Lovin' Biden

by: Mike Lux

Sun Aug 24, 2008 at 21:20


I'm not going to do the standard progressive blog post about how I'm glad it's Biden because even though he's not a progressive, he's better than Bayh or Kaine. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I really like this choice a lot in and of itself.
Mike Lux :: Lovin' Biden
I had been for Sherrod Brown first and Wes Clark second, but I long ago gave up hope for either of those guys to be picked, and I actually think Biden was my third favorite choice of all the possibilities. I know he voted the wrong way on the war, and has some other bad votes in his career, but there isn't a single politician out there- including Sherrod Brown, Feingold, and Wellstone before he died- who hasn't voted wrong on some pretty important things. And Biden has a lot of great things to say for him as a VP pick:

1. Toughness. Say what you will about Biden, but he is one tough son-of-a-bitch. He doesn't back down from a fight, and he won't put up with the Republicans' bullshit. He says exactly what he thinks, which sometimes gets him into trouble with the traditional media and sometimes with the blogosphere, but I admire the bluntness even when I think he's full of shit. I think Obama needs that toughness by his side.

2. Passion. I've already heard people call Biden and Obama fire and ice, and I kind of link the analogy. Obama has a coolness reminiscent of JFK, while Biden has a fiery passion that reminds me of RFK, and I think it's a hell of a combination. I know Biden well enough to know that when he says he's fighting for the "cops and the firefighters, the lineman and forgotten working people", that it's real, it's who he really is.

3. Oratory. It is such a pleasure to me to have two candidates who are as good on the stump as there is. I cannot remember having two orators this good on the same ticket, ever. I think that will be important this year, as our campaign strategy is based on being able to inspire new volunteers, online donors, and voters.

4. Working class voters. Biden's working class roots are a huge asset to this ticket. He has a mostly progressive record on the issues that matter to working class voters, but the fact that he comes from that background and relates to it so well is also a huge plus.

5. Geography. Yes, Delaware is a tiny Democratic-leaning state, but Biden being born and raised in Scranton, and serving his entire career in the Philly market, makes him a huge asset in PA.

6. Experience. The Republicans are trying to say this pick demonstrates Obama's need for experience, but that's a pretty ridiculous argument at the end of the day, and Biden's seasoning and knowledge on national security does shore up a weakness for Obama.

I think these guys are a good combo, and I'm excited about this ticket. I do have a personal bias in that I worked for Biden twenty years ago, the first time he ran for President, and I have always retained a great deal of respect and personal affection for him. But my bias aside, I think Obama and Biden will be good together.

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Lovin' Biden | 54 comments
I agree (4.00 / 4)
Got any good stories from when you worked for him 20 years ago? That might be a good diary.
The toughness thing is big (4.00 / 4)
I think you do gloss a little too lightly over some of Biden's negatives, bankruptcy bill, e.g., but I'm in basic agreement with you on the positives.

One quibble: is it really necessary to recycle MSM talking points like

Biden's seasoning and knowledge on national security does shore up a weakness for Obama.


sTiVo's rule: Just because YOU "wouldn't put it past 'em" doesn't prove that THEY did it.
yeah that line is kind of a stinker (4.00 / 4)
Especially since given what's happened in Iraq, I would say Obama is the stronger one on national security.

National security and foreign policy isn't something that's this impenetrable subject that's take decades in the senate to have a basic grasp of it. If you're a smart person, and are interested in history, politics, sociology, and geography, then I would wager you could have a pretty firm grasp of both foreign policy and national security pretty quickly. Which is probably why Obama was rightly able to oppose the Iraq war from the start.  

[ Parent ]
Personally, I prefer to win this presidential election (0.00 / 0)

Than dither about a single, bad policy choice and vote from 3 years ago that even Biden and the banking industry has come to realize blew up in their faces. Hoist by their own petard, as the Bard would say. MBNA and credit card companies fared better but only at the expense of the mortgage industry. People would rather walk away from a mortgage to pay down their credit cards. All in all, not the way it should work. I think Biden was the best choice for a number of reasons. It is already too damn close and he's just the guy to address that, and not just because of his FoPo experience. Obama needs an attack dog right now. That's Joe Biden. Also, I think you are conflating judgment with another skill set that does come with extensive experience. Again, you focus on a single vote or position, but I do see your point.

