I’ve spent the whole day holding off writing about the Obama/Biden ticket, mainly because I keep waiting to wake up and find out that, no, Obama really picked Hillary or Bayh or Kaine.
You know, someone who actually brings something to the ticket.
In my time today flitting around the blogosphere and the MSM, the near-consensus seems to be that Biden is a great pick for Obama. Is there a second Joe Biden who is a Senator from Delaware that I’m missing?
Let me begin with the stipulation that Vice Presidential picks rarely make a difference. There’s an initial flurry of excitement, which slides away as the campaign re-focuses on the Presidential candidates. There are exceptions — Lieberman was an excellent pick for Gore, and Gore in turn was a game-changer for Clinton. Of course, GHWB and Johnson were great picks as well. But that’s pretty much it.
But let’s stipulate that Bayh, Clinton, and Kaine would have brought something to the ticket. Bayh would have reinforced the “youthful, energetic, gamechanger” meme, might have flipped Indiana, and would have added executive experience to the ticket (and who can argue with this family?). Clinton would have energized Democratic women, gotten rid of PUMAs, and would have been an excellent attack dog. And Kaine might have flipped Virginia, and is an outsider.
But Biden? Okay, Delaware won’t be a swing state now, which was unlikely given that it has the eighth highest AA population in the country and leans Dem to begin with. There’s 3 EV’s totally locked away now. People talk about his foreign policy experience, but doesn’t that just emphasize Obama’s lack of experience? He gives a heckuva good speech, but then again, so does Obama. Biden’s son is heading for Iraq, which neutralizes McCain’s own “I’ve got a son over there” advantage.
That’s about it for the positive, as far as I count them. Now let’s talk about purported positives, and negatives.
First, people talk about his working class background. Let’s remember that this was, to a large extent, exaggerated. Indeed, those exaggerations derailed Biden’s first Presidential bid, as the working class recollections were actually those of Neil Kinnock’s. And the “Neil Kinnock” incident was not Biden’s only encounter with plagiarism — there were problems with plagiarism in law school as well. Did I mention that Obama has plagiarism issues as well?
More importantly, no one knows who Biden is. And the guy’s a Senator. It’s not like Obama put John Sweeney or Lane Kirkland on the ticket.
Which leads me to point number two. Biden is entirely a creature of Washington. He has been a Senator longer than I have been alive, and I am guessing I am older than most of the people reading this blog. He is not HopeChange. A Vice President should compliment a ticket (eg Gore), not fundamentally distract from its message.
Which leads me to point number three. Biden is actually at crosshairs with Obama (and the netroots, for that matter) on any number of issues. We can start with public funding for abortion, then move onto the vote to authorize the war in Iraq and how to extricate the troops, and finish with that bete noir of the netroots, the credit card bill, of which he was a major mover. There should be video circulating shortly about Biden gushing about President Bush in the aftermath of 9-11 (“He has a 90% approval rating, and you can put me in that 90%!). And there is already video of him harshing on Obama.
Which leads to the fourth problem. This is a guy who, while running for President, made a comment about needing to speak with an Indian accent when going into quickie marts. This is a guy who, repeatedly, used the term “man” as a gap-filler in Supreme Court confirmation hearings (he may as well have said “dude”). He simply cannot control his mouth.
I actually kind of like Joe Biden, and I think I would have a great time if I were to sit down and have a beer with him. But Obama’s not looking for a drinking buddy, he’s looking for a Vice President. And I can’t see why he could have possibly thought Joe Biden was a good choice for this slot. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong. And marmosets might fly out of my a$$.
(and I’ve earned that last bit of plagiarism).
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Sean – you don’t need the WTF to make your point – or the comment marmosets.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
i follow politics as closely as the next guy, but i’m pretty sure i didnt know who biden was until the democratic debates began last year.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Sean,
Maybe you answered this question, “And I can’t see why he could have possibly thought Joe Biden was a good choice for this slot.”
…with this comment, “I actually kind of like Joe Biden, and I think I would have a great time if I were to sit down and have a beer with him.”
Maybe the purpose of Biden is not so much foreign policy cred, as it is to bring the ticket back down to Earth, and give it a guy-next-door feel. Personally, I think Biden was a lousy pick. He comes off to me like some smart-alec professor who is simultaneously trying to impress and intimidate his students. Then theres all those comments that Biden make about Obama, which the McCain campaign is already jumping on.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Sampo,
“i follow politics as closely as the next guy, but i’m pretty sure i didnt know who biden was until the democratic debates began last year.”
