Sense and Nonsense

SNL Has Fun with the VP Debate

Ah, well done.

A Prelude

Good.  Let's hope tomorrow night's debate goes like this.  [How long can this woman continue to display more ignorance with each passing day?! She's already passed into negative territory, displaying cognitive deficits that are truly mind-boggling.]

Biden Unleashed

A video clip of Joe Biden campaigning in Pennsylvania yesterday has been making the rounds on the Internet.  Biden is going to be a formidable campaigner, and anybody who thinks that he won't be able to help the Democrats against McCain/Palin is wrong.  Here's the clip and Jim Fallows's take on Biden's ability to keep his fist effectively aimed right at McCain's chin.

Roundup on Biden

Here's the best of what I've come across on Biden:

• Biden's great appeal to older voters (especially women)

• Praise for Biden from Senators on both sides of the aisle

• A memo from an anonymous Democrat to Obama about Biden

• From Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly:

BIDENMANIA CONTINUES.... As part of our ongoing coverage of the big political story of the day, here are a few more Biden-related items of note:

* At BeliefNet, Steve Waldman has an interesting item, taking a closer look at Joe Biden and the "faith factor." Biden is, Waldman notes, a "proud and committed Catholic," who "goes to mass regularly," and who has acknowledged publicly, "I get comfort from carrying my rosary, going to mass every Sunday. It's my time alone."

* The Drum Major Institute has a good report out on Biden's record on economic issues and the middle class. Other than that bankruptcy bill, Biden looks strong.

* The Huffington Post has a helpful collection of Biden video clips. (To understand why I'm looking forward to seeing Biden on the campaign trail again, going on the offensive against the Republican ticket, pay particular attention to this one.)

* Biden, of course, competed against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, and, not surprisingly, encouraged voters to support him instead of his rival. The McCain campaign hopes to exploit this, but I think Jonathan Cohn strikes the right note: "[I]t's obviously not a good thing that these quotes are out there. I'm just saying they could be much, much worse, given that Biden and Obama were rivals for the presidency just a few months ago."

* In August 2005, during an appearance on "The Daily Show," Biden told Jon Stewart, "I would be honored to run with or against John McCain because I think the country would be better off." I don't doubt Republicans love this line, but it seems to me the retort is rather obvious: "When I said this, McCain opposed Bush's tax policies, didn't plan to keep U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years, wanted the Republican Party platform to be less extreme on abortion rights, supported affirmative action, and rejected the religious right. McCain has since reversed course on all of those issues. I liked the old McCain a lot better than the new one."

* And it doesn't get a lot of attention, but Biden's record/agenda on global poverty is very strong.

Biden

Biden's a good choice. The two biggest reasons:

• his foreign-policy experience and credibility

• his willingness (nay, eagerness) to attack the Bush Administration's foreign policy record

Over at TheAtlantic.com, Coates says:

"I do think that there isn't a single VP candidate who McCain can select that wants to see Biden in a debate. Not one."

And Fallows, writing about Biden's skills as a speaker and debater, says that as a questioner at Senate hearings, Biden has often been disappointing.  He then writes:

But as a debater within his own party and as a rhetorician against the other side, the Biden of the primary campaign was very good. He stuck to the time limits because he had to, and with that discipline he almost always made the points he wanted to, and forcefully.

He also showed a certain bearing in the debates that could come in handy as a running mate for Obama. This was his "let's cut the crap" impatience with what he considered fatuous questions and what he also considered the plain foolishness of Bush Administration policy.

After more analysis, we get this at the end:

Biden has his limits and vulnerabilities, but they're not my subject for the moment. Based strictly on his ability to advance the themes Democrats want to emphasize, he should be able to complement Obama's arguments with a tough, confidently pointed tone that comes less naturally to Obama himself.

I feel good about this choice.  I think Biden is going to prove to be a strong running mate.