Especially since given what's happened in Iraq, I would say Obama is the stronger one on national security.

National security and foreign policy isn't something that's this impenetrable subject that's take decades in the senate to have a basic grasp of it. If you're a smart person, and are interested in history, politics, sociology, and geography, then I would wager you could have a pretty firm grasp of both foreign policy and national security pretty quickly. Which is probably why Obama was rightly able to oppose the Iraq war from the start.  



[ Parent ]
I think you're wading way too much into my (very mild) criticism (4.00 / 7)
I think Biden is a great pick (see my first comment on this thread). My only quibble was with the still all too common view that because Obama is not a war hawk and has not been in Washington for 20 years, that that means he has a weakness on foreign policy and national security. I think Dick Cheney is a perfect example of why this thinking is false.

I realize that Biden is good at projecting this image because it is perceived that Obama has a weakness here (for the faulty reasons above), but I am saying that we shouldn't let ourselves believe the canard in the first place.

[ Parent ]
national security credibility (0.00 / 0)
With all of Biden's and McCain's "expertise" and Obama's lack thereof, which one got it right on the biggest national security decision of this generation? As the Bushies used to say, "Results matter."

miasmo.com
[ Parent ]
Obama (0.00 / 0)
doesn't merely have  a "perceived" weakness here. Every poll gives McCain a big advantage on fighting terrorism and a slightly less big on on Iraq. Ridiculous but true.

And I think the biggest threat to the Obama candidacy--even with Biden--is a national security crisis, which might or might not be caused by Bush.


[ Parent ]
We're talking about two different things here (4.00 / 3)
I'm saying there's two different kinds of weaknesses, perceived weakness in terms of how the public views the politician, and actual weakness in terms of whether said politician can actually handle national security issues in a safe, sane, and intelligent manner. So by perceived I was totally agreeing with you, he is perceived as being weak there by the electorate (although some of the individual questions show he does much better than past Democrats). Maybe this is what Mike was referring to as well, sorry if that's the case and I misinterpreted him. But Obama obviously is very strong on foreign policy and national security especially compared to the deranged ramblings of old-man McCain.  
[ Parent ]
What I was objecting to (4.00 / 2)
and I started this threadlet, was adopting and internalizing MSM phraseology.

Obama doesn't merely have  a "perceived" weakness here. Every poll gives McCain ...

Sorry, but poll numbers are the very definition of "perceived" strength and weakness.  I agree that Biden helps with this problem.  But it's giving away the game to concede that this bit of Republican spin is reality.

The poll numbers are real, Biden will help in deflecting these attacks, but Obama is still going to have to win despite this perception.  


sTiVo's rule: Just because YOU "wouldn't put it past 'em" doesn't prove that THEY did it.

[ Parent ]
All politics is perception (0.00 / 0)
The notion that John McCain is strong on foreign policy is a matter of perception, just as it was with George Bush, who was the least prepared for that aspect of any president in American history, yet the country bought that "swagger" twice.
[ Parent ]
I think you are confusing (4.00 / 1)
what I said you were confusing.

Obama is no dove. He was opposed to the invasion of Iraq, but don't kid yourself. This guy is no Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul (thankfully, I would never vote for either of them). Obama is weak there, but has excellent judgment. He lacks what Biden has. I am getting quite good at understanding American politics (judgment). I could never be a politician or statesmen (completely different skill set and one I lack).

Bill Clinton was right, btw. No amount of life experience prepares you for this job. I prefer to go with the better judgment because the skill set is picked up on the job. The closest we came to that was Ike in the last century (heading up SHAEF) and he still made his share mistkes (Iran to name just one).

