Biden as the Perfect Bridge from Good Past to Better Future
The Obama-Biden debut in Springfield has just concluded and it is easy to see why Biden is the perfect Vice-presidential choice for this pivotal election. Both men spoke with passion, and their different yet convergent biographies nicely underline the theme of realizing and revitalizing the American dream for all citizens in a tough time, even as we recapture respect for the United States in the world. Their tableau in the home of Lincoln embodies powerful reverberations in the telos of American history.
It is easy to see why Biden is the pitch-perfect teammate to go after John McCain, and why those Republican ads showing him praising McCain will backfire. All Biden has to do is to say that he has long known and admired "John," but recently McCain has lost his way -- a powerful character indictment, not just a policy attack, because it clearly comes from a friend. The policy aspect relies on McCain's 180-degree turn toward Bush in recent years. But, as we heard, the Biden critique is even more powerful in bemoaning McCain's profound failure of character and principle in using Swift-boat tactics in this election. This is going to ring true, because Biden speaks for many former McCain admirers in both parties in his eloquent condemnation of that rancid turn by McCain.
Biden can hold McCain personally responsible for this, in a why that in effect questions his honor, without ever saying so in so many words.
Most pundits are commenting on the Biden pick as an Obama attempt make up for his own lack of DC experience, especially in foreign policy. The choice of Biden does help in that way -- and we should not estimate how many leaders in the USA and across the world will be reassured by Biden's presence on the Obama team. Reassurance, in turn, will underline a message about turning U.S. foreign policy away from bluster and empty bellicosity. It will make this more of a restoration of older bipartisan idealistic realism, rather than a retreat to "weakness." Reassurance is an undervalued commodity in politics; it really helps.
But pundits are not yet underlining the most powerful semiotic message conveyed by the picture of Biden and Obama together in Springfield: This is a critical election, in which the change being offered to the electorate comes from a rising leader who is relatively young and part African American. This potential future has to be accepted and embraced by millions of older Democrats and Democratic-leaning-Independents, and by millions of white working-class Americans. They have to support the shift if we as a nation are to realize our best at this moment. Here is where Biden offers a symbolic bridge from past to future. It really helps to have an older, always-faithfully-married white man from a mainstream geographical and class background show by his presence and his enthusiasm that this is the change we need now.
Biden and his picture-perfect white-Catholic family standing hand-in-hand with black-Protestant Barack and Michelle and their picture-perfect children conveys an emotionally powerful visual message about things that unite us all, and about the bridge from the past to the future. So does the evident willingness of such an accomplished and experienced long-time Democratic legislator to work as Vice President under and with a President Barack Obama. In short, Biden is showing as well as saying that America's best future requires embracing this new leader. He will make Obama feel more familiar and safer to whites and over-50-year-olds, at the same time that he passionately argues the intellectual case for the policy shifts this ticket offers. (It matters not one whit if Biden commits a verbal gaffe or two along the way -- especially since McCain commits a gaffe every time he opens his mouth; the contrast of the two elders will be palpable!)
For all that Hillary Clinton is a fighter, too, she could not make this sublimal statement as well as Biden can. A woman and an African American at once could well seem like too much change to many older voters. And because of her ties to Bill and to the seamier aspects of hypocritical politics, not to mention the problematic family mores of Washington DC, she cannot symbolize valuable experience helping to make progressive change as well as Biden can. Truth be told, the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination going to a principled and enthusiastic older white guy of impeccable character is just what we all need right now!
As a P.S. to my own commentary, I now see via CNN that some Clinton staffers like Paul Begala are whining or "expressing outrage" that she was not directly vetted for VP. This is procedurally ridiculous, because HRC is so well known that it would in effect have been an insult to put her through a formal vetting process and then not pick her. You can bet we would have heard lots of complaints about that, if it had occurred. She could and be no doubt was fully weighed as a possibility without having to force her to be interviewed by Holder and Kennedy, or having to ask her to report on donors to Bill's Foundation. There are many good reasons why any excellent possibility -- and there were many -- was not chosen for this nomination. And there are a lot of more effective ways for Senator Clinton to exercise leadership going forward.
