Obama VP Choice

[Pangloss]

Hah, I beat the text messages.

 

 

http://www.kmbc.com/politics/17267009/detail.html#

[CDarwin]

Joe Biden can still be Secretary of State.

 

Aside, isn't that a pretty crappy bumper sticker? It looks like it could be from the Dole/Kemp campaign? I thought Obama was modern media savvier than that.

[Pangloss]

Well this Washington Post piece says I'm wrong. Oh well.

 

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/08/veepstakes_process_of_eliminat.html?hpid=topnews

 

They're saying it won't be Bayh, Kaine, or Clinton (who was apparently never even vetted by Obama's staff). They're focusing on Joe Biden and (Rhode Island Senator) Jack Reed, with Biden being the favorite.

 

It's amusing reading a newspaper of the Post's caliber talking about "waiting to get the text message".

 

And ABC News is reporting that the Secret Service has been dispatched to protect Biden.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/us-secret-servi.html

[iNow]

And ABC News is reporting that the Secret Service has been dispatched to protect Biden.

 

About 60 seconds ago, I saw the same thing on Nightline about Biden and the secret service dispatch, and also how he teaches a class on Saturday mornings which has been told to "expect a substitute."

 

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line[/hr]

 

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/08/bidens-stock-ri.html

 

ABC News' Ed O'Keefe reports: Sen. Barack Obama still isn't saying who he's picked as his vice presidential running mate, but speculation surrounding Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., has increased as the Democratic ticket's unveiling in Springfield on Saturday nears.

 

On his blog, Marc Ambinder first reported on an in-bounded private charter from Chicago Midway (KMDW) to New Castle, Del. (KILG). The flight -- EJA863 -- took off at 6:05 p.m. ET and arrived one hour and 28 minutes later at 7:36 p.m.

 

Just as the Raytheon Hawker 800 took to the sky, ABC News has confirmed that Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had both been told by Obama that they were not going to join the Democratic ticket.

[CDarwin]

Aha! Sweet vindication. This will finally console all the embittered Biden supporters and end this feud that has been tearing the Democratic Party apart.

 

(joke)

 

But, yeah, Biden makes a good, if safe, choice. He's almost the perfect balance. Obama is an 'other'; Biden is your really rich great uncle. Obama is from the Pacific Southwest; Biden is from the Atlantic Northeast. Obama young, Biden old; Obama black, Biden white as is humanly possible; Obama the brash newcomer, Biden the elder statesman. And he's generally popular with the sorts of working class voters which Obama has had some troubles with. Biden's selection would look beyond just the crass and dubious notion that a running mate can win the swing state of his birth (Delaware was obviously never going to be hotly contested) to how his particular appeal can affect the campaign nationally.

[CPL.Luke]

hey the news just came out, its officially biden

[Pangloss]

It's interesting that he got over Biden's "clean & articulate" comments, and that suggests to me that his problem with Clinton wasn't personal in the end (i.e. he got over their campaign differences too, he just didn't see her as the best choice for VP). I may be reading too much between-the-lines, but it seems to speak well of his character.

[bascule]

I was hoping for a more inspired running mate than Joe Biden, but this choice is entirely expected...

Edited August 23, 2008 by bascule

[CDarwin]

Anyone want to talk about how this might affect McCain's choice now? Joe Biden is a pretty formidable guy as a statesman and politician. I would be skiddish about choosing someone relatively inexperienced on the national stage to go up against Biden in a debate, or just to contrast with him. On the other hand, since Obama went older, will McCain want to go younger?

[iNow]

McCain almost has to go with Romney to have a snowball's chance in a religious warm place. The funny thing is that the McCain campaign has struck against the Biden pick showing quotes from the primaries where Biden spoke against Obama. If McCain chooses Romney, we could have roughly 48 hours of recorded slams which Romney and McCain made against each other...

 

You also have talking heads like Rush Limbaugh slaying any "too liberal" choices and how McCain will effectively "kill the Republican party."

 

Sorry Rush. It's tough to kill what's already committed suicide.

[Pangloss]

I would be skiddish about choosing someone relatively inexperienced on the national stage to go up against Biden in a debate, or just to contrast with him.

 

I would love to see Joe Biden versus Charlie Crist in a debate. He has a funny, laid-back style that's totally opposite of Biden, and he'll look like he's getting pounded, but then he'll sneak up on you and knock you out while you're looking the other way. It would be awesome.