I remember Biden from ’88 (I was 12 at the time), and some confirmation hearings. He likes to pretend he’s the smartest guy in the room.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
I first heard of Biden during the confirmation hearings for John Roberts. He’s a blowhard, and he’s not going to be a net positive for the Obama campaign.
When a VP is first selected, there’s always going to be praise for the pick. If there is uniform praise for the pick across the board, then it’s a good pick. If it’s a mixed bag with some praise and some questioning, it’s probably a bad pick.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
mws, i agree. it seemed so foreign to hear obama talk about someone not named barack obama this morning when he talked up biden. talking up biden DOES make him sound a lot more human.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
“Ladies and gentlemen, my wife Jill, who you’ll meet soon, is drop dead gorgeous. My wife Jill, who you’ll meet soon, she also has her doctorate degree, which is a problem,” Biden said, ”
Now there is nothing wrong with what Biden said. But one or two wrong words mixed in there….and we have an issue.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
So Biden’s a sexist pig in addition to not liking Indians or Blacks? Great.
There was a post I read about how Biden talked about how hot the girls were when his son visited Princeton and he made some vaguely anti gay comments in relation to it.
There is so much material out there on him the real challenge is just getting it all out there
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
also, for a guy who’s first wife died in a horrific accident, using the term drop dead gorgeous to describe his current wife seems a little cold
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
7, what if sarah palin dared biden to say the same thing about her? heh
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Nice post Sean.
Hillary Clinton got something like 18 Million votes during the primaries, Biden 9000 votes. I was most worried that Obama would pick Clinton & unify their party. That has not happened which is why I’m very optimistic for McCain’s chances now.
Aside from the plagiarisms from Biden, he also has these doozies:
-The history of Biden’s son, Hunter, as a Washington lobbyist. Since 2002, the firm Hunter Biden co-founded has represented a major constituent of Joe Biden’s, the University of Delaware, which has collected millions in federal funding.
-Donations to Biden’s campaigns totaling more than $200,000 in the past two decades from Delaware-based MBNA, the credit card company, and a similar amount from trial lawyers, including Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, one of the three men implicated in the Mississippi bribery scheme.
More Biden tidbits here.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I figured it out….
Obama, Hillary and the DNC realized that there was no way he could win anymore. So they concocted this whole thing.
third vote is Clinton/Obama and ZING we have our dream ticket
1) allowed Hillary to be put into nomination.
2) ALOT of gaffes in the last week
3) BLOW the roll out/pager for VP
4) pick the Worst of the options on his short list that trash his whole platforms
5) Blow the Sat. speeches. “next president” “Barack America”
6) this allows the superdelagates an out to not have Obama/Biden win on the first ballot
7) Possibly put in a 2nd chance for him with Obama/Clinton – which fails also because he is an albatros in the top slot
With the top two dems – Clinton as the serious top and Barack as the energy bringing VP in training.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
AZVet,
And the next week, the GOP nominates Ron Paul, along with his new running mate, Ralph Nader!
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Another benefit of Biden. He has an F rating from the NRA. Two extreme anti gun Senators will kill the dems throughout the south and in key swing states including CO, MO, OH. Way to go dems.
Now, all McCain has to do is not blow it and pick a strong pro gun VP and it’s in the bag.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
John – pick Blackburn and wrap this up!
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Google on “Biden, MBNA” and you’ll find lots of good stuff. MBNA is a major credit card company, with HQ in Delaware and Biden was their water-boy during the bankruptcy revisions.
Nobody likes credit card companies (no matter how much we like the cards themselves) in the best of times. Having deep ties to them is a bit of a complicating factor when you’re trying to pose as a populist.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
RayinNH, it will not be her, although I would be very happy if it was.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Sean, I’m in utter disbelief, too. There’s a reason I made that “Are We Sure?” post. I just couldn’t bring myself to really believe it. I figured that it must have been some elaborate ruse to pick Hillary or Gore or some other stunning surprise pick. Biden? Good grief. Obama’s scared shitless.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I woule be very happy with this lady as first lady. She is clearly ‘proud’ of her country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRB9PMp-0Ew
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
And I can’t believe they’re still pushing the ‘change’ crap.
Biden, a change agent?