But, really, the bottom line is this: GET OVER IT RIGHT NOW CLINTON PEOPLE, and shut up to the press -- especially those of you who are party professionals like Paul Begala. The country has a lot at stake here and self-immerseration is not appropriate. (Yes, you wish your network were back in charge -- we get it -- but that is now how the cookie crumbled. Had the shoe been on the other foot, we would not be putting up with whining from Obama professionals.)
Millions of us who support the Democratic Party will turn in total disgust away from the Clintons and any of their acolytes if public whining distracts from a successful 2008 Democratic Convention. We all need public unity now, period.
August 23, 2008 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps party unity should mean the Obama campaign not issuing a public backslap to Hillary with a 3a.m. text message call to Biden. Perhaps the Obama campaign knowing the announcement would take some time to "get over it" should not have waited until two days before the convention to announce Biden as VP or should have made it abundantly clear that Hillary was not in the running. Seems to me it takes two sides to build unity and just sweeping disappointment under the rug, like you are demanding of Begala, does not mean it doesn't exist. I also notice you left out Wolfson who gave a rousing endorsement of Biden as VP. Selective as usual.
Not to mention the abysmal failure of the text message to his supporters first. The stupidest VP rollout ever. Let's hope this is not the moment we all look back at to say he really blew it here.
August 23, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am sorry, I just do not buy the 3am email theory. This was a coincidence, not a slap.
Really, wallowing in self-pity is politically useless for the country, and that is what counts in an election like this. I understand very viscerally the kinds of feelings that older women in HRC's generation have about these things, believe me. But it just is not becoming for any of us to wallow in this stuff in public, or to overinterpret every little thing in self-referential ways. Hillary Clinton is a powerful Senator and will accomplish more in that role than in an awkward Vice Presidential candidacy with Obama.
August 23, 2008 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not wallowing in self-pity. It's anger, which as a Hillary supporter who has already chosen to back Obama is not a particularly helpful state to be in 2 days before the convention. I can't imagine how undecided Hillary supporters have been affected.
And I sincerely doubt had the roles been reversed, had Hillary not selected or even seriously considered Obama as VP, that you or others would be expressing OUTRAGE at Obama campaign insiders and African American leaders who took that neglect as a slap in the face.
August 23, 2008 5:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, I would not be asking for anything for Obama.
August 23, 2008 6:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
No doubt.
But then, I can't imagine the author of this OP to ever do anything but rationalize any and every poor decision made by the Obama campaign.
Obama's campaign does not make mistakes, and if Obama loses it won't be because of their short-sightedness, or their utter lack of respect for the left they supposedly represent, it will be "everyone elses" fault.
Stick to your guns Dijamo, if Theda and other similarly blinded pundits don't get their blinders off, we'll ALL lose.
Again.
August 23, 2008 6:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh dear! You're angry! And so are all the other losers! Oh no! We should undo the primaries because you are angry! I guess if Obama would publicly bow in front of the Clintons it would please you, but you would still be angry so why should anyone bother?
Anger: It is the same as eating rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. Hint: It is a self-defeating exercise, and it doesn't garner respect.
August 23, 2008 7:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only one that appears to be angry here is you, Ms. multiple exclamation points. Is it because some folks at TPM have the "audacity to hope" for a progressive candidate that does more than talk the talk, however eloquently?
I did not support Senator Clinton in the primaries, but it did not escape me how vulgar, shrill, and extreme some of Senator Obama's supporters became, the writer of the OP lost my respect then.
Perhaps you don't want to win this election, but I do, you won't win it by acting like a sophomoric teenybopper at a Beatles concert. Have some respect for others.
