Biden Makes Sense

After what seemed like a marathon version of American Idol, Barack Obama finally picked his vice-presidential running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware. The faux suspense and theatrics of the announcement put the few people who actually cared to sleep by Saturday afternoon. The only thing on TV more boring than the endless VP speculation was the Olympics. Come on, who watches synchronized diving?
The nonsense about text messaging the announcement to his breathless supporters before notifying the media was a cheesy publicity stunt which failed when the media figured it out before the Obama campaign could text. I know it was all designed to appeal to the cell phone/text crowd but some of us actually enjoy human interaction and verbal communication.
Cheap tricks aside, the selection of Joe Biden makes sense on many levels. If there’s one legitimate criticism of Sen. Obama, it’s his real lack of foreign policy experience. Sure, Obama is an intelligent man but if the presidency were a Broadway play, he would be reviewed as a talented newcomer not a star. Joe Biden fills that gap in Obama’s thin resume.
From his years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to his knowledge and understanding of world leaders, Biden gives Obama the proverbial wise counsel he needs. Like Jack Kennedy in 1960, Obama knows it takes more than soaring rhetoric to navigate the choppy waters of international diplomacy. Picking a seasoned hand like Biden is likely an indication of the team he will assemble if elected.
Choosing the charismatic son of a car salesman also checks off the blue collar white guy box for Obama. Hillary Clinton was none too subtle during the primaries pointing out Obama was getting very little support from her “White people like me” constituency. Joe Six Pack will relate to Joe Biden and unlike Hillary, Biden can sell a beer and a bump in a working class saloon without looking ridiculous.
It’s also clear Biden and Obama like and admire each other. Remember, Biden came of political age in the 60’s and the golden age of the civil rights movement and here he stands on threshold of helping elect America’s first African-American President.
Biden’s personal story is compelling and humanizes him. Shortly after being elected to the Senate at 29, his wife and three children were in a terrible auto accident which killed his wife and infant daughter and critically injured his two boys. To this day, he still commutes home to Delaware daily to be with his family. He has weathered that unspeakable tragedy with grace and dignity and has never played the sympathy card. John Edwards he isn’t.
Already the McCain people are out with ads questioning Biden’s loyalty and opinion of Sen. Obama. They cite comments Biden made during the primaries where he said he wasn’t sure Obama was ready for the big job. Hello, they were running against each other. If that’s all John McCain can come up with, he may as well spend the next few months finding out how many houses he owns.
As impressive as Biden is, the election will not be about the vice-presidential running mates, Iraq or the economy although they will be a factor. It will be a very real referendum on whether America is ready and willing to elect a black President. The rest is window dressing.