Won’t you be my number two?
A few minutes ago, the Associated Press and then just about every news agency decided that they had enough corroboration and announced Joe Biden as Barack Obama’s selection of a running mate. For two reasons, I hope that’s true.
The first reason is that I’ve been predicting it since almost the moment Obama nailed the nomination (which — seriously — was February). It’s not just that I’d like to be right in this case; it’s that I’d like to stop being so wrong with political predictions. (Although in this case not so wrong as Mark Evanier.) Here are a few I’ve made and lived to regret:
- 2004, to a neighbor with an anti-Bush sign on her door: “Kerry’s way ahead, no way he’s going to lose.”
- Election night 2000, early in the evening: “Gore’s already won.”
- Election night 2000, later in the evening: “They just called Florida for Gore — he won.”
OK, so I was right about the last one. (Nobody predicted theft.)
The other reason has to do with the ugly whisper spoken in homes all across the country, but never dared to be uttered in public: “If Obama wins, somebody’s going to shoot him.” You may recall that Hillary Clinton was roundly hissed for seeming to even allude to this idea. But it is out there. This summer I’ve been all up and down California, and traveled to Omaha, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and Washington DC and I heard that sentiment every single place I went. Last weekend we had a backyard party and I told a local Democratic operative that I was sure Biden would be the v.p. pick.
“Think like Obama,” I said. “He’s young and new, so he needs someone to counter his youth and relative inexperience. We’ve got foreign policy problems, so he needs a foreign policy expert. McCain wants to paint him as elitist, so he needs someone lower-middle class. And he’s black, so he needs someone white. All of that equals Biden, a guy who looks like what a president looks like to people.” (Until, that is, we got (in)Curious George.) And my friend and objective analyst Doug Hackney called Biden the best qualified for president this year.
We’ll see if this story holds up in the morning. I hope so. Biden adds a lot to the ticket. I’m not just tired of being wrong with predictions; I’m tired of the GOP presidency.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:57 am
3:00AM CA time, mercifully 5:00AM Peru time.
Reuters @~1:00AM reports that, indeed, Joe Biden is the choice.
The story contained another reason for me to like him, “Biden, the son of a car salesman, is less wealthy than some of his Senate colleagues and commutes to Washington from his home 80 miles away in Delaware.”
Not that I like him burning all that gas to commute in a car. I wish he did it by motorcycle, a much more eco- and gridlock-friendly vehicle.
But, I really like that he doesn’t live in the parallel reality bubble of D.C. and I especially like that he has so far avoided that remarkable circumstance that enables nearly every other elected representative to arrive in D.C. with moderate means and to retire an extremely wealthy multi-millionaire. All on base salaries of $169,300 a year. While maintaining two households, one in D.C. and another back home. Amazing. I wish my portfolio performed like that.
But, back to Mr. Biden. I remain convinced he is the best qualified candidate in this election cycle. I congratulate the Democratic party and Mr. Obama on a solid choice for the country and its citizens. I believe that if the ticket prevails in November Mr. Biden will be credit to the office.
In that case, I hope that somehow, miraculously, he actively contributes rather than functions as an animated mannequin for state funerals, etc.
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 am
Doug,
Biden commutes by rail, Amtrak, to and from Washington.
Paul
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Paul,
Thank you for that info. I apologize for being so unplugged I don’t know the basics of the candidates’ press kit bios.
Wow. Amtrak. That’s the only form of transport I could endorse above a bike.
Would you be salivating if you were the VP Marketing for Amtrak?
“Hi, I’m Vice President Joe Biden and I ride Amtrak to work. [medium shot of Joe in an Amtrack commuter seat. Car is clean, bright, and modern. Cut to trackside shot of Amtrak express streaking by, logo center frame.]
It gets me out of the gridlock [cut to establishing long shot of morning gridlock, cut to CU of harried morning commuter at the wheel] and gives me time to get things done during my commute with the tools I need. [OTS of Joe sorting briefing papers, open laptop at his side, cut to 3/4 side shot of Joe chatting on handheld cell phone with foreign heads of state about the Crisis du Jour]
Plus, it saves me thousands of dollars a year. [medium shot of commuter filling tank with steamed expression, cut to ECU of pump with numbers climbing]
As a middle class guy, that means a lot to me. [Medium shot of Joe climbing down the stairs of the train, smiling conductor greeting him at the platform. Cut to tracking dolly shot as Joe walks down the platform.]
Unlike my colleagues on both sides of the aisle with millions of influence peddling dollars to burn, [Overall of stretch limo stuck in traffic, cut to interior medium shot of fat cat senator with a blond on each arm] I need to make every dollar count.
[CU of Joe, single dollar in his hand.]
Amtrak – it’s the smart way to travel.
[black]
Doug