With Biden chosen as VP, I believe the Democratic Party is finally waking up.
   How so? One word - Aggression.
   That's right, good, old-fashioned aggression. Not actual aggression, mind you, (although it would be great to see these guys charge from behind the podium and grab each other by the throat) but rhetorical aggression.
   For too long, the Democrats have taken the high road in political discourse. An admirable aim, I guess, but one that has come across as an avoidance strategy, an unwillingness to face the threat posed by the Republicans directly and without nuance. And the Republicans have traded on this "reasonableness" to full advantage, without apology.
   Biden represents an authentic departure from this pattern, a sincere desire to mix it up and pull no punches.
   I've heard there are questions about his voting record, but no one much cares about those things, especially in light of all the amending and rewriting that goes on, to the point that legislators often don't know precisely what they're voting for or against.
   Much more important are the zingers, the mocking one-liners and, most importantly, the tone of his approach. He's not trying to persuade anyone, necessarily--he's PISSED.
   I heard a brain scientist on the radio one day who -- through an elaborate series of experiments -- determined that the vast majority of people vote with their emotions and not their reasoning powers.
   Finally, this idea seems to be sinking in with the Democrats. Obama elicits a different kind of emotion than Biden and they complement each other well, although I would like to see Obama mixing it up a little more.
   People LIKE when politicians go on the attack. It gives voters an excuse to abandon the Republicans. No amount of reasoned discourse can do this.
   But aggression? Really?
   Yes, because aggression allows you to frame the debate. Have we learned nothing?
   And as for gaffes, well, there is a man in the White House RIGHT NOW whose Presidency has been a two-term, uninterrupted gaffe. And he made both elections close enough to steal.
   I heard it said that "Democrats use elitist rhetoric to promote populist policies, while Republicans use populist rhetoric to promote elitist policies."
   Biden helps bring back the idea of using populist rhetoric to promote populist policies.
   Good call.