[ Parent ]
I wasn't responding to you (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
As the Bard would say (0.00 / 0)
     Hoist ON their own petard.
[ Parent ]
Umm, no (4.00 / 3)
   
There's letters seal'd: and my two schoolfellows,
   Whom I will trust as I will adders fang'd,
   They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way
   And marshal me to knavery. Let it work;
   For 'tis the sport to have the enginer
   Hoist with his own petar; and 't shall go hard
   But I will delve one yard below their mines
   And blow them at the moon: O, 'tis most sweet,
   When in one line two crafts directly meet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...

It is a play on many words. Petar is French or Catalan for fart or to fart.

[ Parent ]
You're my favorite (4.00 / 3)
OL regular. :)

Thanks for an excellent, optimistic post.

QT

Visit the Obama Project


WindOnWater.net



Agree 100% (4.00 / 2)
My retired parents in Florida who could never relate to Obama are now starting to warm up to the ticket.
Agreed, Mike. Good Post (0.00 / 0)
Although I feel the Obama/Biden dynamic is a little more like having JFK and Harry Truman on the same ticket, with Obama's solid judgement, inspiring speeches, and youthful vigor along with Biden's fighting spirit and talent for zingers.
a safe choice...lost opportunities (0.00 / 0)
Obama had the opportunity, given a consistent lead, to go for a bigger win.  Biden has never been a leader of big change on anything.  A progressive woman VP would have meant that a generation of young girls would lean towards the Democratic party in huge numbers.

Biden may (or may not)be helpful for this election, but over 4-16 years, he does not represent the long term change agent that we need.

I'm not sure who that progressive woman VP would have been (4.00 / 3)
Sebelius is pretty moderate and Hillary, while pretty progressive on some things, is also pretty darn conservative on others (gas tax, Iran) and is not really a change agent down the road considering her age.

I think Biden was the best pick of those in the running, there just weren't that many excellent choices this year. A little bit of a paradox because we had extremely strong presidential candidates this year but not so strong VP candidates.

[ Parent ]
Quibble (0.00 / 0)
We had strong VP candidates, they just didn't get vetted.

Sherrod Brown, Ted Strickland, Jim Webb, Wes Clark, Mark Warner, Russ Feingold, Bill Richardson, Brian Schweitzer.  And Hillary.  (And Edwards.)

You can make an all star squad out of the people Obama didn't look at.

I'm really shocked, in retrospect, that Obama put us through this Evan Bayh bullshit.  Kaine I can understand, I guess, but to ever seriously consider Evan Bayh, ever, is pretty damn shocking.  It really makes me question his judgment, far more than the FISA thing did.  Allowing Rockefeller and Pelosi to save their careers with a bad bill is one thing, but to seriously consider promoting Evan Bayh into your own damn White House?  I can't see any rationale for that at all that isn't the product of a terminally addled mind.

Now, I can see the rationale for pretending you're considering Evan Bayh: get free press in Indiana, and score brownie points with the MSM, at zero cost with voters and next-to-zero cost with activists (who are even more thrilled with the real pick as a consequence).  That I get completely.  But would Obama drag Bayh through as much trouble as he did just as a headfake?  Seems kindof cruel, though I guess it helped Bayh's reputation a little in the end.

[ Parent ]
So it was a good idea, and it wan't, and it was shocking and unsurprising (0.00 / 0)
I don't know who was vetted or looked at, who declined early, and who failed the interview or essay portion. It was confidential, with the punditorium full of yelling kids explaining that they know whats happening there over at Carolyn Kennedy's house.

The wait created massive amounts of good press day after day, the MSM had spotter plains and spy cameras. It was perfectly wonderful handling of a media cycle. As Matt said congrats to the Obama team.

There aren't a lot of places to leverage media attention, this one was done right.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
Bayh on the short-list was understandable (4.00 / 1)
1) Viewing the Democratic Party as more of a coalition than as an actual party, it felt like the names floated (Bayh, Biden, Kaine, Sebelius, etc.) all appealed to different factions in the Democratic coalition as if Obama was considering the best possible representative of different types of options for VP.  If it wasn't going to be Bayh, it was going to be someone Bayh-like.  Is there someone Bayh-like who is better than Bayh?

2) If Obama told Hillary Clinton that she wouldn't be the nominee, but he would let her recommend a few names to be vetted, I think that Bayh would be one of her top three picks.

