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1

But just yesterday, Biden himself said he wasn't "the guy." Is he lying?

Posted by The General | August 20, 2008 12:34 PM
2

I just can't imagine them putting together a ticket of two senators, period.

I might well be eating my words any minute now, but it seems highly doubtful to me.

Posted by Levislade | August 20, 2008 12:38 PM
3

Biden is a great choice.

Limbaugh is salivating because that's what Oxyc[o]ntin does to you.

Posted by Karlheinz Arschbomber | August 20, 2008 12:41 PM
4

Eli: Among the down-sides: Limbaugh is salivating,...

Let's not confuse cause and effect here.

Obama could pick Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Hagel, Colin Powell, Abraham Lincoln, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ--whoever--and Limbaugh would still be salivating.

The Democrats should not be making decisions in fear of the right-wing minions making the kind of attacks they're going to be making anyway.

Posted by cressona | August 20, 2008 1:05 PM
5

@3,

Nice maneuver past the spam filter.

Posted by keshmeshi | August 20, 2008 1:06 PM
6

The cheater and plagiarist is somehow highly respected? Since when?

Posted by Neil Kinnock | August 20, 2008 1:12 PM
7

...however, is Biden too old &/or mature for M'sieu Poe? Biden nevertheless - like the Mona Lisa - is hung. Word!

Posted by RHETT ORACLE | August 20, 2008 1:23 PM
8

Please.

He's an okay pick if you discard HRC who would actually bump up Obama in the polls about 6 points and help actually win the fucking election.

Looking at Biden among the ranks of Richardson Kaine Bayh, he's the best but that's a smallish compliment. Let's go through your points one by one:

"everyone in politico-land seems to think he’s going to be Obama’s VP pick." except he told ABC yesterday he's not the man.

"Biden, ...first elected to his current post (sena6tor] at age 30... a great antidote to the talk about how Obama can’t be president because he is too young and anyway was a state legislator in Illinois just four years ago."

Are you insane? Being a 30 y.o. senator from Delaware is equivalent to being USA presidnet? Actually, the reason to choose Biden is his foreign policy experienc ewhich sort of admits that Obama needs help in that area. Duh!

"Other up-sides: Biden was for the Iraq war,"

muddling Obama's change message and his entire critique of HRC and making the HRC voters wonder: if that's okay for a guy, why isin't it okay for HRC?

" and would therefore be able to spend a lot of time talking about how Obama was right" delusional, any VP will say the pres. candidate is right

"and he was wrong—and how the Bush administration was really wrong in the way it conducted the war."

You may have noticed that the economy is going to hell and democrats win when they connect economically with swing voters?


" Also: Biden is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his son is about to be deployed to Iraq, so he has that worldly gravitas and connection to military sacrifice that people say is an Obama blank spot."

No, those people aren't going to vote for OBama anyway, you are grasping and straws.

"In addition: Biden got in trouble early in the primaries for calling Obama “clean and articulate,” so maybe having Biden on the ticket sends some sort of subliminal message about how Obama isn’t overly-sensitive and really doesn’t play the race card"

a very minor point this is.

—"Biden is a highly-respected old white guy (but not too old!) with grey hair. The visual of the two of them together could, by itself, be very helpful."

Why, yes, because OBama's flaw (one of them) is totallack of experience esp. in age of Russia acting up.

"Among the down-sides: Limbaugh is salivating, describing the potential ticket as “the arrogance factor times two. Biden and the Messiah would just be delicious.” Also, Biden, in his 1988 run for the presidency, was sidelined by a plagiarism scandal. Obama has faced his own plagiarism kerfuffle, and you can imagine the coming Republican attacks on the “plagiarist ticket.” "

No, you can imagine the attacks on Obama that are already being made and that are already working. The down side of Biden is he didn't go out and get 18 million votes and connect with white men and swing type voters as much as HRC did, and he doesn't bring a state into the fold, and while it is a plus on the foriegn policy thing, he just doesn't electrify any base or really get any more votes and so he won't really help Obama win.

That's a pretty big negative. Do you not recall, he just ran in a bunch of primaries and basically lost them all?

Posted by PC | August 20, 2008 1:40 PM
9

It won't be Biden. Seriously.

Strategically, what Obama needs in a VP is someone who will help win over a swing state or two. Preferably swing states with a lot of electoral college votes, like Florida or Ohio or Michigan.

Biden gets you Delaware. So what? Obama already has Delaware, with or without Biden. I can't think of a single swing state that would shift to Obama because of Biden. Hence, Biden is a lousy choice.

Posted by Reverse Polarity | August 20, 2008 2:40 PM
10

Oh, and who gives a shit what Limbaugh says? He's going to trash-talk Obama regardless of his choice of VP. Limbaugh fans are not going to vote for Obama, regardless of his choice of VP. What Limbaugh says or thinks should have no bearing whatsoever on Obama's choice for VP.

Posted by Reverse Polarity | August 20, 2008 2:50 PM
11

Biden is fucking out of it.

Posted by STJA | August 20, 2008 5:03 PM
12

FYI: Swing State of Mind has a great interview with plagiarism expert John Lesko about Biden's plagiarism and why he should be forgiven.
http://swingstateofmind.com/?p=247

Posted by Maassive | August 21, 2008 10:02 AM
13

@9: Biden can also help with PA. And possibly OH too if PA goes for him.

In the fall of '87 I was very pro-Biden and was pretty sad when he had to drop out (thanks to the Dukakis staff).

