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Here is a post I made for my DU journal. Check out the great responses at the link and please add your own opinions here or there. -Bill
How great of a VP pick was Joe Biden?
I watched the online stream of Biden's events and also the youtube clips. My opinion is that while Biden worked under the radar, at least compared to the other candidates, he was extremely effective at connecting with voters for Obama.
I'd see him in those small towns, in swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Virginia. I know Biden gets ripped on for his verbosity and his slip ups, but he worked those rooms and those crowds skillfully. You could see how much they liked him as a person, and when they viewed him as one of them, a trusted source of information, he bragged up Obama and that resonated with those folks. He made them believe that help was coming, that you had two guys on their side.
And after the debate with Palin, the numbers in a CBS Poll came up and they were astounding. 98 percent saw him as knowledgable, 97 percent said he was prepared to be VP, and 91 percent thought he would be effective as president if called upon. People overwhelmingly liked Biden, I think that reassured even people who were a little skeptical about Barack. By contrast, nobody outside of the far right felt that Palin was anywhere near ready to be VP, president or had any knowledge of anything.
So he may not have gotten many headlines, but I think Joe Biden was a huge asset for Obama in this campaign. I think he helped win some of those swing states. He campaigned hard there and the people liked and respected him. My guess is that Biden honestly made a difference for Barack Obama in this race.
I'd see him in those small towns, in swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Virginia. I know Biden gets ripped on for his verbosity and his slip ups, but he worked those rooms and those crowds skillfully. You could see how much they liked him as a person, and when they viewed him as one of them, a trusted source of information, he bragged up Obama and that resonated with those folks. He made them believe that help was coming, that you had two guys on their side.
And after the debate with Palin, the numbers in a CBS Poll came up and they were astounding. 98 percent saw him as knowledgable, 97 percent said he was prepared to be VP, and 91 percent thought he would be effective as president if called upon. People overwhelmingly liked Biden, I think that reassured even people who were a little skeptical about Barack. By contrast, nobody outside of the far right felt that Palin was anywhere near ready to be VP, president or had any knowledge of anything.
So he may not have gotten many headlines, but I think Joe Biden was a huge asset for Obama in this campaign. I think he helped win some of those swing states. He campaigned hard there and the people liked and respected him. My guess is that Biden honestly made a difference for Barack Obama in this race.