I've generally assumed that Bayh was considered mostly as a courtesy to certain factions within the party (the DLC, the Clintons) just as Chet Edwards may have been looked at as a courtesy to Nancy Pelosi-with the idea that they would be long shots, but that there is no harm in looking--but that ultimately it was in Obama's best interests to pick someone he was comfortable working with rather than to pick someone for ideological reasons, and I don't think it is easy to feel comfortable choosing a strong supporter of one's bitter primary rival.

Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company: Religion, Politics, the Occasional Intersection of Both

[ Parent ]
I agree (4.00 / 1)
We had strong candidates that weren't vetted. But some of those strong candidates probably shouldn't have been picked just because it was poor timing. Strickland and Brown are two good examples. They're both only two years into their terms.  
[ Parent ]
Strickland and Brown (0.00 / 0)
Only two years into their terms is relative to me, i.e., Wes Clark hasn't had a term at all.

What I believe to be way more important with regard to Strickland and Brown is that Ohio is still not a solid Democratic state, and if either of them (or both) left office, it wouldn't be inconceivable that a Rethug would take his place.  Strickland is doing a decent turn at a damned hard job of uncorrupting Ohio and getting it going toward a brighter future, and Sherrod Brown is my only hope for salvation and sanity when it comes to any kind of representation in Congress.

Maybe you'd have to have lived in SW Ohio for 20 years with Voinovich and DeWine for your Senators and John Boehner for your Representative to be as thankful as I am for Sherrod Brown.  But I have lived here, and I've been without any meaningful representation for years. Now, I've actually written notes to Brown's office to congratulate him for some of his positions, and I've only disagreed with his vote a couple of times.

Please.  Let Strickland and Brown do the jobs they were elected to do. In 2012, you can play the game again if you aren't happy with Biden, but I'm gonna have to live here in Ohio until then and I'd much rather do it with Strickland and Brown.  

[ Parent ]
The fact it considered (0.00 / 0)
even a crazy alternative can never be evidence of an addled mind.  It's only the final decision which can testify to that. Ever hear of thinking outside the box?
[ Parent ]
Well, calling Evan Bayh "outside the box" is pretty ironic. (0.00 / 0)
When the problem with Bayh is that he is so far inside the box that I worry that ObamaCo doesn't even know they're in a box at all.  When I say addled, I mean that to really like Evan Bayh you have to have gone completely and utterly Beltway, which I thought this particular campaign had not done so fully.
[ Parent ]
Biden won't run (4.00 / 2)
It is very unlikely Biden would run in 2016 at the age of 73.
In fact, Biden was one of the few picks (along with Clark) that leave Clinton a chance to run in 2016 at the age of 69, if she should choose to do so.

Biden is not the future of the party. He is an asset to the party and he will continue to be so as Obama's running mate and VP. But he will never emerge as the standard-bearer in the way that Obama is poised to.  

"Don't hate the media, become the media" -Jello Biafra

[ Parent ]
I've heard some variants of this... (0.00 / 0)
...fails to give us a go-to guy in 2016, too old to run etc etc...

what says the VP is a shoo in for election? Al what do you think?  Al Gore was the VP during an economic rise and campaigning in a peak...he was a lousy campaigner and thus was unable to win overwhelmingly as he should have, he may have won by a few chads if the math was done right, but I digress to reality where he failed to benefit much from his "incumbent position."

Dick Cheney certainly didn't hinder the Voldemort/Orwell ticket in 2000 or 2004, no one had delusions he might run for President someday, his health is notoriously bad and even joked about by his strongest supporters.  Strangely the Republican field for President in 2008 was robust, dare I say as exciting as they have had in decades.  Diverse (well as diverse as a bunch of senior citizen white men can be), with a variety of focuses and messages, until the Obama/Clinton billion dollar media campaign exploded, was generating a great deal of energy and ink.  OMG will Fred Thompson run? Not run?  Unfortunately for Fred, no one predicted C, he will run but wait just a few weeks too long to be relevant and his campaign kickoff will be executed so poorly only Democrats celebrity-gawking will show up to his Iowa events (true story!).

