Sen. Joseph Biden from Delaware brings much to the Democratic ticket, particularly in the areas of unifying the Democratic base and bolstering Obama’s foreign policy credentials, but the choice still leaves much doubt whether this ticket can pull through in November. The Republicans will now have a week to vet and strategically devise their own countermeasure when McCain also announces his running mate.Let’s look at the advantages Biden brings to the table. The senator from Delaware has the ability to connect with blue collar voters and will secure the Democratic base, particularly voters in Pennsylvania and Ohio, which are key battleground states. This will bring Clinton’s staunch supporters of blue-collar workers and women—a key demographic Obama had difficulty in convincing during the primary—into the fold. Clearly, the Obama campaign had this question in mind: ‘How do you pacify Clinton supporters without Hillary being in the picture?’ The fear that some hardcore Clinton supporters would switch allegiance to the McCain camp probably played a major factor to Obama’s VP selection committee in choosing Biden. Recall that the past two presidential elections were decided by key independents that swung the votes in Bush’s favor. Every vote counts in these key battleground states because of the winner-take-all nature of the Electoral College and the Democrats know that they can’t afford to make the same mistake in 2008. Choosing Biden to unite the Democratic base was their answer.
Biden also complements Obama with his foreign policy experience having served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and also as the chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Biden’s credentials in this area will give Obama the help he needs to set a new direction and tone in combating the War on Terror. Needless to say, the challenges are immense in the foreign policy arena. Recent polls have shown that voters feel McCain is stronger in the issue of foreign policy than Obama. Biden’s selection should close that gap.
As for his character and demeanor, there is no question that Biden will speak his mind, but there is no doubt too that the last word will be Obama’s. Obama stated that he wanted “somebody who will tell me when they disagree with me.” Biden, a pragmatist and realist, will be outspoken, particularly in the area of foreign policy. It’s fair to say that we will not see a repeat of the power Dick Cheney wielded in the current administration.
Geographically, Biden was an interesting choice by the Obama campaign. While it united the Democratic base, it did not gamble in winning a key battleground, competitive, southern state, if Obama had chosen, for example, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Clearly, the Obama campaign believes that unifying the party’s base is more important than trying to infiltrate and win traditional red states.
Another interesting observation is that the two men vying for the ticket are both senators. While both men have law making experience, both do not have executive experience. Historically, this has been an obstacle the past few presidential elections. It didn’t work for Sen. Kerry and Edwards in 2004, former Sen. Gore and Lieberman in 2000, and Sen. Dole and Kemp in 1996. Voters oftentimes consider governors as better suited for the presidency than senators. Our current president and former president Bill Clinton were both governors. While Bush Sr. was VP Ronald Reagan too served as the governor of California. We’ll just have to wait and see if this becomes a factor.
Overall, Biden is a solid pick for the Democrats. He complements Obama in many ways. The role of the vice presidential candidate is to lead attacks against the opposition. Biden's history of talking tough to his opponents makes him well suited for the post. He has also been critical of Bush's approach to Iraq from the beginning while being touted by his Republican colleagues such as Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. A strong, outspoken, yet respected VP is what Obama needed, and Biden offers him those strengths.
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