According to the Associated Press, that’s the ticket.I’m no political pundit. But it seems to me that by choosing Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, Barack Obama realizes something obvious: that a huge chunk of America is resistant to the idea of Obama as president, whether due to his youth, his inexperience or his race.
Problem with that is... having a 65-year-old white man, a Washington lifer, as the Democratic vice presidential candidate won’t relieve people’s doubts about the top of the ticket. (Remember Lloyd Bentsen?)
Which means Obama will have a lot of work to do between now and November.
36 comments:
I understand your point, but I think Biden is a good choice if you subtract all of that "veep math". He's smart and experienced and will fight like a pit bull the way Edwards did not (or Lloyd Benson for that matter). He can get rough and tumble and allow Obama to stay mostly above the fray.
^ No doubt, Russ. Biden will campaign well. And he would serve an Obama Administration very well.
But Biden ain't about changing the way business is done in Washington.
If Obama were up in the polls now by double-digits, no way he picks Biden.
I would have preferred Biden-Obama instead.
I really wanted Kathleen Sebelius. She's an outsider, a strong governor with good demographics: older, white, Catholic, and, most importantly, a woman. She just wouldn't have been a good attack dog on the trail. I can live with Biden, but he seems like an appeasement choice.
Will he be like Cheney and not plan to run for president? He's already in his mid-60s. In eight years, he's be older than McCain is now.
Two thoughts:
- Biden may be establishment Washington, but he knows how to work congress, something Obama will need in order to get any legislation passed. I'm not sure a Governor would have been much help there -- assuming, of course, that he can get himself elected after 8 years of complete Republican fiasco.
- Thank good Hillary wasn't given the veep slot. I'd be worried that a few of her more whackjob supporters might have given in to the temptation to RFK her way to the top of the ticket.
The problem with Bentsen was Dukakis.
I like Biden's spunk and he's got a son on his way to Iraq.
Not a bad choice.
I'd prefer to see it as more of a Lyndon Johnson choice.
Obama will have the inspiration and decide the direction, then it will be up to Biden to get it done.
it's all over with except for the crying now.....,
@geneva girl:She's an outsider, a strong governor with good demographics: older, white, Catholic, and, most importantly, a woman.
don't get this. white is important? female is important? how and why? hasn't everyone be acting as if obama is so appealing to women? and the mccain ad, as david interpreted it, white women to be exact? why would we need kathleen, then?
i am the demographic you cite (except no longer catholic, thank god (oops)) and she didn't appeal to me for the reason biden does: national experience. biden also is schooled in international stuff by virtue of his committee appointments.
if there is a greater drumbeat to go to war with iran, we want a gov. from kansas helping decide? not me.
and david, who did you want?
David, as one that can not see myself voting for Obama, you left out one of the two reasons, and that would be his politics. That would be the primary reason, along with the inexperience. Picking Biden, to me at least, does not seem like a pick for change, since that seems to be the focus of his campaign
That was one of the dumbest choces Obama could've made. There's a reason white males went with Obama over Clinton in the primaries...
Radical feminism.
When white men regard an issue as so pivotal that they are willing to overlook the candidate's color then you got to pay heed.
Obama just lost the Men's Movement. And that ain't nutin' to sneeze at.
David, as one that can not see myself voting for Obama, you left out one of the two reasons, and that would be his politics.
Dick, I'm not talking about those committed conservatives and libertarians who were never gonna vote for Obama.
I'm talking about those Democratic and independent voters who wanna throw the Republicans out of the White House... yet can't get behind Obama.
And I don't think ideology has anything to do with that.
Because, look, Obama is not campaigning on a radical-left agenda. And he's smart enough to know that you can't govern from the far left, you have to govern from the center.
and david, who did you want?
Maria, I didn't have a preference. And I do think Biden is a good choice tactically... and from the point of view of governance.
I'm just trying to come to grips with what we've seen over the past couple of months... which is the huge resistance to Obama in the electorate.
No one he picked could lift Obama 10 points above McCain in the polls. (And McCain is a weak candidate.)
The Biden pick shows that Obama realizes he has a "ceiling" problem. Now I wonder... what else is he gonna do to deal with it? What else can he do?
Biden's a solid pick for a number of reasons:
1) he'll be faithful to Obama's agenda
2) his familiarity with Congress' back alleys should serve Obama well in persuading legislators to the President's side
3) In the event Obama is incapacitated, Biden's more than capable to handle the duties of the chief executive.
Voters and the public will still draw their cues from Obama's persona, so the fact Biden's part of the Washington establishment won't be an issue.
Dave, I hope you are right about governing from the center, but I feel like he won the nomination by being more to the left. With my mistrust of any politician, I tend to believe he is now campaigning more towards the center in order to get those centrist votes.
I am not naive enough to think that there isn't a segment of the population that won't vote for him because of the color of his skin, but there is also a segment that would never vote for a woman either. Obama's ethnicity is not a valid reason to vote against him, but at the same time it is not a valid reason to vote for him. That's why it disturbs me to hear conservative African American, like Armstrong Williams and JC Watts, say that they are considering voting for Obama.