‘Change’ is quickly becoming too-obviously synonymous with ‘liberalism’.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Alex, Obama changing positions and selecting Biden will not cause Obama is lose support, but it will cause the undecided to question him. That is the problem.
I agree, they are worried. Bill Clinton had the discipline to go with Gore even though he was losing, but Obama did not.
and…..Obama is going in to the election with a divided party, not matter how many times he and Clinton kiss each other on stage.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
#1. WTF?
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
When I think of Obama picking Biden for his VP running mate . . . only one video somes to my mind which pretty much sums it all up for me regarding Democrats and their ability to make the right choice. Watch . . and enjoy!
The Democratic Party ROAD TO DENVER!! 
Haha it even addresses high gas prices.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnkefjCES-4
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
This is all you need to know about Biden and MBNA:
The Senator from MBNA, by Byron York, National Review
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I’ve seen Biden many times on C-Span before, long before he ran for president. When I saw him speak I finally understood the political adage “every senator looks at himself in the mirror and sees the future president”. He is extremely arrogant, about as arrogant as they come.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Other than his attack dog rep, the only thing Biden really brings to the table is foreign policy experience and, honestly, that doesn’t seem like enough. Even if Obama had managed to score Colin Powell as his VP pick, McCain would still have the edge on the foregin policy ticket. Obama’s better bet would have been to double down on the economy with a successful governor from, say a swing state. Amazingly, he had just such a candidate — Bayh — and Bayh has almost as much foreign policy experience as Biden does to begin with. This really is the worst Dem VP pick since 1984.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Bayh would have been Hillary’s pick, he’s friendly with the Clintons.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Alex, Obama changing positions and selecting Biden will not cause Obama is lose support, but it will cause the undecided to question him. That is the problem.
It’s the fact that Obama loses control of the narrative.
Or do they want Biden to be a lightning rod?
But a lightning rod…about Obama? The focus stays on him and not necessarily Biden.
…my roommate is drunk and keeps talking…I can’t focus on my typing…ack…
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Some of the Clinton supporters who were wavering and considering supporting Obama will be turned off by how this has all happened. Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine it turning out this well. Look at this from a Clinton supporter’s point of view:
1. Clinton wins most of the key large swing states. She wins most of the primaries, and Obama only wins due to huge margins from the black community and by winning caucuses.
2. Clinton has a major surge of support, winning primary after primary after primary in the late primaries, only to have the “supers” turn on her because they don’t want to offend African-Americans.
3. Clinton graciously drops out in June, when she could have dragged it on into August, but she drops out for the sake of “party unity” doing Obama a huge favor.
4. Obama doesn’t even vet her or consider her for the VP slot.
5. To add insult to injury, Obama sends his text message to his supporters at 3am, mocking Hillary’s 3am commercial that attacked Obama in the primaries.
Add to this that the Republicans have nominated a “moderate” Republican and it’s entirely possible that John McCain could win in a landslide. If it wasn’t for the country being so dissatisfied with Bush and the Republicans, McCain would surely win in a landslide. I also think that as the campaign goes into the fall, more people will start to identify the Republican Party with McCain instead of Bush, and as this happens, the Republican brand will improve and the Congressional races might improve a bit.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I think the reasoning went like this:
With Pakistan’s stability in tension, and especially the new Cold War tensions with Russia, and especially with poll after poll showing massive numbers of voters are uneasy with Obama’s abilities as Commander in Chief… they HAD to make an experienced, foreign policy pick.
That limited their options a lot. Probably most of those options would be anathema to Obama’s base.
Biden was probably the only guy who could solve this problem and be acceptable to the base.
Except for one person. Wes Clark. What happened with him?? That’s my WTF.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:44 pm
BTW, MBNA was bought by BofA 2 years ago.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 pm
30 – Hello? Clark’s quote about J-Mac?
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 pm
But if we’re talking about quotes, Biden’s the king of awful quotes.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 pm
#19 Kristofer
I second Cindy McCain as First Lady! Although I can’t support John McCain for President (she has more executive experience than he does) unless he makes a very good VP pick, I’ll support Cindy all the way.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
#28 Alex, put a pillow over his face, he’ll stop talking.
#30, great point, your analysis is dead on, but it should have been a vet, not Biden.
Obama’s selection was a reaction to recent vents. That is not the way to select a vp.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 pm
#34, thank you Tony.
