. Obama is closer to being ruthless than naive.
I’ll tell you what: I’ll bet you a bottle of your favorite whatever ($70 max. value, so that leaves out the Macallan 55 year,) that a year from now, if Obama wins, you’ll agree with me on that characterization.
Did you read his comments on China? Holy Christ what a naive idiot! China evicts 10,000 people to make way for a new runway, not paying them for their farmland and threatening them with violence unless they left – no recourse to a court nor appeal to a higher authority. And Obama thinks we should be more like China because they improved their airport so efficiently?
Either naive or a commie. Which is it?
ed.
12:36 pm
Rick:
Did you read his comments on China? Holy Christ what a naive idiot! China evicts 10,000 people to make way for a new runway, not paying them for their farmland and threatening them with violence unless they left – no recourse to a court nor appeal to a higher authority. And Obama thinks we should be more like China because they improved their airport so efficiently?
Either naive or a commie. Which is it?
That is an asinine interpretation of what he said. It’s beneath you. He said the Chinese are investing in infrastructure. He didn’t endorse their every method. Good grief. If that makes Obama a commie I can only assume Mr. Bush’s various glowing remarks about Putin and the house of Saud makes him both a Czarist and a Salfist. Are you auditioning for Hannity’s job?
He was effusive in his praise of the Chinese government and their prep for the Olympics, yes? Maybe if he had bothered to think how all those “infrastructure miracles” were achieved (including one he didn’t mention; the Three Gorges Dam project that has cost thousands of lives and displaced tens of thousands of people) he wouldn’t make an ass of himself.
ed.
12:45 pm
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1:47 pm
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6:28 pm
Obama selects Biden to be veep running mate
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Barack Obama named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate early Saturday, ...
6:54 am
A Very Good Analysis of The Joe Biden Selection…
Coming from the Right Wing Nuthouse Blog is a very good analysis on what Biden brings to the table (both good and bad) for Obama. You will have to sift through the Fox News Network talking points on Obama to get to the good stuff there so let me try to…
4:02 pm
Either naive or a commie. Which is it?
Neither. I saw the clip that Dan Riehl linked (probably out of context but no matter). My interpretation is that Obama was saying that China is looking more and more like a capitalist’s paradise, implied subtext (*) that America might want to start thinking about spending $100 billion a year on infrastructure rather than on stupid non-productive enterprises like unnecessary wars. Nothing about approval of methods used by the Chinese, which are commonly known to be reprehensible. (The Chinese are strong on no-regulations, no-unions, and eminent domain. One-party rule simplifies bribery – no risk of bribing a loser.)
Obama could have and probably should have clarified his statement though.
(*) “subtext”, you might ask. Well, Obama is clearly rather bright and clearly has fearsome political skills. The “empty suit” narrative is silly. An empty suit would have been destroyed by Hillary in the primary.
12:33 pm
Please.
Biden was the weakest of all the Dem contenders for VP. I would be much, much more worried with a Sebulius or a Clinton on the ticket than I am with the overly self important, hair plugged, capped teeth senator from MBNA.
McCain could defang Biden in about 3 seconds simply by nominating a woman as the VP, to make it difficult for him to attack during the debates. The only times anyone is going to pay any attention to what Joe Biden says are when he A) gives his acceptance speech; B) Does the Debate: and C) sticks his foot in his mouth. Oh, the order of spotlight on those goes C – B – A.
Really, as a card carrying member of the VRWC, I LOVED this selection. I was absolutely giddy about it. As I said to some colleagues of mine, “this just shows the power of prayer”.
If I was a Democrat, I would be very, very scared right now as I watch an unloseable election slip away.
7:35 am
I agree with you big time Headhunt, Biden was a WEAK choice but a good one for us. We can show endless sound bites of him running his mouth and looking like the fool, so full of himself, showman he is. He dug his hole when he endorsed our guy and dissed obama, it is clear he does not think he is qualified but jumped at the choice to leap across that stage when he announced, kinda like a deer running across a road, trying not to get hit by a hummer. It is so HIPOCRITCAL, but that is what loons do. He also will get creamed in the debates if McCain will pick the right running mate.
I’m not worried about McCain holding his own with obama cuz barak won’t have the telepromters.
Oh and ed, I think I hear the daily koz calling your name.