Really, this is a non-issue.  We have a ton of up and comers in the party that can build themselves to the place they need to be at to run in 2016, and having President Obama and Biden in office will help them tremendously.  Who you ask?  200+ Democrats in the House, 40ish in the Senate (Ya, there a few I'm not sure we should count as Democrats), something like 30 Democratic Governors, another bunch of LG's, AG's, etc and a whole crop of bright young men and women returning from the Middle East with a chip on their shoulder motivating them to do better for the next generation.  For the moment I'll put my money on Tim Ryan of Ohio, what are the odds at this point anyway?

So, let's retire the notion that Joe Biden carries that as a negative.  It is a non-issue.

The VP's most important quality isn't electoral at all, it is about being the right person for the job, and the job is even more demanding than the Presidency in one respect that matters a great deal.  The President elected transfers in smooth and likely had months to prepare for the situation he faces, he has extensive control of the operation and likely no real "crisis" matters on his plate immediately.  The VP assuming the Presidency only does so in crisis and has no preparation time - immediately must step up as a leader in the face of likely the most tragic moment in the nation's history.  You think it's easy for a Presidential nominee to pick the person for this role?  I think Senator Obama did very well with his pick, though I hope his choice is never put to the test.  Hopefully, Vice President Biden will be taxed with running NASA and maybe breaking a tie in the Senate on something brutally critical like funding to investigate the possibility that American's are consuming less sub-surface agricultural products.

In theory he should spend his 8 years (aren't I confident?) playing QB Coach in the White House, not calling the plays, but providing the guidance to properly execute them successfully within the system he knows very well and has been attacking for decades.  Like Chris Dodd, Biden was one of the earliest advocates for publicly financed elections and other reforms, hard not to call that progressive.

So, let's focus on the positive and support the best ticket we've had since...before I was born.

[ Parent ]
to add to this (4.00 / 1)
this is one my favorite bits of trivia:  there's only been one sitting vice president elected since martin van buren, and that's george bush (setting aside the gore / bush election for a second, which is a debate i'd rather not wade into).

of course, you could make the argument that things have changed in the last 20 years or that it would give you someone with national stature for later (a la nixon), but i think a lot of the ways that things have changed suck :)

[ Parent ]
NIxon came ridiculously close to getting elected (4.00 / 1)
And that doesn't count all the VP that became president due to the President dying, and then turned around and got reelected, which has been relatively common: Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and LBJ, something like a fifth of the 20th century Presidents.    
[ Parent ]
your points are well taken. (0.00 / 0)
I'm mainly just making an argument that relying on the idea that whoever is vice president now should be the Democratic candidate in 2016, all else equal, is an overplayed idea.  In fact, I would hope that the politics would have changed enough so that both Obama and Biden would have to make very different arguments in 2016 than they do today.

But yes, the vice president's only formal job, basically, is to sit around and wait for the president to not be able to serve their duties, so what you say makes sense to take into account.

[ Parent ]
I don't think he was citing .. (0.00 / 0)
that as something against Biden ... just something that we should prepare for .. does Ohio have term limits? .. otherwise .. Tim Ryan is going to have to kick Voinovich's ass soon in the Senate .. when was the last time someone from the House got elected President?  also .. who is to say that Biden will be the VP in 2012?  Obama will have had four years under his belt then .. and maybe he'll give someone a leg up then .. I don't see him leaving his legacy that much to chance .. that he won't have a preferred candidate ready in 2016
[ Parent ]
I believe the last time that someone went directly from the house (0.00 / 0)
to the presidency was when James K. Polk won as the incumbent speaker.
[ Parent ]
What lead? (4.00 / 1)
It's a statistical dead heat now.

A woman and a black man on the same ticket? Not this year.

It will be difficult enough to get Obama elected.

You really want to give the WH to McCain?

This isn't about you and your particular political preferences now. This is a street brawl.