You know Tony, I am watching Black Hawk Down, and I keep thinking to myself…..’does Obama understand the failed mission in Somalia? Would he handcuff our troops and make these mistakes? McCain understood Somalia and Lebanon.
Who are you voting for, Tony?
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I’m curious to what extent Biden was a pick like Johnson (also an experienced Senator at the time) … to help navigate legislation that the executive branch might want through the Senate (and House) …
August 24th, 2008 at 12:13 am
#36 Kristofer
I haven’t seen BHD myself, although I think Scott is an amazing director (Gladiator, Alien, Kingdom of Heaven were all incredibly well crafted visually in my opinion*) – but either way, I can’t vote as a matter of law. If I could vote, though, it would depend on McCain’s VP pick. If it isn’t someone who reassures my concerns about him, I wouldn’t vote (or I would lodge a protest vote with another party).
* little known fact – Scott directed Apple’s 1984 commercial, which of course was then used 23 years later by an Obama supporter to satirize Clinton
August 24th, 2008 at 12:40 am
bush took a mulligan on harriet miers. it’s not impossible for obama to take on on biden is it?
August 24th, 2008 at 12:42 am
samp, no.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:49 am
kristofer, i’m trying to show up looking for a fight. maybe i’ll just end up witnessing an implosion instead.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:51 am
seriously, in the grand scheme of things, a supreme court justice is every bit as important as a vp pick, right?
August 24th, 2008 at 12:56 am
29. Exactly.
August 24th, 2008 at 1:02 am
I’m not really so certain it was that bad a pick given the rumored names. Kaine and Sebelius are both totally underwhelming non-entities. Granted, Bayh would probably be a better pick electroally since he might swing Indiana, but that’s not a given. And Bayh is a total snore in a debate compared to Biden who at least will fire cannons at whomever is McCain’s pick (although some will misfire). Once it was clear that Obama is too arrogant to suck it up and name Hillary, there are limited choices for him.
August 24th, 2008 at 1:27 am
But Biden did stay at a Holiday Inn.
August 24th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Bayh at least would have been an olive branch to the Clinton camp since he supported her. He was a 2 term Gov/Senator in a red state and fairly well liked while being fiscally conservative. Exactly the balance to the things Obama isn’t. IMHO Bayh should have been the top of the Dem ticket from the start. That would have been scary.. Bayh/Clinton – eak.
August 24th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Obama took Hillary out of the game way back when — she was a sure thing, and we would have been clobbered, so thank your lucky stars.
But Biden is the next best thing for Obama. McCain will insist on Pawlenty, because he’s the maverick, fighting this thing alone (Pawlenty is the sidekick, laughing at McCain’s jokes, never lapping up the limelight, doing no harm, loved by little, hated by none). Only problem now is that McCain is going to have two of them shooting at him (and let’s face it, McCain isn’t the fastest draw in the west) with Pawlenty sounding like a petulent child.
There were no good answers ever (other than, for Obama, Hillary — but then he had to live with her and Bill). This is a dreadfully unenthusiastic election. I for one will be very happy when it has ended (and that includs the next four years).
August 24th, 2008 at 2:43 am
I believe Biden to be an awful choice. Obama’s trying to convince people that experience doesn’t matter, right? By picking Biden, he’s shown that he doesn’t even believe that. People want to vote for a commander in chief, not a trainee with a VP that is a mentor. This gives the appearance of some sort of figurehead scenario, and I think it makes Obama look incredibly weak. Plus Biden will put his foot in his and Barry’s mouth, it’s just a matter of time.
Hopefully McCain is more intelligent in his decision making. I believe Palin would be an explosive pick for Mac right now (in a good way). I’d love Romney too. Pawlenty would be okay, but I don’t see him being that interesting to be honest.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I sometimes have 10 and 11 year old grandchildren standing over my shoulder reading these blogs. I wish you would please refrain from the wtf stuff. I don’t need them asking me what that means. Its unprofessional to say the least.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:20 am
But voters won’t look too deeply into Biden’s past. Sort of like them buying the spin that McCain isn’t a rich guy with ethics issues (how about his past?) but strictly a war hero who called it right on one segment of the Irsq war two years ago.
