Barack "World" Obama has named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware. Outside of someone like Chet Edwards, this is the best possible choice for John McCain (who is proving in this whole election cycle the old cliche' that it is better to be lucky than good).
Joe Biden ran for President (you may not have noticed). He is an old style, leftist politician who has been in the Senate a LONG time (hardly adding to Obama's "change" message). His career has no great accomplishments. He is hardly a "moderate" Democrat, despite voting FOR the Iraq War. He was part of what the MEDIA kept calling a "strong" Democratic primary field, but finished far behind JOHN EDWARDS (being a WEAKTER candidate than Edwards is hardly a resume enhancer). Biden does not add intellectual balance, being solidly in the left wing of the Democratic Party--never having made any real impact there, as idicated by how badly he did in his run for the Democratic nomination. Biden hardly adds geographical balance, coming from a leftist, "blue state" (a small one, at that). Finally, he called Obama too inexperienced to be President, when Biden was running for the job (only a minor annoyance to the Obama campaign, but he said it really in a harsher way than Hillary Clinton ever really said the same thing).
WHY did Biden never gain any traction as a national figure, despite his obvious ambition and long Washington experience? Again, the first explanation is that he has never really distinguished himself. Plus, he likes to hear himself talk, and often says things (once he gets going) that make little sense.
However, the reason I have always intensely dislike Biden (as a politician) is the s---- eating grin that appears on his face almost randomly, but ESPECIALLY after he has said something nasty or indefensibly partisan or absurd. I have always considered him a phony. I don't think that people, outside of Delaware, are comfortable with him. They should not be.
Now many leftist "journalists" have always liked Biden. WHY is that? Well, for one thing he talks a lot, including to "journalists". They like that (as they USED to like McCain for that reason, when the politician will pander to what the "jouralist" wants to hear, as both McCain and Biden tried to do).
But I think that s--- eating grin/phony smile (not reaching the eyes) is part of the explanation as to why leftist media people like Biden. Leftist "journalists" LIKE phonies (see John Edwards again). It goes a little beyond that. I am convinced that Biden's phony smile is looked upon by "journalists" as CYNICAL. Leftist "journalists" LOVE "cynical" (so long as it is a leftist tinged cynicism, which disqualifies me). When Biden flases that smile, especially after saying something outrageous, ridiculous, or really nasty, "journalists" think they are in on the joke while the RUBES (public) are not. I have NEVER thought Biden was a pleasant individual, despite how often he flashes that smile (at what appear to me to be the most inappropriate times).
Nope. Biden does not help Obama. He may hurt him badly. I don't think Biden wears well. the mainstream media, of course, will do their best to provide cover. The time between now and the election MIGHT not be enough for the people (who surely hardly know who Biden is, despite his run for the Presidency) to really get a focus on Biden. The main purpose of Obama choosing him is to REASSURE voters. Biden makes my skin crawl, but there is always a chance the media can make this choice provide the reassurance to voters that Obama, and the Obama worshipping media, think that voters want.
However, compared to Hillary Clinton, Biden is PATHETIC. See previous entries in this blog. Obama further so excluded Hillary Clinton from the Vice Presidential process (either as possible candidate OR as advisor), that Bill and Hillary Clinton HAVE to regard it as a mortal insult. Not good for Obama. When Clinton supporters compare Biden with Hillary, they are surely going to ask WHY?
The answer, as I stated in my previous entry, is that Obama is too ARROGANT to make the brilliant, if slightly dangerous, choice of Hillary Clinton (dangerous because of both Bill and Hillary upstaging Obama, or Bill doing h;im in).
P.S. You might say this is a PARTISAN analysis, of the Alan Colmes, leftist political hack type--except from the right. Not so. See the previous entry where I suggested that Hillary Clinton would have been a BRILLIANT choice, and she would have been. Bayh of Indiana would have put that state in play. ANYONE from Virginia would have put that state in play. I think Obama now loses them BOTH. The Kansas governor would have been a WOMAN from the Midwest, even if an insanely leftist one with no international experience. I would have labeled her another mistake, worse than Biden==as I would have labeled Chet Edwards . But Bayh or the Virginia governor would have provided SOME advantages to Obama. Biden provides NONE, except "experience". Yet, both Bayh and the Virginia governor had NO national stature. That merely tells you that Clinton was the ONLY choice that really adds anything to Obma beyond a single state. Obama simply lacked the humility and courage to choose her, or even cater to her in the process of making the choice. I did not predict the Obama choice, because I truly don't care. Obama is so dangerous, in my view, to the country that no VP could make him acceptable. I can only assure you that my aversion to Biden is long standing, and has nothing to do with this choice. That aversion is certainly NOT "partisan", since I am still likely to vote for Bob Barr (essentially voting "none of the above"). The only sense in which my reaction to Biden is "partisan" is that I have an overall conservative philosophy that causes me to react badly to leftist, severely partisan Democratic Senators like Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, and the rest. I consider Biden as part of that very partisan, leftist group--just phonier. For example, I would have considered Al Gore another interesting, if risky, choice--one with POTENTIAL to help Obama, as well as with potential to hurt him. The Biden choice has NO real chance to help Obama, even if not as risky as other choices. CLINTON was the bullet that McCain dodged. You can almost believe he is a candidate of "destiny", after lucking into the Republican nomination, lucking out with Obama as his opposition, and now lucking out here. If only I did not regard McCain as DEATH to the conservative movement, that would encourage me. As it is, I can only marvel from the sidelines, where the main virtue of a McCain victory (aside from probably not immediately endangering the country) is the volleyball spike type FACIAL it will give to leftists and the media.
P.S. 2: Do I know these people or what? See the way I said the media will play this choice (which is why Obama made it, even if I am confident it is ultimately a mistake). Then compare with the following lead from the article by the despcable AP:
"Barack Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware late Friday night to be his vice presidential running mate, according to a Democratic official, balancing his ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues."
One thing that did surprise me is that the despicable AP later did note that Biden is known (what a "qualification" for VP) as a "long winded orator"). As I said above, Biden likes to hear himself talk, as that s--- eating grin appears almost randomly on his face.
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