Posted by stinkbug | August 22, 2008 10:44 PM
14

Also, what the hell was this about in 2004? My memory of it is fuzzy:

May 16, 2004

WASHINGTON - Sen. Joseph Biden, a senior Democrat, on Sunday urged Republican Sen. John McCain to run for vice president with the Democratic hopeful, Sen. John Kerry, in order to heal the "vicious rift" dividing America.

McCain, of Arizona, "categorically" ruled out standing with Kerry, but Biden, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had no second choice.

"I'm sticking with McCain," Biden said.

"I think John McCain would be a great candidate for vice president," Biden, from Delaware, said on NBC’s "Meet the Press," where the two senators appeared together to take questions on Iraq and other subjects.

http://web.archive.org/web/20060628043429/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4961694/

Posted by stinkbug | August 22, 2008 10:49 PM
15

East coast, baby!

Posted by Jason | August 22, 2008 11:05 PM
16

@6
Are you taking about mccain or his wife?

and for all of you out there that think Biden is a bad choice I have just 3 words for you -Vice President Cheney. Just the most vile and corrupt vp the US has ever seen, even tops Agnew, but I am sure there is a special place on Fox for him. Those conservatives sure do love their criminals.

Posted by Sad Comment | August 22, 2008 11:09 PM
17

WHAT?! Obama! You didn't text me.

jerk.

Posted by sepiolida | August 22, 2008 11:17 PM
18

When's the last time both the Pres and VP nominees from both the leading two parties were senators?

Posted by stinkbug | August 22, 2008 11:17 PM
19

@6, I gave your mother a good Bidening last night, and she was satisfied, so I imagine the half-retarded right wing of the Democratic party will be as well. Quit bitching, Hillary lost. I'm so gonna moon her protesters at the DNC next week.

Posted by dbell | August 22, 2008 11:19 PM
20

I'm so sorry. Not only was that @8, but it was incredibly offensive. Nonetheless, to quote @6's comment directly, "HRC...He's...a smallish...oversensitive...white guy with...the arrogance factor". QED, bitch.

Posted by dbell | August 22, 2008 11:26 PM
21

christ...well, screw it. I'm not even an American national anyways, so who gives a crap what my opinion is.

Posted by dbell | August 22, 2008 11:27 PM
22

BABE DOMAIN '08

Posted by my first thought was of the anagram site | August 22, 2008 11:30 PM
23

My parents, both Catholic senior citizens, love the fuck out of Biden as VP.

Biden will go very well over with the "dad" demographic - older Democrats or Dem-leaning indies who need some reassurance (irrational as it might seem) before voting for the young coloured fella, even a clean and articulate one like Barack.

Given the party registration disparities and his competitiveness with indies, if he consolidates the base, he wins. It's that simple.

And Biden does that.

Biden has some obnoxious votes, yadda yadda yadda, but follow the chain reaction of removing him from the Senate -- progressives will ultimately be pleased by the results.

Posted by sugarfree | August 22, 2008 11:33 PM
24

Let's also countdown until the GOP drags out the "Northern Liberals" tar/feathers. In 3... 2... 1...

Posted by Andy Niable | August 22, 2008 11:58 PM
25

"Smallish"?

Here's hoping Biden's first hit piece comes about 7:30 AM Eastern on Monday, and it focuses on McCain's as gigolo. Let's rock 'em. I think it's a great pick.

I've got my PC sensor down to three words.

Posted by Fnarf | August 23, 2008 12:09 AM
26

WTF 12:17AM? even on the east coast it is only 4:17 I don't get it.

Posted by Epimetheus | August 23, 2008 12:25 AM
27

@26 - 3:17am EDT

@18 - In 1960 - Senators Kennedy and Johnson vs. ex-Senators Nixon and Lodge - sorta close, yes?

He's not going to text anyone now - so go to bed and stop bitching. How did anyone think this VP decision wouldn't be scooped?

Posted by RHETT ORACLE | August 23, 2008 12:34 AM
28

thanks Rhett. And when was the last time both VP nominees had the same first name?

Posted by stinkbug | August 23, 2008 12:54 AM
29

So people have been getting txt msgs, but not me. What about you people?

Posted by stinkbug | August 23, 2008 1:03 AM
30

fyi: My txt arrived at 1:53am. Woo.

Posted by stinkbug | August 23, 2008 1:59 AM
31

Hey, Democrats.

You're party just showed its true colors.

Inbred, hoary politics of yesteryear!

Posted by John Bailo | August 23, 2008 6:55 AM
32

I'm so dissapointed. . . .Joe ws my 2nd choice. I like the guy, but why oh why didn't he pick Bayh?
I will be bummed for a few days but will "get over it"


Posted by irl | August 23, 2008 7:22 AM
33

@31, showing your intelligence, eh? "Your" not "you're." If you're going to make fun of folks, at least do it with some intelligence.

Posted by McCain/Crist '08! | August 23, 2008 9:08 AM
34

@8 - It'd be MUCH easier for you to get your point across if you could spell and use proper grammar. Your point was lost in the jumble.

OBAMA/BIDEN '08

Posted by adamreallastnameunknown | August 23, 2008 11:04 AM
35

#31

wit worthy of Oscar - very funny - and extra sharp pointed

I tried to use hoary last week - you did it better

congrats - the best chuckle of the day for this word freak

#33 - you are just plain stupid - rather moronic is better

Posted by John | August 24, 2008 4:08 AM
36

#25 - Mc Cain as gigolo - HEY, you been at the screen or the pipe too long

he married well - and since it was her money - quite modern and almost feminist

or are you saying that women are supposed to chase rich guys who are well fixed - and not quid pro quo?

21st century - new school - Mr Fnarf.

Posted by John | August 24, 2008 4:15 AM

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