Today showed me why some of you would kill for Biden

[BeyondGeography]

I've given Biden crap for his tendency to stick his foot in his mouth, but there are two sides to that coin and you saw them out there today.

I'll skip the tough question he was asked about his propensity to offend and Obama's subsequent defense of him, which should end the discussion once and for all. It was his New Year's resolution answer that I'll always remember.

Now, admittedly, that was a softball, but notice how everyone before him completely whiffed on the chance to do something with the opportunities it presented? They spoke like politicians, not human beings. Then came Biden, with the answer that it's the same one every year, to try to remember what it was like when things were really bad. It sounded like the perspective of a man who has suffered deeply, and who makes the memory of his loss meaningful by not letting the fun-and-games of politics overwhelm his identity. And the delivery...he got quietly emotional, stared down at the floor at one point. It felt to me that he was thinking of his wife and the 1972 accident which killed his wife and baby daughter, putting himself back in the moment, however difficult.

He bared his soul out there. It wasn't the safest approach, but it was one of the most moving things you'll ever see in one of these settings.

He's a good man.

[MadBadger]

1. Joe Biden would has served this country proudly, and if president will do an amazing job.

[polichick]

2. That was quite a moment! nt

[bunnies]

3. I was just thinking the same thing while watch him on CNN right now.

He's really, really good.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Kinda OT: is it Bee-den or Bye-den? -nt

[skipos]

7. Bye. nt

[sandnsea]

17. Oh, you're from Brazil

And I put that out there for the rest of the poopieheads like me who were wondering how in the world you could not know that. Well you're not from here, okeedoke.

:hi:

[gateley]

5. He became emotional during an interview talking about the bodies of our

dead soldiers being loaded onto a plane he was on, on one of his trips to Iraq. I think it was on Meet the Press. You could tell how deeply he really cares. It was very moving.

He IS a good man, and I trust him to do what's right.

Thank you for the kind words!

[Blue_In_AK]

6. Joe Biden's humanity is what endears me to him.

He seems like one of us.

[jillan]

8. Funny - Firstread is giving him crap about that very moment - saying it wasn't

very Presidential.

Thanks for your kind word BG!

Obama moved up mountains in my eyes today too.

[BeyondGeography]

9. The media has been wrong about this entire campaign

and, with that observation, they continue their sterling record.

[jillan]

10. As an Obama supporter - you should love the media.

They have been very, very good to Obama.

[BeyondGeography]

13. They have stopped measuring the drapes for Her Majesty

if only for a moment.

[Inuca]

18. If they do --> they are idiots

and/or uninformed. I did not know until now that the accident happened this time of year, which makes the reaction even more poignant.

As to Obama: his reaction was wonderful and seemed to come from the heart. Another moment of admirable authenticity (though it may end up also helping him of things do not work out for Biden).

[screembloodymurder]

11. Are you saying Biden will be Obama's pick for VP?

Makes a lot of sense.

[Colobo]

14. No; the other way around.

[leftynyc]

49. Now that's a winning ticket

I would love to see that happen.

[BeyondGeography]

15. He could do much worse

Biden fills in the gap on national security. He comes from a safe state, though. We need a VP (whoever the nominee is) who can give us an edge in a battleground state.

[Inuca]

22. Does this REALLY matter?

My personal feeling about this established idea that the "iffiness" of the state of origin should be a criterion in choosing the VP is not worth much. Especially in moments of upheaval like now, when so many people (not only on our side) are under an overwhelming feeling of malaise.

[BeyondGeography]

23. Only if you can find a better option than Biden

and that won't be easy. Good points.

[Inuca]

41. My comment was a general one

not referring specifically to the idea of Biden as VP. Personally I think that Biden can be more influential in the Senate than as a VP, as he is probably too old to view the VP position as a springing board toward a future presidency.

[IronLionZion]

51. Oh, like Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Al Gore of Tennessee?

or more like Bush of Texas and Cheney of Wyoming?

Who cares? What's more important is how they work together and what they can accomplish once in office.

Edwards didn't give any edge in any state when Kerry picked a southerner yet stayed the hell away from the entire south.

[Colobo]

12. Biden is my number 2 again. Edwards came across as a bit phony,

[Adelante]

16. Biden has been mine for a while now

As someone said up thread, it's his humanity I go for.

[Bucky]

25. Be nice to Edwards. He seems phony cause he's a trial lawyer

He's become what he needs to be in order to win over juries. I find that overpolish offputting myself. But this is market-tested polish. He uses it because it works. There's a reason why he polls better than any of the big three in D-R match ups. He connects with swing voters.

That is absolutely critical in the fall. He's not my #1 or #2, but I'd proudly support him if he's nominated.

[gateley]

27. That's always been my gut feeling about Edwards -- I felt the same way in 2004. nt

[youthere]

19. Thanks for posting this BeyondGeography...

He is a good man...I believe that, and I believe he's the real deal.

[K Gardner]

20. The interview on ABC with him tonight was very touching..

he had a hard time getting through it. As someone just said, it's his humanity...

[livvy]

21. I think so, too.

I've always found him to be knowledgeable, and enjoyed his sharp wit. In the recent past I've come to appreciate the other sides of his personality. There is a depth to him, I had not recognized in the past. I feel very comfortable with my choice, and I would feel very comfortable with him as the leader of this country.

Nice post, and thanks for that!

[Bucky]

24. Yes, he would make a great secretary of state

And that's why I'm supporting him for president.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

26. I can't get by his vote for bankruptcy bill and being controlled by

credit card industry. Is he really just another corporate whore? I know he is intelligent, articulate, photogenic but has he soldout to corporate America?

