Icebergslim brings you pictures and speeches from today’s rally in Springfield.
Hope Reborn brings you lots of clips from journalists and bloggers reacting to Barack Obama’s selection of his running mate: “Glowing Reviews of Vice President Joe Biden: GOP ‘disappointed silence'”
Markos is not happy that Obama “filled a gap, rather than reinforced.”
Paul Rosenberg is disappointed for a different reason, as he explains in “Biden and the Primacy of the Inside Game.”
James L. of Swing State Project looks at what might happen to Biden’s senate seat from Delaware (Biden is up for reelection this year.)
dcprof says “Biden crimps McCain’s VP choice,” and I completely agree.
dday analyzes Ron Fournier’s hit piece for the Associated Press and makes the case that Fournier should recuse himself from covering the presidential campaign or be fired. He makes a strong case, since more and more newspapers rely on wire services like the AP for political coverage, and Fournier considered taking a job with John McCain’s campaign last year.
Steve Benen gives you the gory details on how bad Fournier’s piece is.
Firedoglake also put up an action item on calling for Fournier’s dismissal.
John Deeth’s take on Biden is here. You can find some of Iowa Independent’s greatest hits on the Biden family here.
MoveOn.org is giving away Obama-Biden stickers:
You can get one Obama/Biden sticker for free. For a $3+ donation, we’ll send you 5 stickers. For a $20+ donation, we’ll send 50 stickers. Stickers may take 4-6 weeks to arrive.
If you donate at least $30 to the Obama campaign, you’ll get an official Obama-Biden t-shirt with the campaign logo.
How do you feel about the ticket?
11 Comments
Not Good!
bill-spencer Sat 23 Aug 7:04 PM
Oh well
Bush Sr called Regan’s economic plan “Voodoo economics”
LBJ and JFK had it out for each other before they joined on the ticket
Eisenhauer frequently belittled Richard Nixon.
No matter who McCain picks they will fail in comparison to Biden.
Biden will chew up and spit out Huckabee, Romney, Libermann, and will make Pawlenty look like Dan Quayle.
The only one who may be able to hold his own is Tom Ridge who, if undecided will completely ruin McCain’s chances with pro-lifers.
Attack ads are to be expected, as McCain has absolutely no grounds to debate on issues.
baldy08 Sat 23 Aug 8:07 PM
I agree with dcprof
McCain is really in a bind when you think about possible running mates. Romney is the only one smooth and seasoned enough to handle a debate with Biden, but he’s even wealthier than McCain, which will keep that whole luxury house narrative going.
desmoinesdem Sat 23 Aug 8:56 PM
one possibility bothers me...
If Senator McCain picked a woman as a VP, it’d be a shrewd move. A lot of women have had the possibility of a female president/vice president dashed.
Say he picked Condoleeza Rice (if she’d do it). She’s one of the few good gems in GW’s White House. Exceptionally competent, and “in” with the current Bush crowd (not to mention the demographic advantages of being African-American and female).
Personally, I hope he picks Romney. He’s easy to dislike. Not so with Rice..or McCain himself, for that matter.
johnnyschad Sun 24 Aug 9:36 PM
I don't think he will pick Condi
She is rumored to be pro-choice. The GOP base will go ballistic if he doesn’t pick someone solidly anti-choice.
I was concerned McCain would pick Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, but she seems to have shot herself in the foot quite effectively.
Someone (maybe poblano?) wrote a piece arguing that polling does not support the idea that McCain would gain much from picking a woman as his running mate. I’ll have to try to dig that up.
desmoinesdem Sun 24 Aug 9:41 PM
Not Condi.
It won’t be Condi Rice. I don’t usually make the sort of Bush-style “I looked into his eyes” judgements, but when I see Condi Rice on TV, I see someone who is legitimately tired of politics. I don’t think she wants to be VP or anything else of the sort.
I wonder where Romney stands with McCain now. These “look what Biden said about Obama” ads make me think he must be out of the running. McCain and Romney had some debate fights that make any Obama/Biden difference look like nothing. And that’s on top of the fact that Romney is wealthy beyond most people’s dreams.
My $ is on Tom Ridge, with John Thune a close second. The complete game-changing dark horse pick–Gen. Petraeus.
american007 Sun 24 Aug 10:27 PM
religious right will not accept Ridge
They will not tolerate anyone who is pro-choice. Thune is an interesting possibility, but I think McCain would want a governor.
The more I think about it, the more I feel that McCain has no good options in terms of a running mate. He is in a mess.
Condi used to be on the board of Exxon, which named an oil tanker after her. That would be fun to put in commercials if she did end up on the ticket. But I can’t see it happening.
desmoinesdem Sun 24 Aug 11:59 PM
Love the ticket!
I just can’t help but like Biden. He would have been my second choice at the caucus. No VP choice is perfect, but I think Biden was one of the best choices Obama could have made. Running against McCain, Obama can surely use the gray hair and foreign policy gravitas. But I don’t think Biden will overshadow Obama with his credentials, the way Gore would have. I’m also hoping Biden’s quick sharp attacks will serve Obama well and drive home their message.
rf Sat 23 Aug 9:55 PM
I'm thrilled
I was a Biden delegate, and I am totally in the tank for him as Veep, or Prez, either one. What a great speech that was. Biden is hot, Obama cool, and they reinforce and complement each other. Markos is wrong and should get over it.
I hope that Biden can bring Obama around on FISA and disabuse him of the idea that naming the military of a sovereign governmet as a terrorist organization is not a recipe for diplomatic rapprochement, but for war. Obama didn’t vote for Kyl-Lieberman, or against it, (he skipped the vote), but argued in Charles City that the terrorist designation was a good idea. It is reassuring to contemplate Biden helping Obama with the rest of the world.
On Fournier, I wrote to my local paper’s editor and suggested that it isn’t too much to ask that a pre-eminent wire service employ journalism rather than opinion in its news feed. What a shameless shill Fournier is. Nedra Pickler is not much better.
riverdog9 Sat 23 Aug 10:45 PM
He could have done much worse
Personally of course I wanted Hillary, but since I knew that wasn’t going to happen, Biden was good strategy. I went to a fundraiser for my local state representative today, and many of the people there were thrilled. People who have seen him speak love him–at least those I talked to.
What are the chances that this choice is going to make people like Markos vote for McCain? I doubt very high. However, he will help with some of the people (older and otherwise) who haven’t been completely sold on the “Change, change, change” message. One 70-year-old woman, former die hard Hillary supporter I talked to said “You know, that choice makes me look at Obama differently.” She now wants an Obama/Biden button.
lorih Sun 24 Aug 2:36 PM
I agree completely
Sometimes it is more important to fill a gap than reinforce a strength, because certain demographic groups aren’t impressed by those strengths. Obama didn’t need any more help with people like Markos. I think this choice will be reassuring to many older voters who questioned Obama’s lack of experience. One of my cousins (in his 60s) told me earlier this summer that he would feel better if Obama picked Biden.
desmoinesdem Sun 24 Aug 4:30 PM