Joe Biden

[Pat Speer]

Evidently, I am the only one here to have watched the early presidential debates, in which Biden participated. He was easily the most likable and witty of all the candidates. He also had the most experience.

I think Obama made a smart choice. At the time McCain was running on the experience issue, and having Biden on board sent a signal to middle-America that he recognized their concerns, and was not so "left-wing" that he felt the need to shove both a negro and a woman down their throats.

Some people seem to think Obama should run as Muhammad Ali, when he is clearly trying to emulate Jackie Robinson.

As far as Biden's slip-up about FDR, this was clearly a case of foot in mouth. He probably laughed about it afterwards. His comment was taken somewhat out of context, in that when he said FDR went on TV (which was a mistake--he almost certainly meant radio) after the stock market crashed, he was probably using "after the stock market crashed" as a generic term, meaning "during the great depression". Still, it was a pretty stupid thing to say--but NOWHERE in the league of some of McCain's and Palin's gaffes. I mean, even if Biden really did believe FDR made TV appearances, he has never claimed to be an historian. McCain, meanwhile, claims to be an expert on foreign policy and the mid-east, and yet he has, at times, demonstrated that he has little grasp of what's going on in Iraq. He has frequently made statements showing that he is unable to separate Al Qaeda (which is made up of Sunni extremists) and the Shi'ite insurgency in his mind. He has suggested that Iran (a Shiite country) backs Al Qaeda. He has also talked of the Iraq/Afghanistan border, not realizing that they are separated by...Iran.

As far as Biden's son, Beau... He stepped down from his government job to serve a tour of duty in Iraq. His other son, Hunter, I think, is more problematic, in that he has some ties to the insurance industry, and has represented a possible conflict of interest for Biden, whose state is a home to some of the biggest insurance companies. Few believe Biden to be corrupt, however. A recent study showed that, despite his having been a Senator for 36 years, Biden is one of the least wealthy members of all congress.

As far as the plagiarism charge, where Biden quoted a British politician in a debate, without citing him as a source... Biden was actually quoting his own stump speech, in which he cited the source for the quote. In the context of the debate, however, he edited out that part of his speech. The journalists who'd been covering his campaign thought nothing of it, as they knew he wasn't trying to steal anything from anyone. It was only those unfamiliar with the stump speech who were offended...

[Len Colby]

Len-

This is an article (from a source with which I am not familiar) which discusses Joe Biden's relationship with MBNA:

http://www.rense.com/general83/biden.htm

Rense.com is a site run by a weird new age Nazi type, Tarpley is a crackpot extraordinaire who used to be one of LaRouche's mouthpieces. I would trust claims they made without thorough documentation. Not that I’m saying it isn’t true but I'd be more inclined to believe something in the National Enquirer.

I’m not saying he is a saint but I don’t think any of the 3 other major candidates are either. Given my choices of Obama and Biden vs. McCain and Palin I’ll gladly take the former and it looks like a majority of voters will as well.

[Len Colby]

Like I said, ask your friend how many lawyers in his firm have flunked the Bar exam 3 times.

Chris

Nice little red herring, this piece of trivia about someone who isn't on the ticket.

Like I said, supporters of McCain/Palin would be wise to say as little as possible about law degrees and Bar exams, considering that neither of the republican candidates, as far as we know, has ever even passed a law school admission test.

The insinuation is that Biden use his influence to get his son hired though there is no real evidence to support such a charge. Biden jr. was given a promotion after 2 years on the job and was still probally earning several grand LESS than the average for attorneys 3 years out of law school.

Chris I am comparing current averages to current AUSA salaries. I assume the proportional changes have been about the same. I don't really have the time or interest to dig up such figures for 10 years ago

[Don Jeffries]

Just as Fox News will gloss over anything Bush and the Republicans do, you guys are dismissing Biden's very obvious flaws out of loyalty to the "opposition" Democratic Party.

You know very well that if Sarah Palin (or Dan Quayle in another time and place) made such a monumental historical gaffe, you would be roasting her mercilessly for it. Any high school history teacher knows who the president was in 1929. Any fairly intelligent American should know that televisions were not in any living rooms in 1929. His comments reflect an abysmal ignorance, but the mainstream media will never portray it as such, because other than Fox News, they might as well all be members of the Democratic National Committee. This is certainly not an endorsement of Fox News, which might as well be on the Republican National Committee.