[ Parent ]
sorry, but it's always about me and my political preferences (0.00 / 0)
and everyone elses.  once you stop paying attention because it's a street brawl, your movement dies before it even has a chance to get off the ground.  even people with ideas understand that attaining power requires compromises.
[ Parent ]
Winning the WH (0.00 / 0)
has nothing to do with your particular political preferences. Your local politics and races does. Same for me, but I'm glad to see you agree with me, (and contradict yourself), by acknowledging that "attaining power requires compromises".
[ Parent ]
We have a hand, the one we are dealt. (0.00 / 0)
We play that hand as best we can. It isn't a compromise to play off suit in order to draw trump on the next hand. Smart moves always means smart with what you have in your hand.

The future of the Democratic party has been given an open ended 2015 primary season. All those fresh faces will have no  pre-ordained presumptive leader crowding out the field. Put your favorite in here, because we can start building a class of 2016 right now.

I would hope that we are looking to 2010 soon, or at least have a notebook of names and contacts for all those brilliant people you have met in this season, and how to promote their career or even encourage them to think about running.

For one: How about President Darcy Burner in 2016?

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
it's not a contradiction (0.00 / 0)
it's an attempt to deal with reality, as per the Saul Alinsky quote in the New Yorker article on Obama - deal with the world as it is.

I seriously doubt there will ever come a time when I'm allowed the privilege of not having to do that - even if the politics of the U.S. changes dramatically.  But I will work towards that time and that is why it is ALWAYS about me and my political preferences as well as the world outside.  If I abandon that, I will just be a pawn in someone else's game.

[ Parent ]
Right or wrong -- refreshing (4.00 / 2)
I'm not going to do the standard progressive blog post about how I'm glad it's Biden because even though he's not a progressive, he's better than Bayh or Kaine. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I really like this choice a lot in and of itself.


John McCain doesn't care about Vets.


I'll go further out on a limb (0.00 / 0)
And say that I prefer Biden to a lot of other names that have been suggested, such as Wes Clark, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, or John Edwards (even before his affair was revealed).

Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company: Religion, Politics, the Occasional Intersection of Both
[ Parent ]
the national security party (4.00 / 5)
What's remarkable is how incredibly strong the Democratic ticket is on national security. Biden's very, very good on foreign policy, AUMF notwithstanding. And Obama, of course, was prescient about Iraq and has the potential to considerably improve America's image in the world simply by becoming president.

Meanwhile, John McCain is incredibly weak on foreign policy, having been dreadfully wrong on pretty much everything ever, and showing signs of an increasing predilection toward dementia when it comes to world affairs; and he seems likely to pick a running mate with no particular foreign policy experience.

The fact that the media narrative is just the opposite of this is really amazingly perverse. So it goes in politics these days, I guess. But it's at least heartening that we're likely to end up with the very strong foreign policy team winning the election.

God someone email Chachy's post to every reporter in the land! Perfect! (0.00 / 0)
At least dont let them be able they never thought of it!

This just an amazing frame. It boinks out like the screen is suddenly 3D. POP!

This is amazing Obama/Biden is OBVIOUSLY the strong, on the money, well informed ticket, the good judgment ticket.

McCain/Mittens or Pawlenty is so weak so pale so pathetically wrong on so much with so little knowledge and no judgment at all.

Brilliant.


--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
A particular kind of reinforcement (4.00 / 1)
In the midst of all the discussion about whether Biden was either a compensating or a reinforcing pick for Obama, I think a key point that got lost in the shuffle is that of all the potential VP candidates out there, Obama clearly went with the one that gives him the most reinforcement in the category of "knows what the hell he's talking about."  

After 8 years of increasingly surreal Bush/GOP nonsense and an ever-growing cascade of absurdity from McCain over the course of this election, it's gotta be reassuring for certain types of voters to look at both Obama and Biden and think, "hey, what these guys are saying actually makes sense."

[ Parent ]
Completely Agree (4.00 / 1)
Between the devestating push back on the McCain McMansions and Biden as VP, I'm feeling confident that Team Obama has what it takes to win the election.

Early last week, between Obama's speech at the VFW, the ineffective ads, and the falling poll numbers, I was in a 6 alarm panic -- ready to throw myself into the campaign, to try and get it turned around. What a difference a few days make.

