Say It Ain’t So
So it’s Joe Biden. I happen to like Biden. He’s a loudmouth, sure, but that’s not such a bad thing, really. And when he speaks from the hip (from the hip to the forehead being how wide his mouth can open) he can be delightfully and disarmingly charming. Sometimes even infuriatingly so, if you happen to be allies. Biden is as close to a hawk as the Democrats have these days, other than Joe Lieberman — and we know what happened to him. Heck, Biden is one of the few Democrats aware that there are other countries*, and shows some unaffected interest in how they work. “Unaffected” might, in fact, be the first word I’d use to describe the distinguished gentleman from Delaware.
Or maybe it’s all an act. If so, it’s one I like.
Then there are the men and women Obama could have picked, but didn’t.
Hillary Clinton. She and her husband will get their two big nights at the convention, and that’s as close as Obama should ever let either one of them get to his Administration, assuming he wins. Forget foxes and henhouses; bringing that pair in would be like letting velociraptors into the neonatal ICU. Points to Obama for not picking Hill.**
John “Baby Daddy” Edwards. This one is too obvious, like an unzipped fly.
Evan Bayh is popular in Indiana, but probably not enough to swing that state, or even do much to nudge Ohio or Michigan. He’s likable enough, but shares many of Obama’s weaknesses. And he lacks Biden’s gravitas, even if Biden does sometimes deflate his own seriousness with his endearing (to me, anyway) goofiness.
Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius? She’d have had the advantage of making Obama appear moderate. Otherwise? Ah, no.
Mike Gravel? Ah, no.
I honestly thought Obama would go for Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. If Virginia hasn’t already become a purple state, then choosing Kaine might certainly push it in that direction. Minuses? Pretty much the same as Bayh’s — he’s a lot like Obama, only whiter and more moderate. On the plus side, he is from Virginia, but without Senator Jim Webb’s well-known prickliness. But it seems Obama wanted somebody older.***
Florida governor Charlie Crist? Christ could certainly help pull Florida along, but… oh, wait, he’s a Republican.
Was Biden a good pick? Not really — he doesn’t bring much to the ticket. But he doesn’t really subtract anything, either. And other than Kaine, that might be as good a pick as Obama was going to get this year.
*”Other countries” doesn’t include the EU. The European social democracies are the Democrats’ lost provinces.
**Just to be clear: I’d gladly vote for Hillary long before I’d vote for Obama. But she’s not someone you choose as your running mate, not if you want to run your own Administration as something more than farce and less than soap opera.
***It speaks well of the Democrats that two of their strongest Veep candidates were dismissed, it seems, due to their youth. Either Kaine or Bayh would will formidable candidates in 2012 or ’16 — and there are more where they came from. The Republican field today lacks that kind of depth, which is probably why they went with the wrinkly old guy.
What it comes down to is that if you were going to vote for Obama before, you are probably still going to vote for Obama. If you are convinced that everyone is going to vote for you, then this is a nice safe choice to make. Vanity is Obamas biggest weakness and we see it on clear display in this choice.
But if the choice alienates half the party and makes your own weak points stand out like a wart on your nose, then it was a bad choice. When the Russians are back in the real estate business, its not a time to remind everyone that you are a big neophyte on foreign policy. Note to the Ombama campaign: the only way Biden helps you with foreign policy is if you threaten other nations that they either behave or you will promise to send Joe Biden to talk them to death. “Weapons of Mass Destruction” indeed…
The best barometer for what kind of choice this was can be measured by Republicans, who are celebrating the choice of “Slow Joe” this morning, both for the staggering ineptitude of it all and for the final stake in the heart of the hated she-demon Hillary Clinton, who just 24 hours ago seemed to be ready to spring out of her coffin for one more go at the townsfolk.
The office of Vice President is good for one thing, it gives the electorate one good chance prior to the election to test the judgement of the person who is running for President. As we will see in the coming weeks, this choice will make Obama look like a fool for having done so. The odds are higher than they should be that Biden, a senator with a long and sordid history, will have to pull a Thomas Eagleton and bow out politely before the election.
Sorry, going to disagree. I spent most of my life in Delaware, and I’ve met Joe Biden before.
He is a pompous ass.
The best part will be watching him stand back on stage while Barry is talking. After 2 minutes you’ll see Joe figit, then start shaking. After 5 minutes of not hearing himself speak, he’s going to rush the stage and start making fun of Indians at 7-11 again.
