Open Left

Yup

I'm in the not-freak-out-over-Biden camp. He's a pro whose strong political appeal has been somewhat undervalued due to circumstance. He's relatively real--real, that is, for a politician, which is why the press loves him. If he'd run in 2004, he'd be president right now. He could win the VP debate so convincingly that it becomes an pivotal event. As for his main liability--his verbal gaffes--he showed pretty good discipline during the primary.

No one would mistake him for a progressive champion, but he's mostly resisted the DLC temptation. Obama's no more progressive than he is. In fact, during the primary--on issues like trade and Iran--Biden was to the left of Obama. His leadership on the violence against women act could be useful. All that said, I don't relish seeing clips of Biden during Anita Hill.

Interesting to see what Markos would say, since Biden, along with Kucinich, were the candidates he deemed "unacceptable."

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by: david mizner @ Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 12:30:48 PM CDT