Biden’s enough of a “regular guy” and friend of the working-class to soothe at least a few people who weren’t going to vote for Obama.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
August 24th, 2008 at 7:26 am
New Q-Poll for Colorado:
McCain leads by 1.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/co/colorado_mccain_vs_obama-546.html
August 24th, 2008 at 7:28 am
NEW MASON-DIXON POLL FOR NEVADA:
McCAAIN LEADS BY 7 POINTS!!!
http://www.lvrj.com/news/27327814.html
August 24th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Ehhh – but the Mason-Dixon poll for CO shows Barry leading by 3.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Mason Dixon poll for NM shows McCain ahead by 4 points
August 24th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Thanks Adam…good stuff there. I see McCain is up to 44 on intrade.com.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Sure, Biden isn’t a good pick:
- from Delaware, not from the South or the Midwest or even the West,
- an old senator, not a governor,
- not Hillary,
- relatively unknown,
- too proud of himself,
….
But, be careful my dear friends. A VP candidate has mostly one role during the campaign: debating with the other VP candidate.
So, this is the ONLY advantage of Biden from a Dems’ viewpoint: this pick forces McCain to pick Romney, as Pawlenty is also relatively unknown and isn’t, unfortunately, a very good debater.
And Romney can be attacked on his mansions, on being a Mormon, on his criticism of McCain, etc….
So, Obama forces an even match as for the VP. Maybe it was his option: not to lose 1 or 1.5 point with the VP question. Just put things even.
Don’t make any mistake, even though I’m French, my dream ticket since 2005 is McCain-Romney and my bet since February is McCain-T-Paw. I would be glad with any of the 2, even if my opinion doesn’t count.
Now, I hope and pray Biden will let his mouth destroy the Obaiden ticket….
August 24th, 2008 at 9:29 am
1) Obama bought Biden in order to shore up his FP inexperience
2) there is a huge gap between their respective FP positions
3) Biden thinks he his a) the smartest guy in the room b) the smartest FP guy anywhere c) loves to hear himself talk
So, whose FP positions is he going to talk about. Either way, he has to repudiate someones position. Either we attack him on flipping his own position or we attack him on contradicting O’s.
My guess is he will eventually get caught in his own self-adulation and it will be the latter.
So, is this now the ticket of The One and The Other One???????
August 24th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Horos,
I am older than most of the guys on this blog and I have followed politics pretty closely for almost 50 years. I did know Joe Biden, a long time ago. when he first entered the Senate. That said, your comment is , by far, one of the smartest comments I have
read today. Too many of us are whistling past the graveyard, hoping Obama made a dumb pick and Biden’s gaffes will sink the ship before it sails.
Let us not focus on a host of points , none of which will have much relevance in the next 70 + days. Joe Biden as you say, was brought on to shore up Obama’s missing foreign policy experience, which he does and to attack John McCain night and day for
the whole 70 days. He was picked because he probably adds 2-3 points in Pennsylvania and effectively guarantees it stays BLUE. HE WILL CONCENTRATE ENTIRELY ON OHIO, MICHIGAN AND PENNSYLVANIA. WHOEVER WINS 2 OF THOSE THREE STATES
PROBABLY WINS THE WHITE HOUSE, SO BIDEN WILL CAMP OUT THERE. And the issue in those states, gentleman, is not Tbilisi or Baghdad or Tehran. It is jobs in Lorain and Grand Rapids and Pittsburgh…the domestic economy. So Biden will focus on the
domestic economy and try to put McCain on defense while Barry takes the high road about social justice and tax equity and women’s rights, etc. This is a total war, folks and it will be VERY tough. McCain has a street fight on his hands, a south Chicago gang
war, if you will, with all the bucks he needs to fight it. He better pick his VP wisely for that kind of a fight and he doesn’t have many options and much time to figure that out. Perhaps a day or two.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
#58: That’s scary.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Craig, I am not sure that I agree with the pundits that Mr. Biden helps the Dems in MI, OH and PA, but if this is the case, you actually made the argument for Mr. Pawlently. If Mr. Biden helps in MI, we almost might as well write it off. If the people in these states care that much about the economy, Mr. Pawlenty is the one who can most relate to the common folks.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Ohio Joe,
I have no way of really knowing that Pawlenty ” relates to the common folks.” How do we know that ? I’m not saying it’s not true, but how do we know that ? Where has he run for office, outside of Minnesota that supports that conclusion? What polling , outside of Minnesota supports that ? The latest poll in Minnesota shows that he brings almost nothing, NET, to the ticket in his own state. A previous poll shows he LOSES 6-8 points in that state. So, how do we know anything about Pawlenty, 70 + days from November ?
