He says he hopes Obama has picked Joe Biden for Vice President. I suspect his real reason is he feels it would drive a wedge between Obama and Black folks. However, I would support Biden for Vice President without hesitation.
I know y'all's arguments against him. I have seen y'all say he is racist. My rhetoric-based response would be, "We're in the United States of America. What's your point?" My real assessment of Biden here harkens back to my personal history with an actual racist. I reported to him on my first job on Wall Street. In fact, when he hired me with no experience (but a shocking result on an aptitude test) it was for a department that had always previously required a couple of years experience in another related position. And that required experience really was generally necessary.
Different, huh? Well, he was struggling. He knew he had issues. EVERYONE knew he had issues. But he tried. He knew he was required to keep that beast in a bag, and though he did slip on occasion it pained him visibly...or embarrassed him. Or something. And though he never got it fully in check while I knew him, I had to respect the effort.
All this actually came back to me when Sen. Biden agreed to do that Fox/CBC debate (that I promised never to mention after the CBC dropped it). In particular:
Sen. Biden's gave two reasons for attending. The second reason is lovely...
"Let me put it this way — if the African-American community stayed home or voted Republican, we're not going to elect another president."
...and should be kept in mind while considering the first.
"I agreed to go because my friends in the Black Caucus said this is a very important debate to be able to determine the difference among us on matters relating to the African-American community," Biden said.
"Wherever the Black Caucus asks me to go, I will go," he added.
"[M]y friends in the Black Caucus said".
I actually respect that answer. I even respect that Sen. Biden figured out he had to ask somebody.
Now, even I have changed my understanding of the relationship between the CBC and the CBCI, and on that updated understanding I will keep my promise and hold my peace until it's actually relevant. But Sen. Biden at the time also said
"The single most important constituency in the Democratic Party — African-Americans, led by the Black Caucus, which are the leadership of the black community, asked us to show for a debate and we're not going to show up?" Biden said.
I'm...pretty sure the outcome of that, not to mention the result of the CBC's general support of the Clintons during the primaries, has shown Sen. Biden you have to look beyond the CBC. He strikes me as capable of learning. And that is a major reason I'm okay with Sen. Biden...he's a guy who knows he needs to ask somebody, not a guy who needs to ask and doesn't know or care.
Do you really think you can do better in a mainstream Democratic candidate?
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That's cool, but....
Extremely well considered, P6. I like Biden in the VP slot because I think he can get away with a certain degree of brio and irreverence that is off limits to Obama. Like Kennedy he comes with a stature and experience that is unassailable by the Clintons and their quislings. My only concern is the electoral strategy. It seems apparent that Obama is depending on shifting the mountain west and rust belt states to the blue column. How does Biden advance this goal?
Maybe it doesn't. It doesn't
Maybe it doesn't. It doesn't hurt, though a pro-choice Catholic would get noise from some 10% or so of Catholic voters that would remind you of the noise Obama gets from some 10% of Black folks (WARNING: Catholic estimate was pulled directly from a hat).
I think Biden could go to areas like those B. Clinton approached successfully toward the end of the primaries, and explain how Obama's platform will benefit those folks. No pandering should be necessary, just translation.
I agree with you, P6. Biden
I agree with you, P6. Biden is okay, although I disagree with him on foreign policy issues. He would complement the ticket and, more importantly, not undermine Obama. I read the stuff at Jack and Jill and was not persuaded. I think that Jack and Jill's objections to Biden represents vestiges of what I call the anti-watermelon sentiment among the black bourgeoisie. Good piece.
P6, you always can read between the lines
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
The first thing I thought
The first thing I thought when I saw the news was, isn't he the "clean and articulate" guy? But I see your point here. I definitely cut a lot of slack to white people who are making an effort. The "he who knows not and knows not he knows not" types bother me a lot more.