# Biden Getting Ready To Step Aside? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 10, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023 "2008-09-10T23:39:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/61 "2008-09-11T19:12:19Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Well Governor Palin has balanced a state budget and cut spending. She’s running as Vice President. Senator Obama has no executive experience at all and has spent most of his first term running for President. The Republicans have more experience with their Vice Presidential candidate than the Democrats have with their presidential candidate. Uhmmm- as no one else has said it- she didn’t have to balance a budget- Alaska was running a surplus and she cut her own salary because she didn’t need it… ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/62 "2008-09-11T19:15:04Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Wow, it’s weird to see someone else post this. My friend (a conservative) told me with absolute conviction that (he seemed to suggest it had something to do with the brilliance of the Sarah Palin pick) Obama’s team would find some excuse for Biden to step down. Has anything like that ever happened? Even if a VP turns out not to be the ideal choice, under any circumstance other than some major scandal I would think that replacing the VP candidate would be seen as a sign of weakness and be a greater liability than keeping them. Does anyone else wish they had lived in the days when the secondary loser was VP? I would love to see an Obama/McCain White House- I think that might actually be a world regaining reign… Sorry for the triple post- I will shut up for a while… ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/63 "2008-09-11T19:22:49Z")
> [@bdgr](#): > > Not a chance. I think Biden is going to kick the shit out of Palin first time they debate. All she has to do is let her eyes strategically fill with tears. That’s all I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/64 "2008-09-11T19:26:38Z")
> [@PhiloVance](#): > > Whoosh, much? No, actually, I don’t think I was whooshed unless you’re suggesting the OP did not mean his words to be taken literally. I think he did. ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/65 "2008-09-11T20:01:41Z")
> [@bdgr](#): > > Not a chance. I think Biden is going to kick the shit out of Palin first time they debate. Debates aren’t won by the side that makes the best argument or gives the best performance. They’re won by the candidate who performs best against expectations. All this “Biden will kick Palin’s ass” talk sets up his almost-guaranteed failure. My sincere prediction: she’ll be racked up as woefully unprepared, up against a fierce debater. She’ll lay down a few drawly zingers and be declared the winner. She’s being graded on a steep curve. For precedent, see: RNC speech. ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/66 "2008-09-11T20:09:05Z")
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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/67 "2008-09-11T20:11:51Z")
> [@initech](#): > > Debates aren’t won by the side that makes the best argument or gives the best performance. They’re won by the candidate who performs best against expectations. All this “Biden will kick Palin’s ass” talk sets up his almost-guaranteed failure. > > My sincere prediction: she’ll be racked up as woefully unprepared, up against a fierce debater. She’ll lay down a few drawly zingers and be declared the winner. She’s being graded on a steep curve. For precedent, see: RNC speech. Hmm, you make a good point. Biden will clean Palin’s clock, but she may win a moral victory, due to low expectations. Gore vs Bush is an example. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/68 "2008-09-11T20:33:16Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > And he did it dozens of times with attribution. He forgot one time. I’m fairly skeptical of that claim. He attributed it dozens of times and just happened to forget the one time he was being recorded. Yeah, right. I wish Obama hadn’t picked him. But, on the bright side, it was years ago and probably the rubber is off the tires by now. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/69 "2008-09-11T20:42:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Hmm, you make a good point. Biden will clean Palin’s clock, but she may win a moral victory, due to low expectations. Gore vs Bush is an example. Yeah, W. always got awarded an upset victory just for not drooling on his tie. I saw Biden a few days ago talking about how tough and sharp he expected Palin to be and how he wasn’t sure he’d be able to beat her. That’s what he needs to do. They can’t let Rove pull his normal “expectations” manipulation. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/70 "2008-09-11T20:52:27Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > In an interesting aside, Bill Clinton today predicted that [“…Sen. Obama will win and win pretty handily.”](http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D934LQA80&show_article=1) > > I find that encouraging coming from a guy who **can read a political landscape as well as BC can**. Ha ha ha! A Bill Clinton endorsement is more than likely a political kiss-of-death. To wit: Al Gore John Kerry Gray Davis Jeanne Shaheen Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Jim Guy Tucker Janet Reno David Dinkins (for NYC Mayor) Mark Green (for NYC Mayor) Frenando Ferrer (for NYC Mayor) Erskine Bowles Max Cleland Walter Mondale (for Senator of Minnesota) Christopher John (for Senator of Louisianna) Jeanne Carnahan (for Senator of Missouri) Ned Lamont Tom Daschle Hillary Clinton Not a winner in the bunch! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/71 "2008-09-11T21:23:32Z")
