Biden? Seriously? He Picked Joe Biden?
August 24th, 2008 by KateWhen I got the all-important text message from the Obama campaign announcing that Obama had chosen Delaware Senator Joe Biden, I thought it was another fake. Then I saw the headlines. And I must say, I was perplexed.
Biden has had two failed runs at the Presidency. The first time, Biden withdrew from the race after it was alleged that he plaigarized the text of a speech and questions arose about his academic record.
In 2008, he withdrew from the race because he did poorly in the Iowa Caucases. Really, really poorly. So, now the guy who not even one-percent of Iowa Democrats wanted to be President, could be one heartbeat away from the job?
On the plus side, Biden does have 35 years of Senate experience, and the foreign policy expertise that everyone says Obama is lacking. But even his strengths have pitfalls. Three decades of experience, means three decades worth of votes, comments and positions to defend.
In 1995, prior to Oklahoma City, Biden authored the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act.
” [The bill] previewed the 2001 Patriot Act by allowing secret evidence to be used in prosecutions, expanding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and wiretap laws, creating a new federal crime of “terrorism” that could be invoked based on political beliefs, permitting the U.S. military to be used in civilian law enforcement, and allowing permanent detection of non-U.S. citizens without judicial review. The Center for National Security Studies said the bill would erode “constitutional and statutory due process protections” and would “authorize the Justice Department to pick and choose crimes to investigate and prosecute based on political beliefs and associations.” McCullagh, CNET via Yahoo.com
Given his support for this bill and another 1996 bill mentioned in the same article, it should come as no surprise that Biden voted for the Real ID Act and the Patriot Act. He also voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq, a vote he has since tried to undo by supporting legislation that would set a timetable for withdrawal.
These are just a few of the handful of votes that are certain to be mentioned in the future. He also will need to explain his evolving position on “free trade,” his vote to grant Social Security benefits to illegal aliens, and his position on gun control.
Throughout this campaign, Barack Obama has worked very hard to convince gun owners that he is no threat to our Second Amendment rights. Mostly because, even his own supporters know that this is a losing issue for him. So, why destroy any inroads that he may have made by picking Joe Biden?
Biden has an F rating from the NRA. At the CNN You Tube Debate, Biden called a man who owned an assault weapon unfit to own a gun. He then stammered into some nonsensical diatribe about helping law enforcement stop mentally imbalanced people from owning guns. And of course he would feel that way since, as he pointed out, he was the original author of the assault weapons ban.
I never thought that Obama would pick Biden. Not because of his record, but because Biden’s biggest downfall is his big fat mouth.
During the primary campaign, he called Obama too inexperienced to be President (or some variation on that theme) more times than I can count.
Biden also drew criticism when he made a comment that suggested that Obama was beloved simply because he was, “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” to run for President. This remark drew criticism from many who felt that Biden was suggesting that minorities are inarticulate. He made a similar remark about immigrants from India and the 7-Eleven chain. And Biden’s seemingly manic running of the mouth could tarnish Obama’s greatest strength.
Barack Obama is one of the most eloquent politicians in history, and in Joe Biden he has found his polar opposite. Giving new meaning to the term balanced ticket. And I don’t envy the poor campaign staffers who will be in charge of keeping Biden’s verbal gaffes to a minimum.
Since the announcement, the interwebs have exploded with debate over whether Obama has just given away the Presidency by picking Joe Biden. While I won’t go that far, I will say that there were better choices. Let me know what you think of Biden in the comments, particularly the Dems.
