When it was announced that Vice President Biden would be in Tampa the same time that the GOP convention was underway, some political pundits were shocked by the break with tradition. Previously, it was usual for the opposition party to keep their heads down while convention speakers were enthusiastically tossing rhetorical bombs their way. It was also seen as a traditional courtesy not to try to upstage the opposition during their once-every-four-year confab.
But as we’ve seen from the Obama campaign, they vouchsafe Mr. Romney very little in the way of “courtesy.”And while the opposition usually sends surrogates to their rival’s convention, never has a campaign sent such a high profile surrogate as a sitting vice president. The Week asks, “Is Obama Doing Mitt Romney a Favor by Sending Biden to Tampa?”
It takes a lot to step on the other party’s convention,” says Alexander Burns at Politico. Sending in a sitting vice president might be just what Team Obama needs to do to steal some headlines and counter Romney’s message. But “it’s not a risk-free exercise.” Whether this works or backfires depends on what Biden says, and how it’s received.
Allahpundit points out that if Biden gets any attention, it will be because the gaffe-prone Democrat said something outrageous:
The Obama campaign is doing Romney a favor, says Allahpundit at Hot Air. Biden is a gaffe machine and a clown. If he does steal any of Romney’s limelight, it will be by doing something that embarrasses his own ticket, like making an appeal for Cuban-American votes using a “fakey Latino accent.” And if clueless Joe does manage to taint Romney’s show, Obama should brace himself. “There will be reprisals” at his convention.
Perhaps the prospect of Biden mucking things up by saying something stupid has given the Obama campaign cold feet. They now say that Biden won’t be in Tampa on Monday.
Vice President Joe Biden on Friday postponed a campaign trip to Tampa, Florida that had been scheduled for next week on the same day as Republicans open their presidential nominating convention in the city.
An Obama campaign announcement said Biden will not attend events on Monday in Tampa, where the Republican National Convention is being held, due to security concerns.
The campaign said it wants to ensure that all emergency resources are focused on Tropical Storm Isaac, which could impact Florida during the convention.
“This change in schedule is being taken out of an abundance of caution to ensure that all local law enforcement and emergency management resources can stay focused,” the campaign said in a press release.
If this were true, why didn’t they cancel the Veeps Tuesday stop in Orlando, also under a hurricane watch for Isaac?
I think they were worried about the backlash as well as terrified of what Biden might say in some unscripted moment.
“I think they were worried about the backlash as well as terrified of what Biden might say in some unscripted moment.”
I don’t. They have made it abundantly clear that they think Joe is a genius. This is all about the ‘cane. It won’t be that windy, but the rain will be torrential. And that will make Joe look like a different kind of idiot.
When all is said and done, Issac is probably a blessing, because it’ll prevent the occupoopers from causing too much trouble.
This is actually a sad spectable; obama and his crew are laughing about biden because he’s nothing but a ‘white ‘ol dumb fool and tool’.
Biden obviously does not realise that his boss has not one iota repsect for the guy; biden simply makes obama look more competent and, that is why he will keep biden.
The only way obama looks just a spec of competent is sending biden out, making even a bigger fool of himself.
Biden has been delusional for a long time; not realising that he’s being such a tool to obama makes that even more so sad.
As I’ve said before Biden and his boss are like the cops on Sanford and Son. they found the doofiest, clowniest white guy available to make the other guy look good.
Biden is also a “made-man” of organized labor and is in the administration and on the ticket to make sure that organized labor is always at the table; that is the primary reason for his being chosen in the first place. You might have noticed that few of the labor goons are much into that nuanced and subtle talking stuff, so Biden fits right in with his masters.
I think the Obama campaign (and Obama himself) pay a lot of attention to what comes out on the internet, and all the derision and jeering about Biden’s appearance in Tampa made them think twice (when they rarely think once). Also, there might very well be major street violence by Soros’ anarchists this time, and undoubtedly the Dems don’t want to be visibly associated with it … even though we knew they are behind it.
– after observing Obama all these years?
Apparently the threats to “punch back twice as hard” by sending Biden to Charlotte the week after worked. (Pssst, don’t tell them; we’re going to send him anyway.)
Brother J @ 5:
Should a twitter campaign to send Biden to Charlotte be started?
Start away, Toadold! I’m not on Twitter myself, but good idea.
Some other possibilities:
* It was disinformation that they were ever really going to send him anyway.
* It was meant to end up tossing Biden under the bus, and either they changed their minds about that, or he actually caught wind of it and demurred.
* They will send him after all.
* Biden got a better offer to open in the big room at the Trump Plaza Atlantic City.
“Security reasons”–I guess the president’s friends overseas tipped him off about the upcoming terrorist attack. Or was that his friends in Chicago?
A Biden-watch has been instituted for Tampa.
Not to worry, Little Debbi Wasserface is on hand at Tampa Bay to make enough faux paus for the both of them and she can screech louder.