 

But I like my governor right where he is, so "no can has", John McCain!

[Skye]

Anyone want to talk about how this might affect McCain's choice now? Joe Biden is a pretty formidable guy as a statesman and politician. I would be skiddish about choosing someone relatively inexperienced on the national stage to go up against Biden in a debate, or just to contrast with him. On the other hand, since Obama went older, will McCain want to go younger?

As it turns out, all the candidates older than McCain are Galapagos tortoises. They aren't expected to poll well with the mammalian voters though, so you can scratch them for VP.

[john5746]

I was a little surprised that Obama picked Biden. He was my favorite democrat in the debates, because he seemed so genuine. He was more of a straight talker than McCain and a better speaker, but he tends to run at the mouth until his foot gets stuck in it.

 

I think McCain needs to pick a solid Republican. With the economy becoming the top concern, Romney would be a good pick. I sense that the swing voters are becoming less concerned with Iraq - it may have jumped the shark in terms of being a top concern.

 

As it turns out, all the candidates older than McCain are Galapagos tortoises. They aren't expected to poll well with the mammalian voters though, so you can scratch them for VP.

 

Maybe he can have the "spirit of Reagan" as VP - wouldn't the faithful accept that?

[Sisyphus]

I think Biden is definitely the right choice. He's intelligent, moderate, experienced, and well-known. He is popular among blue collar types ("Clinton Democrats") and policy wonks alike, but not "flashy," and doesn't seem to inspire the kind of animosity (or devotion, for that matter) that other "larger than life" figures (like Obama or Clinton) do. He is also a very safe choice, which is good for a running mate, since I think they generally have more capacity to hurt a campaign than help it.

 

His only real drawbacks are that he's "boring" and that he doesn't censor himself well. As for the former, that might actually be a plus for a campaign that is constantly accused of being more style than substance. As for the latter, I am thinking primarily of his infamous comments about Obama's "articulateness," which I honestly don't think will really be a problem. It makes good Daily Show fodder and makes us ask "what could he have been thinking," but ultimately I think most people, almost definitely including Obama himself, understood what he was trying to say, namely that Obama is the first serious black candidate who isn't running as "the black candidate," i.e. that he's "post-racial." It might offend Jesse Jackson, but the very fact that Obama picked him inherently gives him some absolution from charges of racism.

[DJBruce]

Biden was the safe chose, who balances the ticket out a lot. As for this changing McCain's chose I doubt he will change his chose because of this. Normally people vote based on the top of the ticket. A VP very rarely changes the face of the election.

[bascule]

Vote for Obama Bi(n La)den!

 

UPDATE: Looks like Faux News finally picked up on it:

 

 

COINCIDENCE???

[iNow]

Is there a lexicon equivalent of numerology?

[Pangloss]

That last line is a pretty obvious photochop.

[ecoli]

looking at the img source, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Then again Fox news wouldn't really surprise me either.

[iNow]

Okay, hopefully I'm not as wrong as Pangloss was with the OP:

 

 

 

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jihHrCRRZzC-rvT1HKiq81CPPoiQD92RHPRO0

Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided on a running mate early Thursday, and one top prospect, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, abruptly canceled numerous public appearances.

 

The Arizona senator will appear with his No. 2 at an Ohio rally on Friday, aides said, though they provided no details on who McCain had picked.

 

Without explanation, Pawlenty called off an Associated Press interview at the last minute, as well as other media interviews in Denver, site of the Democratic National Convention.

[Pangloss]

Things to do in Denver when you're desperate:

- Tell reporters how badly the Democrats are going to mess up America (check!)

- Have all the potential running mates show up and bad-mouth the opposition (check!)

- Have one or two of the potential running mates suddenly and mysteriously cancel all their interviews and stop returning phone calls just before the Democratic candidate makes his acceptance speech (check!)

- Have a press conference just before your opponent's acceptance speech to officially announce that you would never interfere with your opponent's acceptance speech and therefore won't be announcing your running mate today (check!)

- Declare that you're "closely watching" a minor tropical storm that may or may not threaten New Orleans, site of the worst public relations disaster in your party's history (check!)

- Tease reporters ruthlessly by ending every anti-Obama claim with "... some people say."

- (I got nothin' else.)

 

(hehe)

[DJBruce]

Jeez we where 0 for 2. I'm not going to lie I did not think he would pick her.

 

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/mccain-to-name-running-mate-on-friday/