I was sure it was going to be Claire McKaskill from here in Missouri. Midwesterner, early Obama supporter, inexperienced US senator, good Jackson County Democratic drone, woman. Claire would have pulled a lot of the Hillbots.
Sorry Stephen. You’re way off here. For anyone ove the age of 35 Biden is a big windbag. There isn’t anything about him whatsoever that would make someone jump on the Obama… err… bandwagon?
And there are young(er) republican candidates who might energize the republican camp. I’d love to see a Romney Biden debate.
Steve –
I don’t mean to be rude, but what part of “he doesn’t bring much to the ticket” did you not get?
What I said was, “At best Biden doesn’t seem to hurt the ticket.”
Or if I didn’t make that clear, then the fault was mine and I apologize for any undue flippancy.
Florida governor Charlie Crist? Christ could certainly help pull Florida along, but… oh, wait, he’s a Republican.
Heh. Typo or Freudian slip?
As an assured McCain voter, if not supporter, I’m trying to look at this at least somewhat dispassionately.
Obama fucked up royally.
He not only didn’t choose Hillary–which he may have been able to get away with, if he’d shown her some common decency–he apparently didn’t even vet her. Now, he didn’t have to choose her. He really could have hit a homerun with this choice, and had it not be her (not sure who else that would be, but I’m willing to be theoretically surprised). But the fact that he didn’t give her the time of day with respect to the final choice is gob-smacking (where have I heard that before?
. No vet, no consultation, nothing.
Wow.
He blew this one so big, there will be Poli-Sci courses dedicated to it. He has permanently alienated between 10 and 15% of his base, at least. Period. He’s screwed six ways to Sunday. If he gets a bounce out of the convention, I’ll be surprised. If it’s more than 5 points, I’ll be stunned.
McCain needs to “stay the course”, and he’ll be fine. Romney would be good. Palin would be gutsy. Thompson would be a treat, for the VP debate alone.
I’m really looking forward to this Fall, now. Watching the Dems implode will be a joy.
Stephen,
My bad. It was the “I happen to like Joe Biden” part that dazed me. I tend to agree with NukemHill here. It didn’t have to be Hillary but I think it was a disaster of a choice.
This was his biggest opportunity yet to demonstrate that he could show sound judgment while going in that “new direction” he’s so fond of. So he picks an old school Washington insider gasbag gaffomatic from that highly contested state of Delaware with all those delegates at stake. Nice going there Mr presumed nominee..
Stephen, what’s so bad about Bayh? From what I read on his Wiki page, he’s fairly center-left:
He “was a vocal supporter of capital punishment,” is a member of the Senate Centrist Coalition, and supports Bush’s Iraq policies, although he was not a fan of Rummy.
He’s pro-choice, but voted against partial-birth abortion. He voted yes to easing wiretapping restrictions in 2006. He supports Israel, and opposes Iran.
Bayh voted against Gonzales (a plus in my book), but also voted against Roberts and Alito. Alas, Bayh also voted against CAFTA.
He beat a Republican for Indiana Secretary of State 53/45, won two governorial elections over GOP opponents (in a Red state) 53/47 and 62/37, then won the Senate seat twice in a row, 64/35, 62/37.
If the Democrats listened to sense, instead of the netroots, they’d have him at the top of the ticket, or at least half of a Hillary/Bayh ticket. I would have considered such a ticket quite closely and seriously, myself.
CT –
You make a strong case. Very strong. Too strong for me to ignore.
But when all is said and done, I’m not sure Bayh brings any EC votes with him.
And now that I’ve thought about it some more, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we were to hear — years from now — if Bayh had been offered the Veep slot and said *no*.
Think about it. You’re a moderate-Dem dream candidate, and an increasingly-weak looking Dem candidate asks, “Be my veep?”
What do you say? If you’re as smart as Bayh seems to be (to both you and me) then you *have* to say no.
Have to.
And maybe that’s how O’Biden came to be.
It’s possible that the 11 Indiana EC votes Bayh could bring wouldn’t be enough.
Your scenario is quite likely; I’ve read comments from other bloggers to that effect while analyzing how Barry’s campaign could screw up the announcement so badly. The first -or maybe two- candidates turned him down, so they had to fake it while they went to plan B, or even C.