I’m not even sure the pundits are right. I’m just saying I think that’s the game plan of the DEMS. And I am convinced that the election will be fought over the economy, NOT foreign policy and that’s McCain’s advantage if he chooses to use it. Look at the unemployment rates in those three states among the blue collar workers. Don’t look at the overall unemployment rate, just the ” Blue Collar ” rate. Also look at the “Underemployment ” rate. People who have had high paying jobs shipped overseas and taken replacement jobs at Walmart. These are the voters McCain needs to get in Sandusky and Nashua and Kalamazoo and Wilkes Barre and those are the voters that Biden is going after for Obama
August 24th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
You don’t pick a VP to carry a state. You should know that Sean.
August 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
This crap about homes is a perfect set up for McCain
1. Cindy owned these homes when we were married.
2. I owned no homes because I worked for the Government. Kind of like the Clintons.
3. I did own a home in Hanoi for 6 years, but I sold it…at a loss.
4. I never thought to ask Cindy to sell the homes and kick her relatives, who are living in them, out on the street. Obama has a brother in Kenya who lives in a shack. I guess he’s comfortable with that and his $ 5 million Chicago home
5. I never thought of asking Cindy to sell the homes or I couldn’t marry her.
6. I remember folks like the Heinz- Kerrys, the Roosevelts, the Kennedys. Homes never used to be a big issue. There are really important issues we should address.
August 24th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I agree with craig and Ohio Joe should have written Romney instead of Pawlenty….
In fact, McCain’s VP choice is far less open than Obama’s.
It’s a rellay difficult decision for McCain, not for Obama, who had many good picks, in one way or another (Kaine, Bayh, Clinton, Strickland, even Schweitzer or Wes Clark). But he made impossible some of them (Strickland, Clinton, Bayh in a way). And wasn’t chevaleresque enough to try Kaine or Schweitzer and attempt to win a real “change” election.
McCain will make a good pick but only in comparative terms: his range of possible picks is far narrower and each choice has many weaknesses.
In fact, Biden obliges a bit Romney, as I have said before.
Unfortunately, T-Paw is not very well known outside Minnesota. And Ohio is a MUST-WIN, and Colorado, and Virginia, if McCain wants not to be forced to win Michigan.
A very risky but interesting pick would be Palin; it’s “only” a double or quits, if I can say that:
Palin personal story would have a very positive impact in the media and she may well be able to connect to people in Ohio, Michigan, PA, Indiana, even WI, if she lives there during 2 months.
But it’s highly improbable and Alaska has a bad taste these days….
Again, in theory, Biden is a bad pick, but it appears a good move in the context of the possible VP running mates of McCain: it lets only Romney – but, sure, a reverse ad would be made by Obama campaign with some sentences of Romney on McCain and….McCain on Romney (remember this smiling attack on Romney who knows very well what change is….). And T-Paw, but he would really fight even simply to match Biden in TV debates and -maybe butnot sure- on the trail in MidWest.
Dear, dear, hopefully, there are some polls (Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Florida, even NH, Minnesota and Wisconsin) that allow us to believe in a good surprise….
May God inspire McCain in his choice !
August 24th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Obama Bin Biden. LOL!
August 25th, 2008 at 12:25 am
“And Romney can be attacked on his mansions, on being a Mormon, on his criticism of McCain, etc….”
Agreed on the first, but disagreed on the other two. The minute Obama or Biden touches Romney’s religion, they forfeit any and all right to claim Jerimiah Wright is off limits (if he’s the nominee, Romney should memorize this retort: “Yeah, Mormons may believe things that most Americans find unususal, but I’ve been a Mormon my whole life and I’ve never heard the phrase “God Damn America” uttered from any pulpit”).
As for the Romney criticms of McCain, they are very different animal than Biden’s cricitisms of Obama. Romney mostly played to the “home team” in his attacks on McCain, being they were in the Primary that consisted of attacks on McCain’s conservative bona fides. An ad pointing out Romney questioning McCain’s committment to appointing conservative judges won’t have nearly the impact of McCain’s ad highlighting Biden’s criticism of Obama’s experience.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
[...] have long been skeptical of the conventional wisdom that Biden was a safe, good pick for Obama. And as I noted, the [...]