“I’m afraid it’s so, boys.” Joe Biden is Obama’s Vice-Presidential pick. Here are some reactions from around the blogosphere:
Scott Johnson: “underwhelming for many reasons.”
Jennifer Rubin: “the selection of Biden as VP seems to cast doubt on the entire premise of the Obama campaign which is that experience doesn’t matter.”
Glenn Reynolds: “So Much for Change? That’s unfair. He’s at least as fresh a face as Madeleine Albright.”
Richard Miniter: “His record will give bloggers and reporters good fodder for months.”
There’s much more here. The McCain campaign has already put out an ad featuring Biden’s criticism of Obama: “I think he can be ready, but right now I don’t think he is. The Presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.”
I’m no fan of Biden’s, but it’s hard to think of many better candidates. (Sam Nunn was the one who would have helped Obama most, I think, but I doubted all along that he would accept the job.) The Biden pick illustrates that there’s an astounding lack of talent in the Democratic party.
I was surprised at the Biden pick because I thought Obama would choose a former military man to balance out his own dovishness and lack of a military record, a glaring difference between him and McCain that many voters may take into account.
I thought so too. He may have been seeking ideological balance– among the Democrats contending for the nomination, Biden was probably closest to center– but I don’t think he’s thought of as a centrist, so I don’t think this does much to enhance Obama’s appeal to independents.
Personally, I see Biden as having certain personality characteristics that Obama lacks, while having a number of faults in that area that make Obama look good by comparison. Biden is likeable, by all accounts, personally- and he doesn’t set off the negative feelings in the average voter that say, a Chuck Schumer would, although they are similar politically. On the other hand, he is a huge gasbag, so long winded and prone to verbal gaffes that will re-luster the somewhat tarnished image of The Clean-and-Articulate Obama by comparison.
Biden’s “experience” is so overblown. Basically, he’s been following the Woody Allen Rule for his entire career: 90% of life is just showing up (and talking ad nauseum.) At least he’s a refreshing change in that regard from John Kerry and BO himself.