Biden is absolutely great for Obama -- his skill at blunt talk is just what Obama needs to get out from under the microscope. Obama can be deliberate and thoughtful, while Biden puts the big smackdown on McCain and the GOP.

In Fact, McCain's praise of Biden as VP may be a sign that McCain is waving the white flag. The Rove-Schmidt gutter smears improved McCain's chances from slim/none to slim/maybe -- with Biden on the ticket, they go back to slim/none. Perhaps McCain realizes this, and is choosing to save what is left of his reputation.

At any rate, I'd like to talk or get together during the convention -- I'm at ckcentral at yahoo dot com.

Wednesday night, Drinking Liberally and the Square Staters will be at the Skylark Lounge, 150 S Broadway -- it should be fun.
   

Hey!? ready to? I rec'd you up, but read this. (4.00 / 1)
- ready to throw myself into the campaign, to try and get it turned around. What a difference a few days make.

We need you to throw yourself into the campaign! We need a runaway huge victory to create the mandate and narrative of a change era in history. Obama/Biden (with mo better dems) isn't a place holder top keep the present Republican leadership out of office, its a time to create change,to restore not programs but foundational philosophies, like fairness and democracy and community. The schools the founders set up were for everyone, and they were designed into the building of the towns the founders established. Community is the rock America was founded on.

When the colonists got sick, the community did their best to help. Thats the foundation of universal healthcare. We need a mandate to do the things that will alter the rules of the game. FDR's social security is such a rule changer. Even the slash and burn government destroying neo-cons from Gingrich to Reagan to Bush to Rove to McCain cant touch it with being burned badly. Thats what we need.

And we need you to "throw yourself into the campaign" to make sure it happens

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
Many ways to help (0.00 / 0)
A week ago, Obama was sinking in the polls, and his team was responding to McCain's attacks with conventional ads didn't seem to work.

What they needed, IMO, were Bill Hillsman type ads -- spots that are entertaining at the same time they score points.

Hillsman did the spots that got Paul Wellstone and Jesse Ventura elected -- his work for Ned Lamont was not as successful.

The principle being, TV is an entertainment medium -- viewers tune out political ads that look like standard boring political ads. Thus, you can throw lots of money away with crappy ads that in theory, have all the right messages.

The key to successful Hillsman style ads is finding the zietgeist of the candidate or the moment, in a way that cuts to the heart of the issues at hand. For Wellstone, it was the "Fast Paul" and "Looking for Rudy" ads; for Ventura, it was making him into a cartoonish super hero.

Hillsman failed with Lamont, and his "Bad Coffee" ad is a good example why. The narrative had nothing to do with the election, and it made Lamont look like a doofus. Joe Leiberman had an approval rating of more than 60% -- the only way Lamont could have won was to destroy Leiberman's positives. That could have been done with style and humor, but the Lamont message was muddled in the general campaign.

At any rate, the new "Don't  Know Much" spot takes a lighthearted approach to puncturing McCain's bubble -- whether it will be effective remains to be seen, but it is a step in the right direction.

The best political ads both entertain and inform -- bonus points if they make your opponent look foolish without being heavy handed.

Remember the Kerry Windsurfing ad? Simple but devastating. That's the kind of game changer Obama needs.

The Biden pick, the how many McMansions does John McCain own quiz show, and "Don't  Know Much" are reassuring -- they need to do more, but they are on the right track.

As long as they keep it up, I will be content helping out the Coordinated Campaign with precinct canvassing.

[ Parent ]
Great diary.... (0.00 / 0)
personally, Biden wasn't really on my radar so I had no feelings about him either way. I realize he's made some foolish votes in the Senate, but I like that he is outspoken, tough, and seems to speak for himself. Much moreso than other politicians (including McCain AND Obama), he seems to speak his mind honestly and bravely. I'm sure Obama's people will do the best they can to make sure Biden doesn't go around saying EVERYTHING that's on his mind, but it is refreshing to have a candidate who isn't afraid to take a stern position.