August 23, 2008 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
What crazy warped vortex did I enter that Cville Dem is lecturing me on anger and etiquette? Seriously?! Hillary has done everything asked of her and more than any other runner-up has ever done for the candidate and the message fro,m Obama and his supporters is not gratitude, but SMILE HARDER HILLARY! SELL IT MORE! Go back and look at her concession speech, look at the Unity speech (which totally blew the Biden event out of the water) and tell me how she could do more.
At some point Obama himself much take ownership for reaching out to Hillary supporters rather than expecting her to turn them over wrapped up with a nice little bow. It is not Hillary's job to woo these supporters, but she IS helping. It is Obama's job and I have yet to see a single outreach from him directly. He's just waiting for people to get over it and realize how bad McCain is. That's a risky strategy but good luck with that. Just don't put the blame on Hillary when she has done every damn thing asked of her if he loses.
August 23, 2008 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
O please what self-pity nonsense you write.
Hillary did everything in her power to create your seething. She kept the primaries going long past when there was any chance of her accuring enough delegates to win. Less you have forgotten it is delegates that win the nomination in the Democratic party. Not votes. Yet, you and all of the crazy Hillaryfanatics seem to think somehow that it is votes that counts. How ever did you all come up with that crazy notion? Hillary screeched and screeched about it in primary after losing primary ..the votes, the votes she would would cry..like the fella on The Island use to cry de plane! de plane! boss to Monte. Her supporters have never even once dealt with reality. The reality that Hillary never once even led in the primaries. Not once. Not ever. She lost and she kept losing. Even so she continued to drag the party down creating this mass of whinny sore losers who can't seem to figure out that this country is more important than their personal issues!! The only thing Hillary has done is create the biggest schism in the democratic party ever all because she and her supporters are nothing but sore losers.
Hillary even had the temerity to insist along with Bill that Obama help her retire the massive debt she accured while denigrating the party's nominee!! Billary is behind the scenes right now creating more ruckus by whinning to the press that she was not vetted. As if she was somehow 'entitled' to be vetted like she was the 'inevitable' nominee. Billary is the worse thing that has happened to this party. They had their turn and they need to go home, sit down and shut up. All their supporters need to act like they are DEMOCRATS and NOT Hillarybots.
No one cares if Hillary smiles. What she needs to do is act like an adult and tell her supporters that she lied to them. She needs to tell her supporters that she knew in March that there was no way for her to win. That she deceived them to keep them sending money to her horribly fiscally mismanaged campaign that demonstrated she has no executive skills when it comes to handling massive complex organization. Something most people learned when by the colossal failure of health care that she was put in charge of. She is indecisive. Penn's memos demonstrated that. When it came time to making critical decisions, Hillary deferred to Bill. She was constantly in a state of paralysis and was not capable of leading the ship. Hillary is intelligent and she is a wonk but she complete lacks executive and leadership skills. That is why her and Bill make a good team but she is ineffective without Bill. That has been demonstrated repeatedly. So wake up people. Hillary has earned the respect she deserves.
She does not deserved to be VP, she did not deserve to be consulted, and she does not deserve to ever be put in charge of any project that requires executive managerial skills like governing this country or something as simple as deciding to run that despicable 3AM ad. Bill Clinton is the executive in the marriage. Hillary can't see the forest for the trees. Nor could she discern that it was delegates not votes that determine the nominee.
Obama owes no gratitude to Billary nor their supporters. Their actions are selfish and solely based on their ambitions and not in the best interest of the party. Billary acted like Bubba and alienated the most loyal base of voters in the Democratic party. African Americans. Without their vote no Democrat can become President and over 30% of Congressman and Senators do not get elected. Obama understood the rules for Democratic primaries and Hillary did not. She lost. Now she needs to graciously move off stage and take Bill with her home to Little Rock.