Obama...Biden...now we're just gettin' way too close to Osama Bin Laden.
The Perfect Proxy spends one year pounding Hillary Clinton for voting for the war in Iraq and he chooses for a running mate an old white man and once upon a time plagiarist, who did exactly the same thing.
As Roberta Flack would say:
Business goes on as usual…
Except that my brother’s dead
He was 25 and very much alive,
But the dreams have all been blasted from his head.
In a far off land, with a gun in his hand
He died in a war he did not understand.
While business goes on as usual…
http://www.rhapsody.com/robertaflack/chaptertwo/businessgoesonasusual
Biden doesn't bring jack to the table for TPP tactically - and he is a clear indicator of lack of confidence on his part. These fools done up and Air America'd an otherwise very interesting campaign. – Nulan
Exactly! What voting bloc does Joe Biden bring to the table? He will not stem the tide of white nationalism which is propelling McCain forward, and he can’t possibly help to unruffle the feathers of disgruntled white feminists.
What kind of clothes would Afrikan America wear to a political wake?
“There’s plenty to choose from the rack, but rumor goes that the latest thing in clothes, the latest thing in clothes will be black.
But business goes on as usual.”
Obama...Biden...now we're just gettin' way too close to Osama Bin Laden.
Hee-hee...
The Perfect Proxy spends one year pounding Hillary Clinton for voting for the war in Iraq and he chooses for a running mate an old white man and once upon a time plagiarist, who did exactly the same thing.
Yeah, there's all that.
I think Obama made a good choice in Biden. Either, way he wouldn't been able to please everyone.
I think it's a good pick. Yeah Biden voted for the war but damn near everyone did, and yeah he may be more aligned with keeping the status quo in Washington, but the two of them together behind closed doors will prove to be a good thing. The change thing is all fine and good, but what Obama really brings to the table is brains and the ability and willingness to view issues from multiple perspectives. He is also quite flexible I think. When needed, Biden will bring the old school angle on the issues and this will give Obama the opportunity to synergize his initiatives into more comprehensive and acceptable solutions.
I like it!
Peace
I think Obama made a good choice in Biden. Either, way he wouldn't been able to please everyone.
Absolutely, JJBrock. If he'd chosen a young running mate with no Washington experience, people would be complaining that Obama wasn't clear-headed about what it takes to win.
The Biden move definitely shows that Obama is about winning.
he had him at clean and articulate.....,
UBM,
I'd be very interested in everyone's thought of who Barack should have chosen and why. I would have bet money it would be a white guy - the other combinations did not pull enough.
How about you? Did I miss the VP candidate you would've like to have seen?
A very good pick. I think they compliment each other well.
Yo Dave, you my boy and all, but you're exposing yourself. Biden's a great choice. He ain't no goddamn Lloyd Bentsen.
He's a shit-talker who will negate anything McCain might come up with. He fills all holes.
Except for the Hillary haters.
And muthafuckas that ain't with Obama either are rich or some racist-assholes.
Ding!
^ Well, DeAng, after watching Biden's speech this afternoon, I'll give him this: He ain't afraid to throw elbows.
There's no doubt, though, that if Obama were polling 10 points ahead of McCain right now, his running mate would not be Joe Biden.
Vince: In the run-up to today, I didn't have a preference. But as soon as the primaries were over, I thought Ed Rendell would be the ideal running mate.
But Rendell himself must've put the kibosh on that, since he never emerged in all the "short list" talk.
Deangelo said "He's a shit-talker who will negate anything McCain might come up with"
Exactly - I like Biden, he's got sass.
Dave, I like your style. He's throwing bo's like Barkely. Let's get it on!
For you and your readers, please check us out at ebonyjet next week. Some VERY cool shit. I'm batting clean-up, thanks to my main man E-Money and Terry Glover. I'm blogging on my HU website, but I'll be sure to check in on this page. Thanks for your help, UBM!
^ What's your HU website? Give me the URL.
And muthafuckas that ain't with Obama either are rich or some racist-assholes.
well I ain't rich, but I sure didn't think I was a racist asshole.
Now I wonder... what else is he gonna do to deal with it? What else can he do?
For one thing, he better keep Biden's foot far from Biden's mouth. I am *very* disappointed in Obama's pick.
Dave, here's the link:
http://www.bisonroundup.com/profile/DeAngeloStarnes
Some hip sounds on there, too.
^ But for alumni only, though, huh? They puttin' through changes just to get access.
"And muthafuckas that ain't with Obama either are rich or some racist-assholes."
Well put, deangelo! If someone doesn't support the hardcore leftist candidate, they're a "racist", right?
I expect to hear more of this in the coming weeks, after all, Obama pulls it at least once a month with his "pre-emptive race card moves."
Now it seems to be that when the black vote is predicted to be at least 90% for Obama, that is not considered "racist", but when a person of another race, especially a white person, is not going to vote for him, their "racial tolerance" is called into question.
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