The point was not that it was an endorsement but that it was a prediction. Those are two different things. Bill Clinton can read an electorate like Peyton Manning can read a cover two defense. He did kick your asses twice, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/72 "2008-09-11T21:41:49Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The point was not that it was an endorsement but that it was a prediction. Those are two different things. Bill Clinton can read an electorate like Peyton Manning can read a cover two defense. Last time he predicted someone would win the Presidency, “by a pretty good margin” no less – how did that forecasting acumen work out, again? [http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view\_all&address=132x3699752](http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3699752) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/73 "2008-09-11T21:43:54Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > Last time he predicted someone would win the Presidency, “by a pretty good margin” no less – how did that forecasting acumen work out, again? > > [http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view\_all&address=132x3699752](http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3699752) That’s his wife. He also has to tell her her ass doesn’t look fat in those pants suits. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/74 "2008-09-11T21:57:55Z")
> [@gurujulp](#): > > Uhmmm- as no one else has said it- she didn’t have to balance a budget- Alaska was running a surplus and she cut her own salary because she didn’t need it… Returning money you don’t need versus spending money you don’t have. A lot of households can relate to working within a budget. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/75 "2008-09-11T23:26:55Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What difference does that make? If Obama had said the same thing in the third grade, it would be an issue now? Well, that’s what we call speculation, not fact. But couldn’t it just be that many of the news outlets were reticent to publish the specifics about a inappropriate joke about the President’s daughter rather than trying to protect McCain? At any rate, your characterization of this as the media giving McCain a pass is factually incorrect. > [@](#): > > How come the past is always relevant for Dems but never Pubs? It’s called confirmation bias. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/76 "2008-09-12T00:24:21Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I would say that Biden is a better pick in terms of experience, but Hillary would have been a better pick, politically. But both are good. The idea that you have to pick the absolute best person as your VP is ridiculous. There are plenty of people qualified, but you have to pick someone you can work with and who maybe, just maybe, will help you politically. NOOOO! Don’t you know that the POTUS & VPOTUS have to be _ **perrfect!???** _ All this humility & “one is as good as another” is UNAMERICAN!!! [/sarcasm] Yeah, what they said. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/77 "2008-09-12T00:44:13Z")
Biden made a ham-handed response to Palin praising Hilarity Clinton for cracking the glass-ceiling for her. It was moderately less insulting and condescending picking Palin as a running mate. Biden step down for Hilary Clinton? So Obama doesn’t really want the Presidency after all? Obama, as most people have noticed, is Black. He needs a straight white male running mate, preferably one with Southern appeal and little reputation as an intellectual. He also needs someone willing to eviscerate Palin in debate, with both style and substance. > [@Slacker](#): > > The hardcore religious righty Republican. … There’s only one thing they hate more than France and PBS, and that’s Hllary Clinton. I am so stealing that line. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/78 "2008-09-23T18:55:46Z")
So, first he calls Obama’s “McCain won’t email” ad [“terrible”](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/22/eveningnews/main4470063.shtml), and then claims that, oopsie, he’s [never actually seen the ad](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/22/biden_walks_back_comment_on_te.html). Then, he gets [smacked down by Obama](http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/obama-on-bidens.html) for his comments on the bailout (although Obama gets all evasive when this is pointed out). Then he goes and [contradicts Obama’s (and his platform’s) position on coal](http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Biden_No_coal_plants_here_in_America.html?showall). If they’re trying to set something up, it’s working. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/79 "2008-09-23T19:08:41Z")
> [@ArizonaTeach](#): > > So, first he calls Obama’s “McCain won’t email” ad [“terrible”](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/22/eveningnews/main4470063.shtml), and then claims that, oopsie, he’s [never actually seen the ad](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/22/biden_walks_back_comment_on_te.html). Then, he gets [smacked down by Obama](http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/obama-on-bidens.html) for his comments on the bailout (although Obama gets all evasive when this is pointed out). Then he goes and [contradicts Obama’s (and his platform’s) position on coal](http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Biden_No_coal_plants_here_in_America.html?showall). > > If they’re trying to set something up, it’s working. To quote Chris Rock “that tiger didn’t go crazy, that tiger went _tiger_!”. Basically, thats just Biden being Biden. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023/80 "2008-09-23T19:08:55Z")
Nothing is being “set up.” It proves that Obama showed good judgement in picking someone who isn’t just going to be a bobblehead doll all the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-getting-ready-to-step-aside/463023.md?page=5)