Politics

[urbpan]

I was looking back at my post of vicious lies about the presidential candidates, and to my astonishment, not only did I miss McCain (and owned up to it) but I also missed Joe Biden.  I guess he's just too clean and articulate to make fun of.

No, seriously, my Dad and I were discussing who Obama was going to pick, and I said, I hope he doesn't pick Biden: he's too smart.  It's true; America doesn't like candidates who seem too smart.  We elected Bill Clinton because he seemed like a big ol' dumb hick that played sax and had a mischievous eye for the ladies.  Of course, like almost all of the Presidents (except for a few dolts like William Henry Harrison and George Washington) Clinton was a millionaire who went to the best colleges available.  Even our current president made it into Yale without benefit of a big brain ("Yale could use an international airport...")  But he doesn't emphasize his college days, he prefers you to think of him as the guy who fishes and clears brush off of his ranch. 

Biden doesn't have a ranch, I believe, since Delaware is too small to have a Wal-Mart, never mind ranches (I kid, they have at least five--what did you think, they're Communists?) .  Basically all I know of Biden is what I've heard on the radio.  The guy sounds incredibly smart, which is what worries me.  Also, he's run for President every election since before I was born, and he's never won anything.  (To be fair, this translates as a "long and distinguished career in the Senate.")  The Obama administration will be much better with a Biden veep, but I don't think as a candidate Biden is going to make things any easier.

Of course, if McCain keeps sounding senile, hopefully it will scare people from voting for him.  Then again, Americans don't seem to mind senile presidents.

Comments

[morrigandaughtr.livejournal.com]

Actually, Joe Biden has run for president in 1988 and 2008 only. Pluses: He's the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, had a working class upbringing, and isn't afraid to shoot from the hip or throw a verbal punch.

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

My favorite quote of Biden's was re: Guilaini - 'Every sentence out of his mouth is noun, verb, 911.' :)

[roaming.livejournal.com]

I agree, and I hope you're wrong adn that it's not a detriment. Because if McCain wins, I AM moving to Canada. Or invading it, since they won't want the influx of panicked Americans.

Every time I hear (during elections) someone say they like a candidate because he seems like the sort of person they could sit down and have coffee with, I get nuts. I don't WANT to have coffee with my president! I want him/her/it (alien) to be too busy fighting for Truth, Justice, and the Amuracan way. ;-P I WANt him to be Much MUCH smarter than I am -- and much smarter than everyone else in politics he needs to outsmart to get good things done.

These days, though, it seems I'd settle for someone who doesn't make me embarrassed on levels I didn't think existed before.

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

Actually, Biden has a history of making verbal gaffes, like saying that if you go into a 7-11 you have to have an Indian accent, and saying that Obama is the first articulate, clean-cut African American in the public eye. He's also been nailed for plagiarism in the past.

And Clinton had a reputation for being smart; maybe the southern accent threw some people off, but the guy is certainly not dumb.

My biggest issues about Biden are that he's a party insider (several decades in Washington), and he's old (he's only six years younger than McCain, which means we can't really play the age card anymore). It doesn't really fit with the whole "change" ticket.

[weofodthignen]

Yeah .... American short memories! I've heard him called "lying Joe Biden" so much, I was shocked by the choice.

M

[buboniclou.livejournal.com]

FTR, Delaware is one of the biggest chicken-producing states--aside from Wilmington and Dover, it's largely rural.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Dover's not rural?

*ducks, runs*

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Biden is a fscking moron. I say this as a native Delawarean alive since he got into the Senate, and who lived down the street from the intersection where his wife was killed (which got a traffic light after she died, but not after the 239804238409 other people who died there BEFORE her). Even his office staff wishes he'd just keep his fool mouth shut. And his son, Delaware Attorney General by grace of Daddy, apparently lacks even a fraction of his father's brains.

But he's got a lot of experience in Washington. And he's a cleancut wealthy white boy, which will help bring in the cleancut wealthy white boy vote for Obama. I suppose there are worse. And all his political compost was raked up YEARS ago, at least. Who cares about plagiarism now anyway?

I don't hate him as much as my parents do, but my parents are conservative Irish Catholic Republicans who still resent him for telling them that there would never be busing in Delaware, followed by him supporting busing. At least he eventually supported busing... that's in his favor, right?

[gigglingwizard.livejournal.com]

Post of vicious lies? What post is that?

here you go:

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

http://urbpan.livejournal.com/657225.html

[meryddian.livejournal.com]

I was watching the stuff about McCain being unable to remember how many houses he had this week - and then consulting his staff and them telling him he had 4 (which was incorrect)... and then I remembered about how McCain has admitted he really isn't that familiar with the internet... and being reminded of his age just makes me think, Jeez, what is the man going to forget about next? Will we wake up one day and hear about how he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was found wandering around the West Lawn in his skivvies?

I don't have issues with "older, more experienced" politicians getting into office. Certainly, there are some Supreme Court Justices, Senators and HoR folks who are even older than McCain and doing a fine job. But when it's the President, I'm a little more concerned about their health (and potential health issues) than the guy who has 99 or 434 or even 8 other people who can do the job.

[ziggysinamerica.livejournal.com]

Actually George Washington was one of the richest if not the richest man in the colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War, according to Howard Zinn. If I still had my copy of A People's History of the United States I would totally pull out the quote.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The bum never went to college, though! And he was home schooled! And partied in Barbados!