A bane, perhaps. If anyone wishes to insist that there can be only one bane of the Republic, I’m going to submit that it’s the Republicans.
I don’t think so-he is showing signs of senile dementia even now. His stupid gaffes are one thing, but do you want a senile old man in charge of the US military?
We managed to live through it once.
And even if senile, if Biden were to become the Democratic nominee, he would still be preferable to ANY Republican.
Anyone who spends a great deal in public will make the occasional blunder - more so if you go off script as he tends to do.
So many pols are so tightly scripted when in the public eye nowadays, but if you were to compare him with another politician out there in his mold I doubt the percentage of gaffes he makes would be that much more…
I was thinking more in line of things that everyone does. One thing that strikes me from reading old news stories is how much more direct our government was and how much less obsessed they were with consistent messaging. I realize the TV media age changed some things, but it’s gotten ridiculous. Biden would be a throwback in that respect.
That just proves my point. When he tries to lie it’s so outlandish that no one believes him anyway. He’s really, really, bad at it.
Let’s examine that list, shall we?
“Off-Color Approval” - Biden muttered “this is a big fucking deal” to Obama during an embrace at the ceremonial signing of the Affordable Care Act.
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my assessment: if you think this a big deal, fucking or otherwise, you’re an idiot.
“No Need to PANIC, EVERYBODY!” - Biden expresses concern about travelling in “confined places”, i.e. aircraft, during a swine flu outbreak. -
my assessment: I’m not sure if the contagion risk is all that elevated (no pun intended) during air travel, but meh. Later, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs commented, “If people felt unduly alarmed for whatever reason, we would certainly apologize for that.” Gibbs should have said “If people felt unduly alarmed for whatever reason, they should grow the fuck up.”
“Joe Biden’s Stimulus Stumble” - Biden, about the 2010 economic stimulus package: “If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there’s still a 30% chance we’re going to get it wrong.” -
my assessment: that’s not a gaffe, that’s refreshingly realistic. It is indeed possible to do your best, indeed do as well as you possibly could, and still fail. That’s life, and anyone who hasn’t learned this yet is either an overly indulged spoiled brat or a fucking idiot.
There’s more, but I think I’ve gone over this list before and I seem to recall that only one or two instances were particularly gaffish. The rest were either misunderstood or disingenuously over-reacted to.
Stop being such a tease!
Yes, Let’s.
•A “Stand Up” Slipup
Telling a wheelchair-bound state Senator to “Stand up”.
•A Dubious Compliment
Referring to candidate Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
•Diversity in Delaware?
Suggesting that one cannot go into a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts without an Indian accent.
•Much Ado About … A Lot
Plagiarism and inflating his academic record, which torpedoed his previous Presidential run.
I admit I got bored after the first three, but there are ten items in all, and you’ve only listed four.
So are those four the ones you consider gaffish, out of the ten?
Anyway, aside from possibly his age (and it’s worth noting that his father and mother lived to be 87 and 93), I don’t see a problem with Biden making a run or possibly accepting a cabinet post in Hillary’s administration. His “gaffe” reputation is overblown, and even calling it that is generous.
“A gaffe occurs not when a politician lies, but when he tells the truth – some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.” – Michael Kinsley
Is Biden any leftier than Obama or Clinton?
I would like to see Biden run. I would only vote for Hillary if she was running against Trump. I would likely vote for Biden over several of the current Republican candidates.
Why? On what basis do you distinguish them?
Um, honesty? Better connection with everyday Americans? Not using your office and fame to cash in?
Joe is such a real guy, extremely likable, and could be the guy who would get congress to work together. Obama genuinely loves the guy, he’s a mensch. I could definitely see Obama’s base picking up the mantle for Joe. 72 years isn’t insurmountable. He seems to be very fit. And truly, Hillary doesn’t have his charisma. But his family tragedies… I can’t even imagine.
Since I think of Joe as a pretty decent and selfless guy, I think his decision will be based on whether or not he thinks he would be a better Democratic standard-bearer than the other candidates, and so I think he may hold back until there’s any sign that Hillary is having problems.
Here’s a crazy thought: how about Biden for Hillary’s VP? Unprecedented, maybe, but allowable, AFAIK.