Early Impressions of Obama's VP Pick

Barack Obama "is a clear-eyed pragmatist who will get the job done."
Senator Joe Biden, August 23, 2008

So, Obama's campaign selected Senator Joe Biden (D - Delaware), granted not the most creative pick, but here, today, I am prepared to defend the choice as a pragmatic one. And after eight years of right wing republican rule, I'll take pragmatism over neo-cons anytime. Here, as I see it, are the strengths that Biden brings to the ticket:

1) He brings thirty years of experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - huge foreign policy experience.

2) He's from Pennsylvania (Scranton, PA) Catholic, working-class, and may be able to connect with the Hil-bots who voted for Clinton in the primaries.

3) He is a pitbull and can do much of Obama's attacking that will no doubt need to be done if this team is going to win the White House.

4) If McCain chooses to go back in time and look at some of Biden's past misdeeds, McSame opens himself up to a rehashing of the Keating Five scandal and I really don't think McInsane wants to go there.

Drawbacks of selecting Senator Joe Biden (D - Delaware):

1) He brings thirty years of experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - will open Obama up to criticism that he has abandoned his call for "Change in DC."

2) Selecting Biden, with all his years of experience, will be seen by the GOP and some PUMAs as an admission on Obama's part that he is weak on foreign policy.

3) Biden is known for his numerous verbal gaffes - they will no doubt play ad nauseam the clip of Biden saying that "Obama is a clean and articulate candidate."

4) Biden has strong ties to corporate America (after all, Delaware is where most companies that have roots in this country are incorporated).

I'm sure I've missed a few advantages and disadvantages, but the most important point that needs to be made, again and again and again, is that we must end the reign of terror that has been wielding power over this country and the world since it stole the White House in 2000. To that end we have but one choice - to cast our votes for Obama in November. Sitting out this election is tantamount to tossing up ones hands and admitting defeat, before the finish line is even in sight (a move that I will be making if the GOP steals another election in the fall).

I, for one, am glad that the Obama camp stood up and made a solid, thoughtful choice that will garner more votes for the Democratic Party (rather than picking Joe Lieberman, or Geraldine Ferraro, or some other choice that does nothing but ensure a GOP victory come November - although I still maintain that Al Gore won that race :). I admire the Obama campaign for considering not just the Democratic party base, but also all those other voters that we need to win over in November. As I said, Biden is not an exciting choice, but choosing Biden is pragmatic in the very best sense of the word, and I'll take pragmatism over the disaster that we've had for the past eight years, any day... Obama/Biden '08!!!