Him being a white male (though from a nice working class background instead of the usual old-American WASP family dynasties) I think will help Obama with those older (fashioned) voters who are a little squeemish about voting for a black or a female. Of course I wish this wasn't a factor, but it is (I also like that Biden is Catholic thereby excluding him from the WASPM identity (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant Male label) we are so used to seeing our presidents come from.

I also think he will be a good contrast to McCain's pick, who is bound to be another neo-con asshole who we all currently/eventually will all grow to loath. Biden will be able to stand up to these guys and defend against all of their untrue accusations head-on. He will have the credibility of a strong Obama surrogate without the pitfalls of having to abide by the same constraints as Obama himself.

The guy wasn't my dream pick (I was leaning toward Sibelous/Edwards), but the more I learn about the guy the more I like him. Plus I don't think its bad to have a VP who isn't affraid to challenge Obama and give a different opinion on issues. I thought Biden was wrong about his "partitioning Iraq" solution, but I gave him credit for having the balls to come out and actually propose a real solution (or idea on how to acheive one).

Good diary Mike, and bravo Obama.

End this war. Stop John McCain. Cindy McCain is filthy rich.

Biden has supported most every egregious corporate policy (4.00 / 1)
But after all he is from Delaware.  He is the representative of egregious corporate policy.  The fact that he isn't tremendously corrupt is a remarkable testament to his character.

As a vice president he compliments Obama well and probably does show a window into Obama's character as Obama seems to be the type of person who surrounds himself with people whom he has strong disagreements with.

Mainly Biden is there for character rather than issues I think a lot of people prefer Biden types character wise so he fills a personality gap more than anything.  Lots of people's enthusiasm is based off of Biden's personality style compared to Obama's.

The liberal wiki
Send an email to terra@liberalwiki.com

One of the best things I've ever heard about Biden (0.00 / 0)
I heard last week, and it's that he's the 99th richest Senator.

That's amazing.  30 years in the Senate, multiple committee chairmanships, and he never cashed in?  No sweetheart book deals, no magic investments, nothing?

I'd like to know more about this, cause I just ran across that minor fact with little context around it, but if it's true, that speaks really really really well of him.  

[ Parent ]
And he doesn't live in DC (4.00 / 2)
Another tick mark in Biden's favor is that he takes full advantage of Delaware's nearness to DC. He commutes to work on Amtrak every day.

I think that's admirable. You'd think that at some point in the past 30 years, he or his wife would say, "Let's just get a place in the District."

Supposedly his net worth is $150k. That's crazy low for a long-time senator.


Karl in Drexel Hill, PA

[ Parent ]
Biden = X% of Tweety Dems, Y% of Fox Viewers, Z% of saner Repubs (0.00 / 0)
who would otherwise not have voted for Obama. I don't know what these numbers are, but they're not 0. I don't think that Biden loses Obama many voters, aside from those crazy PUMA meshugenahs (yeah, I know, triply redundant) who were probably not going to vote for him unless he picked Hillary. So electorally, I think that this helps. The question is whether it helps as much as some other Dems might have. Maybe, maybe not. I go with likely not.

And I hate to admit it, but I've always kind of liked Biden, even if I've often cringed at some of the things that he's said and done, and his whole heavy shmear of jocular backslapping mens' club old school political BS that the whole beltway Tweety/Russert crowd laps up. It just reeks of that "manly Aqua Velva kind of smell". But hey, they like him too, and that can't hurt Obama in a political climate in which the gasbag villagers still rule.

What, you think he would have picked Feingold? In a kosher pig's eye!

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

a quibble (4.00 / 1)
Biden's unfortunate stances on tech issues:

http://gizmodo.com/5041044/vp-...

I'm gonna decide to not care, given Obama's more progressive views on net neutrality. I mean, come 2009, he's the boss, right?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1078...

Language (4.00 / 1)
Love Biden, prefer you not use "son of a bitch".  The word is not any better in that context.  This is the kind of stuff that turns women off, whether they are conscious of why or not.  I expect more here.  
"Clean" Coal Ad?! (0.00 / 0)
It's shameful that a blog called "Open Left" would allow a "clean" coal ad!
Lovin' Biden | 54 comments
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