So what took so long? Obama finally sent out the "highly anticipated" text message early Saturday morning declaring his VP to be… Joe Biden. I am sure it was easy for people to go back to sleep after hearing that. Ok, so Biden has a lot of experience in the Senate as well as some foreign policy cred, which helps Obama on paper. But Biden is arrogant, tends to stick his foot in his mouth, and garnered 1 percent of the vote when he ran for the nomination last year. Biden will be an attack dog for Obama, but I don't think he was Obama's first choice. Let me explain.
Most of the media pinpointed Biden as the selection last week. Why then, did Obama not send the text message until 3am Saturday? He missed Friday's news cycle, probably ticked off many on the text message waiting list by receiving a wake-up text at 3am, and it's Saturday - who is paying attention? If Biden was his selection all along, why the delay? I think Obama wanted someone else. And that someone else turned him down on Friday, sending Obama into panic mode and panic pick. (Perhaps like in fantasy baseball drafts when the guy you wanted gets picked just before you, sending you into chaos as you search for a new pick before time runs out.) Obama is campaigning on change, so he picks Biden? Obama is trying to offset his liberal policies so he picks Biden? Obama is trying to alter the electoral map, so he picks Biden? Makes no sense at all. (For the record, I still think Bayh would have been a much better pick for all the above reasons. Perhaps Bayh turned him down? A close friend of the Clintons, was he pressured to turn it down?)
Some may say Biden is to Obama what Cheney was to Bush in 2000 - gravitas. But, I think the better comparison is Dukakis-Bentsen. Bentsen was an accomplished Senator, throttled Dan Quayle in the debate - "You are no Jack Kennedy" - and was a well-respected leader, but Bentsen overshadowed Dukakis and didn't help Dukakis on the electoral map. Biden is more apt to overshadow Obama because he likes to hear himself speak.
So the pick makes little sense to me. I think Obama panicked. I hope one day the full story comes out. If this wasn't a panic pick, then Obama's campaign completely mismanaged the release of this news. Additionally, it was released that Clinton was never considered. (Even a bigger mistake to let that get out - and it makes Clinton's speech at the convention even more intriguing). The McCain Campaign must be thrilled this morning.
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2 comments:
Oh Jack. Such a Republican. I still love you though. I had read that it was all totally intentional to leave it to a text message late...the whole point showing a different YOUNGER politician who was up with technology...as compared to McCain who has admitted he doesn't even use a computer. Nothing Obama could have done would have swayed you...but if I were totally uninformed, apolotical youngster who was riding on the fence (and there have to be tons of those), the thought of a text message release from the President to me (instead of the tried and true press party) compared to a President who (media reports say) admits to not even usinga computer?
Oh...and let's not even talk about how out of touch you sound when you say you aren't rich in America until you make 5 million per year, and you don't even know how many homes you own? And you don't use a computer? None of these are things that would sway me one way or the other...but if you were you not informed or leaning one way or the other...I know it's shallow...but not everyone is nearly as politically informed as you.
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