Barack Obama is naming Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his running mate. Frankly, I am delighted.
If you take a look at Joe’s web-page on issues, http://www.joebiden.com/issues/, both the substance and the order in which he lists them make him my kind of guy. He starts with the Bush Administration’s misuse of 9/11 and its destructive politics of fear and division. He understands America’s loss of respect in the world, and sees why we need to get it back. Even when he talks of crime, he doesn’t forget the white-collar crimes of Enron and its progeny.
Born to a working class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden will connect with some working people in ways that elude Obama.
He also brings vast experience to the team. He was one of the youngest Senators ever, elected at the age of 29 in 1972. He is now Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, former Chair of the Judiciary Committee. He has fought for the right causes for more than 30 years.
Religion? Catholic, of Irish descent. But he doesn’t wear it on his sleeve.
Family values: He commutes 1 ½ hours every day on the train from Wilmington to Washington, D.C., so he can be with his family in Delaware every day.
Age: At 65, he will add that touch of grey hair that reassures some people.
A thinker: Like Obama, he is a teacher of Constitutional Law. He understands the roots of our civil liberties in America.
Yes, this is good!
Well done, Barack!!
Bob
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Bob Bragar is an American living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who was an Obama Delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Democrats Abroad. The opinions expressed here are his alone, though others may share them.
Must see!
Posts
our friends
Articles by Subject
- Democratic Convention (11)
- Barack Obama (7)
- Democrats Abroad (7)
- Hillary Clinton (6)
- Gay and Lesbian (5)
- McCain (5)
- Love Exiles (4)
- Sarah Palin (4)
- American values (3)
- Bush administration (3)
- Dennis Kucinich (2)
- Joe Biden (2)
- Running mate (2)
- Stonewall Democrats (2)
- Vote (2)
- American leadership (1)
- American public (1)
- Americans Abroad (1)
- Carter (1)
- Censorship (1)
- Foreign policy (1)
- Homophobia (1)
- Iraq (1)
- Kennedy (1)
- Polls (1)
- Racism (1)
- Republican convention (1)
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(32)
- ► 09/28 - 10/05 (1)
- ► 09/21 - 09/28 (1)
- ► 09/14 - 09/21 (1)
- ► 09/07 - 09/14 (2)
- ► 08/31 - 09/07 (8)
- ► 08/24 - 08/31 (15)
- ► 08/10 - 08/17 (1)
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Bob. I find it very helpful, especially since I'm in The Netherlands this week. Good luck at the convention in Denver!
Let me offer another comment about the brilliance of the Biden selection.
Yesterday I listened with surprise as commentators drew comparisons between Obama's choice of Biden to Bush's choice of Cheney -- I think that the better comparison is Carter's choice of Walter Mondale in 1978. Carter was the outsider from Georgia, a born again Christian and he reached out
to the insider, Mondale an experienced protege of Hubert Humphrey. I remember how this comforted me about Carter candidacy.
Setting race aside, I think that one of the unexpressed concerns of the Clinton supporters is that Obama is the young upstart who came out
of nowhere, just like Carter. The selection of Biden bridges an important political and demographic gap and gives Clinton supporters another opportunity to join in. From the outset we were all bound to be dissapointed -- the woman against the African-American.
Post a Comment