Hillary's 'unity' speech was tepid compared to Biden's passionate and unequivocal support of Obama today. Bill Clinton praised McCain's economic policies just last week! There can only be one President in the White House at a time. So to choose Hillary was out. No losing candidat has the right to assert that their views should be considered or sought. Not after how the Clintons along with their attack dogs like Caraville and the Gov's from TN and OH have gone out of their way to continue backbiting Obama and his campaign. The Clintons have earned being ignored and it is best that obama not seek advice from them whatsoever. The Clintons disgraced the party and they do not have the good sense to understand that they have overstayed their welcome like guests who do not know when to go home.
Hillary supporters are the Democrats who need act responsible and support the nomineee. They are the ones keeping up unnecessry ruckus and acting like spoiled toddlers whinning all the time. Hillary is a pathetic sore loser and so are all the folks who write posts like you.
Grow up or leave the party. I am sick of your bitching and whinning. We have an election to win and folks like you can stay home or vote for McCain but whatEVER you do ...please don't call yourself Democrats until you learn how to put the interest of the country over your own selfish interests.
August 24, 2008 12:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's a pretty nasty thing to say to a fellow progressive. It is that kind of nastiness that fractures the left and hands the Republicans victories after victories despite the fact that they have nothing whatever to offer the American people.
We get it YOU GUYS DESPISE THE CLINTONS. Fine, try to restrain yourself ok?
You would be seen as a lot wiser if you did not rub salt into the wounds of fellow progressives by calling them "losers" because they supported Hillary in the primaries. Do you really want to further alienate a sizable chunk of progressive voters? For what purpose? What do you gain? It is self destructive to the progressive movement and it has to stop.
You are better than that.
August 24, 2008 3:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Andrew,
I am not rubbing salt into wounds. The people who loss, refuse to acknowledge the winner and act like adults. Instead they are whinning and kvetching and acting as if the winner owes the loser something. The winner has not ever owed anything to the loser in the history of the party. Never. Hillary is no different.
If the people who claim to be Democrats and Hillary supporters were truly Democrats they would understand that it is time to act like Democrats and not bitch about the losing candidate endlessly.
The nominee owes the losing candidates nothing. Hillary is not the first candidate to lose and not be considered for a spot on the ticket. The first African American to run and win the second highest number of delegates was also not considered to be VP. What makes her candidacy any different?
Hillary is not entitled to anything nor are her supporters, other than to be loyal Democratic supporters of the party nominee.
Individuals who cannot do so, need to move on and stop with the divisiveness.
Hillary lost and she racked up massive debts because she was delusional and refused to throw in the towel. She deluded her supporters into throwing good money after bad, she mislead them into beleiveing that votes not delgates counted in the primaries and she ran a nasty campaign where she smeared the nominee knowing that she could not possibly win.
No one who was a loyal Democrat would even have the temerity to suggest that such behavior earned any consideration for the ticket. And that is as it should be. Hillary hurt the Democrats and her 'supporters' and husband continue to be a drag on the party.
Individuals who do love this party should not have to tolerate all this divisiveness from a losing candidate. It is irrational and detrimental to the party winning the White House.
Anyone not on board with that goal deserves to be told just that.
August 24, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Andrew,
I am not rubbing salt into wounds. The people who loss[sic], refuse to acknowledge the winner and act like adults
Ho is refusing to acknowledge the winner? And who is refusing to be gracious to the loser? Get your facts straight.
Look I was a strong Hillary supporter and I'm volunteering for the Obama campaign. You are delusional to think that there is some vast Hillary conspiracy to deny Obama the presidency.
What I see is that many primary Obama supporters don't know how to win gracefully instead making a goddamn spectacle of the whole thing.
It has gotten so bad that even McCain is cutting commercials exploiting this shameful behavior by the Obamanoids.
The worse calculation of the Obama campaign in my estimation has been to give credence to the lunacy that taking an anti-Hillary approach after the primary is overwill have some mythical synergy that will help Obama get elected.
On the contrary it is threatening getting McCain elected.
