The first thought I had when I learned yesterday that presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama had tapped Delaware’s Joe Biden running mate was what a poor job the Obama campaign had done of keeping this secret. They had given the McCain campaign and conservative bloggers a chance to prepare responses. The opposition was not “caught unawares.”
This failure to prevent this from leaking helps define this pick as a revelatory blunder of the Obama campaign. It shows that they may be too close to the media for their own good. The staffer who leaked this probably assumed the reporter, sympathetic to the Obama campaign, would keep this under wraps.
Or maybe the campaign wanted this information made public. In any case, it dulled the impact of Saturday’s announcement.
It’s not just the failure of the campaign to keep this secret which reveals much about Obama’s White House bid. It’s the very pick itself.
As a McCain supporter, I breathed a sign of relief when I heard Obama had picked Biden. Of the names floated, I had thought Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel and former (and current?) Obama rival Hillary Clinton would have been his strongest picks.
The first two would put “red” states into play as both men had executive experience (something Biden and Obama lack), Kaine having served as Mayor of Richmond and now Governor of the Old Dominion and Bayh having served two terms as Governor of the Hoosier State. Hagel would have made Obama’s claims of “postpartisanship” seem more legitimate. Hillary would have helped him unite a fractured party.
But, Biden only brings the appearance of wisdom, as if thirty-six years in the Senate must needs makes a man wise. As Mickey Kaus put it, the Delaware Senator “doesn’t have gravitas. He has seniority.”
Not just that, in his recent presidential campaign, Biden never really caught fire with the Democratic base. He “wasn’t even the third most successful candidate this year (hi, John Edwards!), or fourth (Bill Richardson, I suppose), or fifth (Dennis Kucinich!).”
And then there’s his tendency to blather on and on (and on and on and on) such that he makes my posts seem succinct. As Jonah Goldberg put it, “Biden is such a gasbag he makes the Hindenburg look like a sack of rocks.” The Democratic ticket has made theirs the party of words, with the scripted eloquence of the presidential nominee and the errant ramblings of the vice-presidential.
I’ve sure Republican operatives and zealous bloggers are scouring video archives for further examples of Biden’s empty or arrogant statements in his many public appearances.
The only thing Biden brings to the ticket is an appearance of wisdom or gravitas, but those many silly statements will show that appearance to be little more than an illusion.
I’m with Mark Levin on this one: “Biden is a great pick … for the McCain campaign.”
It shows that Obama is desperate for gravitas, but incapable of understanding what that concept means. As Peggy put is, well before we learned of his vice-presidential choice, the Democratic nominee “consistently shows that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.”
Despite the Dems and the allied main stream media’s desperation to see Romney as McCain’s Veep, Mitt is clearly out, with (1) Obama doubling down on the class warfare theme (McCain’s 7 houses) and (2) McCain doubling down with ads showing the hypocrisy of Biden attacking Obama in the primaries — Romney did way more than that contra McCain.
This leaves only Govs Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty. Pro-abortion Ridge and Dem-Lieberman were never real considerations, despite relentless media goading. Pawlenty’s lackluster TV performances, coupled with Palin pizzazz, the primacy of oil drilling and the ticked off women/Hillary voters, does now portend a McCain/Palin checkmate on the Dems. This is so albeit the Dems and liberal media dare not mention Palin’s name, that is, everyone but…..
And if there’s any question as to Palin being uniquely positioned and able to more than nullify Biden in debate, see the excellent discussion at palinforvp.blogspot.com
Team McCain, well done!!!
“As a McCain supporter, I breathed a sign of relief when I heard Obama had picked Clinton. Of the names floated, I had thought Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel and Delaware Senator Joe Biden would have been his strongest picks.”
As if much preparation was actually needed…
Hey, Ted, I’m with you on Pawlenty. I think he’d be the best for McCain. . .
I agree with you on how there were much better picks Obama could have made but it shows what kind fo weak willed person he is. He wasn’t going to chose Hillary because his hard core supporters hate her so much, he just caves in. I am not really sure why he didn’t go with Evan Bayh or Kaine, both have more experince than Obama and could have possibly delivered a state for him. They were just reacting to the polls and Obama’s obvious weakness rather than looking forward or even doing what is best for their electional chances. Though honestly, people vote for the president and not for the vice president…it will always just be about Obama and McCain. I would say the only time this might not apply is with Hillary Clinton’s shadow over the election: there is little doubt that some would vote for her…or her 2012 election.
Biden wasn’t so bad as Republicans want and hope to make him out to be. With his experience especially in foreign policy matters, being on the foreign policy committees, he gives Obama just a little bit of credibility on his weakest points.
I think Romney would kind of be a Biden pick. Both Romney and Biden are boring and flawed, but they both fill an important need, Romney’s being the economy.
As to why the Republicans wouldn’t pick Ridge, being that he’s pro abortion, well, so is Romney; it’s amazing no conservatives care about that.
Mitchell, I think Romney would keep the whole abortion issue on a back burner. McCain has a steady pro-life record, so Romney does not need to do anything more than he already has. McCain said that the economy is not his strongest suit and that he would rely on good advisors. Romney would fill that bill nicely. But Romney’s strongest asset is as a vigorous person who could take the reins if need be. A lot of Republicans are not real excited about their candidate and one often unmentioned worry is whether he is a lame duck because of his age. Romney helps diffuse that.
All that said, McCain may pick Hillary. Who knows?
Michael Medved is floating Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as veep. Although I like her both personally and politically, I don’t think she brings much to the ticket except her gender.
Plus, it’s a badly-kept secret here in Texas that she wants to run for governor in 2010. And given Gov. Rick Perry’s negatives, she just may bump him out of the GOP primary.
My money’s on Romney. He’d floor Biden in the debates.
Regards,
Peter H.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 08/25/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
Ridge’s baggage isn’t just abortion, although that’s a big deal. His management of DHS was the stuff of bureaucratic-incompetence legend. He was also a foreign policy dove who opposed missile defense and the Reagan Era defense build-up.
Romney went from the wrong side of the abortion issue to the right side, and has a reasonably compelling story of how his view changed. It resonates with me because I remember exactly when and why I pivoted on abortion. He gives McCain an outside shot at winning Michigan, and shores him up in Colorado and Nevada… two states McCain needs very much.