[gateley]

29. Regardless of how you feel about the bankruptcy vote (and you're not alone

in that, by any means), you are incorrect if you regard him as a corporate whore. If he was, he'd be rich and hob nobbing with the superstars. He's the second poorest Senator and has never met with a lobbyist in his career. He also made a decision to not invest in the stock market lest his vote be influenced by his holdings.

[democrat2thecore]

34. Years ago Mother Jones Magazine called him the most ethical man in the senate -nt

[ginchinchili]

35. That's a big compliment from Mother Jones.

And frankly I can't think of anyone more ethical. I think Sen. Biden is very underrated and underestimated. We've got a huge opportunity standing right in front of us, if we'd only wake up and embrace his candidacy.

[ClarkUSA]

39. Was that before his IWR vote or after?

Just wondering. Link?

[democrat2thecore]

40. wayyy before - I'm talking 1985 or so when they had a scorecard

A scorecard on ethics based several things, like... finances and where each senator keeps theirs, acceptance of certain funds at the time, outside income and investments, speaking fees, lobbyist contacts, campaign finance etc. I remember it clearly because it told the Biden story of taking the train communte to Delaware every single day and not owning so much as a studio apt. in Washington, refusal to meet with Lobbyists, and several other things. Then when the 1988 flap happened, I thought it was ironic. But, we later found out that was a dirty trick and it wasn't as it appeared. I don't have a link unless MJ has an online archive?

[Froward69]

46. no Joe Biden Is NOT bought

Check it out...
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=F03
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00001669&cycle=2008

and on Bankruptcy...
http://biden.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=234426&&
http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/20/pf/bankruptcy_bill/index.htm

[IronLionZion]

52. Campaign finance data as senator and as pres. candidate

Senator
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?cid=N00001669

Presidential Candidate
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?cycle=2008&id=N00001669

Vote-Smart profile
http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=53279

OneTheIssues
http://www.ontheissues.org/Joe_Biden.htm

I report, you decide.

FWIW, I support bankruptcy reform. Too many were unethically using bankruptcy protection to avoid child support payments or paying damages after civil lawsuits. That's not what it's for.

[ruggerson]

28. I think he's the real deal

I wish more people felt that way.

[Steely_Dan]

30. Kick...

[Joe the Revelator]

31. I'd vote for him

Props to Obama for defending him. They could be a good team.

[PatSeg]

32. I just got home and haven't watched the debate yet

but your post alone brought tears to my eyes.

[jillan]

33. And you have to wonder why none of the pundits mentioned one word about it today.

[ginchinchili]

36. Do you know if it's going to be shown again?

[jillan]

37. Starting right now on C-Span

[loyalsister]

38. He was clever

and has some good qualities. I think he was still being a politician when he was being human. He has struck me more as an actor than anything all along. There is one in my town who gets teary-eyed when necessary by remembering stories about family. It is something that works for her, though. People love her.

I thought the main objection was based on the fact that if a person who has not scrubbed their vocabulary and doesn't make a conscious effort to care about what they say, they haven't internalized a sense of injustice that extends to the more mundane forms of bigotry.

It's a laziness about something that some say it is unacceptable to be lazy about.

He is still a privileged guy and it shows. "Every parent knows that these are the things that we need to do....."
He doesn't grasp the reality that there are parents who don't know because they don't have education.

At least Hillary Clinton recognizes that from her ivory tower she has missed a lot of education.

And I am not a fan.

[surfermaw]

42. Biden made a run way back and was taken our easily by republicans

[democrat2thecore]

43. Biden made a short run once TWENTY YEARS AGO!

Repubs didn't ever have a chance to "take him out"......your post doesn't make sense.

[PatSeg]

44. He was taken out by a fellow Democrat, who later

publicly apologized.

<But in a debate at the Iowa State Fair that summer, at a time when Mr. Biden was seen as a Kennedy-esque hope in a desultory Democratic pack, he lifted large portions without attribution from an address by the British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock. A top aide in the rival presidential campaign of Michael S. Dukakis circulated a video showing the similarities, and although Mr. Biden had credited Mr. Kinnock in earlier appearances, his failure to do so at the fair — he called it an oversight — created a media storm.

The furor began just as Mr. Biden, then the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was about to preside over the explosive hearings of President Ronald Reagan’s choice for the Supreme Court, the conservative jurist Robert H. Bork.

Mr. Biden was opposed to Judge Bork and was determined to defeat him, although he was overcome with anxiety — and pounding headaches — as he faced the pressures of the hearings and his unraveling campaign. In late September, he gave up his bid for the White House.

“Aside from health, it was the most difficult decision I ever made, to get out of the race,” Mr. Biden said. He saw his choice as trying to save his candidacy or fulfilling what he saw as his responsibility to keep Judge Bork off the court. “I didn’t want it to be ‘Biden selfishly decides he’s going to save his own skin.’”

In October, the Senate rejected Judge Bork. Four months later, Mr. Biden collapsed in a hotel room in Rochester and was soon on an operating table in Washington undergoing surgery to remove an aneurysm. One risk was loss of speech. “I kind of wish that had happened last summer,” Mr. Biden said he told the surgeon.>

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/us/politics/14biden.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

[whirlygigspin]

45. the more you learn about Biden, the more you'll like him

n/t

[Froward69]

47. simply love your sig line

whirlygig!!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[leftynyc]

48. Biden has the most experience

and would make a wonderful candidate. If not that - an excellent secretary of state which we will need badly once this catastrophe of an administration mercifully ends.

[IronLionZion]

50. Youtube link to video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LTHpk2JyGw

[Froward69]

53. another vid as to why I would kill for Joe Biden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOXzyTGsC1c&e