ASIDE: I have a theory that I give some plausibility to that these so called anti-Hillary Obamanoids are really working undercover for the McCain campaign to sow division among our rank. (they can’t be THAT stupid). I urge TPM regulars to be weary of these people. Who are they? What is their agenda? Why do they insist on insulting Hillary and those who supported her? Does that sound like they have progressive interests at heart? I don't think so. It Sounds like they want to divide the Democratic electorate so that McCain--their man--will slip into the presidency amidst a divide Democratic party. Just a theory, but it does fit the facts.
August 24, 2008 11:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmmm. Interesting. I have thought the opposite, that many of the supposed pro-Hillary die-hards you see here and elsewhere are actually GOP plants. But that's obviously not true of all of them on either side. Paul Begala is no GOP plant, and I see names I recognize from the very earliest days at TPM Cafe among the anti-Hillary crowd; they are not GOP plants, either.
I preferred Sen. Clinton to Sen. Obama in the primaries; in some respects, I still do. But I've become reconciled, no thanks to Obama supporters here and elsewhere, to the fact that Obama is going to be the nominee. And I was feeling very good about his choice of Biden as VP until the "shut up, you damned Hillary-bots" chorus started up again. I try to tune them out, but they are obnoxiously loud. And they are doing Obama no good.
I agree with Theda's thesis that Biden represents a bridge from a good past to a brighter future. I wish she had left it at that.
August 25, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
From AP (believe at your risk)
August 23, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama has excellent judgement!
Hillary did not deserve to be considered. She ran the most horrible campaign and at the same time she went out of her way to take Obama down knowing full well in March that she had no possible way of winning the number of delegates to win the nomination.
Mark Penn's memos attest to this. Both Hill and Bill knew it. Yet they dragged out the primaries and attacked and attacked the party nominee for their own selfish ambitions.
There is no way on earth either Clinton should be consult on anything by the Obama team. They are out to sabatoge Obama and he knows it ...thank GOD!
August 24, 2008 12:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why are you angry. It is just a contest that was lost. Nobody died. Relative to present day politics it was merely another day at the office. It is waht it is. If you don't like the way the game is played maybe you should find something different to do. Complaining about how this one is played will get you nowhere. And Hillary especially knows this because she plays this game really, really well.
August 25, 2008 4:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
What does the 3 am text message have to do with anything? Are we supposed to believe that Hillary found out just like the rest of us did? Grow up!
"The stupidest VP roll-out ever?" It was great according to most of us, but there is no pleasing you.
OK, Hillary is getting a big-night speech. Bill (regardless of his terrible comments where he tried to emasculate Obama) is getting a big-night speech. How about Carter? He is still living, isn't he? What in the hell more could Obama give the Clintons except to cede the election to them?
You have lost all objectivity. On second thought, you never had objectivity.
August 23, 2008 7:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Clintons leaked that mess to the press just so they could once again be in the media and rain on the parade of the VP announcement.
Billary has to constantly be fed and the media happily obliges.
This was Biden's day and yet we are talking about the whinny sniveling backbiting reptilian Clintons.
August 24, 2008 12:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
I do agree with most of what you had to say. My concern is that I just cannot accept that Biden even likes Obama and so it is hard for me to grasp why he was selected to run with him. Makes me think the party has more say than the candidate about who he chooses. Makes me glad I am an independent and hopefully that one of these days we will have another party that will vote the corporate yes people out of Washington and get some good folks to represent "we the people". Will not happen in my lifetime but maybe my grandchildren will be able to really change this awful system.
August 24, 2008 5:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
To which Gene Robinson answered that since Obama wasn't going to select her anyway (noting Solis-Doyle appointment), he'd have been foolish to vet Hillary and then have to explain why he didn't select her (Bill Clinton library contributors)
August 23, 2008 6:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you get that hush-hush info from Drudge or Rove? Nice to see so-called dems still acting with rightwing lies. Excellent way to woo Hillary supporters. They should put you on the outreach committee.
August 23, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eugene Robinson on MSNBC.
Boy shoot the messenger....