Joe Biden's great area of "expertise" is said to be in foreign policy. Yes, he is an expert on supporting all of our disastrous and immoral foreign intervention. He'll make certain that Obama is "tough" and "stays the course" that his masters map out for him. Biden is the epitome of a career hack party politician; if his selection is any indication of this unspecified "change" that Obama wants us to believe in, then it is not likely to be a noticeable change.

Biden, like all the clowns (including his good friend, "opponent" John McCain) who've spent decades on Capitol Hill, is incapable of supporting any true reforms. He will robotically endorse the "bipartisan" foreign policy the media loves to promote so much. In other words, there will be no debate between the two "opposing" parties about foreign policy. There are good Democrats; Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur immediately spring to mind, but Biden is part of the establishment wing of the party that supports all war and is addicted to empty rhetoric (see "change we can believe in").

Both of our political parties are a joke. Until well intentioned people understand the almost total lack of difference between them, and stop making excuses for the corruption and/or incompetence of the politicians in "their" party, we will not get anything better.

[Pat Speer]

Don, you'll be happy to know that McCain is mocking Biden for his gaffe and trying to use it as a wedge tool---"you guys report everything stupid Sarah and I say but won't attack Joe...WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" McCain is rapidly proving himself to be the least qualified person to run for President in recent history. He's totally unstable, IMO.

While I'm no Democrat, never have been, it's pretty clear to me why the Biden gaffe has received so little play. The media knows Biden--they know he's a smart man. Palin, meanwhile, is unknown--people are still trying to figure out if she's really a ditz or not. As stated, as far as gaffes, Biden's brain fart is nowhere near McCain's comments about Iraq. The media gave McCain the benefit of the doubt--figuring he knew better--and they gave it to Biden as well. Palin has, as yet, earned no one's benefit of the doubt.

[Don Jeffries]

Pat,

I understand what you're saying. However, I think McCain is definitely "qualified" to be president, as the word is defined by the establishment. In fact, he may be the most "qualified" person to run in quite some time. That's one of his biggest problems, in my view. Biden is also definitely "qualified," but again, in my eyes that detracts from his appeal as a candidate. Both of these guys have been a part of the problem for decades. We need some truly "unqualified" people to run for public office. I think that's probably Obama's most attractive quality.

The primary difference between McCain and Biden is that Biden is not mentally unstable. It is a little frightening to picture McCainiac with his hand on the button. However, Palin is a different story, imo. I believe she's the best thing he's got going for him, and those "unqualified" traits work for her, much as they work for Obama.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Pat,

I believe she's the best thing he's got going for him, and those "unqualified" traits work for her, much as they work for Obama.

Senator Barack Obama is clearly qualified to be president, while nearly everyone now knows -whether they admit it or not -- that Governor Sarah Palin is hopelessly unqualified.

Joe Biden is a sophisticated version of Six Pack Joe. Him and Barack will be such a breath of fresh air as the new face of Uncle Sam.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Biden has been the least covered by the national media of any of the four nominees, but he's generating steady local coverage in key markets. The campaign has dispatched him to areas filled with working-class voters and his fellow Catholics, hoping he can make a connection where maybe Obama can't.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll of voters in the swing state of Ohio this month found nearly four in 10 moderates were less apt to vote for McCain because of the Palin pick, double the proportion drawn to him as a result of her nomination. Biden attracted three times as many moderates to Obama as he pushed away.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081025/D941KV380.html

[William Kelly]

Biden has been the least covered by the national media of any of the four nominees, but he's generating steady local coverage in key markets. The campaign has dispatched him to areas filled with working-class voters and his fellow Catholics, hoping he can make a connection where maybe Obama can't.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll of voters in the swing state of Ohio this month found nearly four in 10 moderates were less apt to vote for McCain because of the Palin pick, double the proportion drawn to him as a result of her nomination. Biden attracted three times as many moderates to Obama as he pushed away.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081025/D941KV380.html

Biden has been the most quiet of the new lot, and few have bothered to focus on him.

John Judge points out that Joe Biden, besides being tied in with the DuPonts and Delaware Corportations, is also on the short list of those who are to spirited away into underground bunkers as a necessary survivor of a nuke war.

BK