Did you REALLY believe she'd be picked after Obama hired Patti Solis Doyle as the COS for the VP nominee???
Take a chill pill from Hill
From AP
August 23, 2008 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Really did Eugene Robinson add that parenthetical (Bill Clinton library contributors) assumption or was that your own addendum? And what basis is there to assume Clinton library contributors would prohibit her from being picked? I have respect for Eugene Robinson despite his criticism of Hillary. If you really took that groundless assumption from him, his credibility is totally shot.
August 23, 2008 9:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes he did.
Your world is crumbling.
Too damn bad
August 23, 2008 9:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh yeah. I forgot Gene Robinson is on Countdown w/ MSNBC now. Makes perfect sense. To assume there is a "problem" with the Clinton library donors that would prevent Hillary from being vetted with no proof whatsoever is slander, not journalism. The library list was going to be her downfall just like the tax returns Obama's campaign was demanding. Ended up just embarassing themselves. This type of smear campaigns is based on innuendo with no facts and it is embarrassing this is what progressives and formerly respected journalists have come to. It's a shame he has plunged so low. And it's even more pathetic that there are fools who fall for it.
One less journalist, one more political hack. Sad.
August 23, 2008 10:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Learn the facts.
Hillary refused to account for the $18M gap in her income tax reports.
Hillary refused to provide the details for her earmarks. You do recall she had the highest dollar earmarks of all Senators, right?
Hill and Bill will not divulge their library donors.
So, they were not vetted for those reasons. Why bother when they communicated those terms from jump.
It would have been a pointless exercise complete with leaks and whines to the press to create ample drama from them.
Obama is no drama...and that means no vetting of the Clintons.
August 24, 2008 12:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
And now you are calling those of us who support the nominee of our party "so-called democrats."
You have really lost it. Actually, on second thought you never had it. You're behaving like a compulsive gambler; just one more insult and maybe Hillary will get it. Forget it; cut your losses and back the winner.
August 24, 2008 8:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
personally CVille you are not being helpful at all in this thing. You guys have a bad case of schadenfreude that Hillary lost and you cannot stop yourself from beating a dead horse even if it costs Democrats the election. What a bunch of assholes you are!
August 24, 2008 11:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
And of course it WOULD have come up had Hillary been vetted and not chosen. That and some of the more lurid speculation/rumors/gossip/slander about Bill's post-WH "activities"
The story would have run from the RNC to the MSM and through the convention just to piss moaners like you off
That's why Hillary had the great good sense to follow Gene Robinson's advice
Go hold a bake sale
Retire her debt
August 23, 2008 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant idea! In the spirit of unity, I've been contributing to Hillary and Obama in equal amounts since her campaign ended. Do you recommend I stop contributing to Obama and focus on Hillary's campaign debts? Yet another divisive Obama supporter who thinks trashing Hillary and Bill will bring the party together. Good luck with that!
August 23, 2008 10:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, the overwhelming majority of us to support Obama are fighting party unity, and the other bunch who keep raising the bar of what Hillary ought to "get" are the "true Democrats."
up is down, north is south, dijamo is rational
August 24, 2008 8:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Psst! DIJamo
Didn't you get the memo? No one is trying to woo Hillary supporters...so either get on board or stay home.
Y'all are like Hillary with this sense of entitlement to be woo'd.
Newsflash...Obama didn't consult the Clintons he didn't bother vetting them ...and we are not going to woo you either.
So, now what you got to say?
If you are a true Democrat you know full well that the Democratic party platform has the economic and domestic policies to make this country work for the middle class again.
If that is not enough for you...start steppin..we need folks who know how to be team players, who know how to work for the party and not some crazy Hillaryfanatics who want to whine about why aren't they being wooed.
August 24, 2008 12:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
dijamo
Thir absolute hatred of the Clintons blinds them to the damage they are doing to progressive unity come November.
Frankly I think it is pathological.
August 24, 2008 3:12 AM | Reply <