I'm shocked that Obama would pick Biden.

[Lyric]

I thought the "clean and articulate" comment would have been something of a deal-breaker. Oh well. I suppose Obama knows best who he wants. They must have gotten it all worked out between them.

[PM7nj]

1. Why would it?

It was a stupid media created nontroversy. Obama never took offense to it or any thing.

[Lyric]

3. Media-created?

I suppose it was media-hyped, but it was Biden-created, to be truthful. And it *did* sound kinda bad.

Like I said, they must have gotten everything cleared up between them. I'm sure Joe was suitably embarrassed for not speaking more clearly.

[progressivebydesign]

43. everyone on DU freaked out over that comment... now it's fine?

What's with the Biden love-fest? I can't fathom why anyone would get so excited about a New England liberal in expensive suits... Have we learned nothing from the recent elections that Americans DO NOT CONNECT with candidates they cannot relate to.

I'm trying to figure out how the hell I could become energized to support such a boring ticket. They've sucked all the life out of Obama trying to make him appear presidential, and now Biden?

McCain will pick a southern guy and that will be all she wrote, as they say. The Dems are addicted to losing. :(

[Muttocracy]

2. did you watch the Iowa debate?

[Lyric]

5. No, we don't have television service.

I haven't gotten to see any of the debates, unfortunately. I do watch clips on assorted news websites, though, so I've gotten to hear Obama speak.

[Muttocracy]

10. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOXzyTGsC1c&feature=related

[democrat2thecore]

17. Joe was great - but Obama cleared that up REAL quick -nt

[Cha]

9. Why..what happened? I don't pay

attention to all that minor stuff and I don't know that much in depth about the VP choices except what I don't like but from reading DU over the last weeks on weeks since the primary ended..Joe Biden seems like the right fit for Obama and our country.

What say you?

[Muttocracy]

11. in terms of Biden's record on race, posted above; also has stellar NAACP ratings. nt

[Cha]

15. Oh that..

little tempest in a DU teapot.

[Top Cat]

4. I don't know why you would be surprised

He was on the shortlist... If Biden is the man ou need to get over it. "Fired up ad ready to go"

[Lyric]

7. "Get over it?"

There's really nothing to get over. I don't dislike Biden. I don't really have any opinion about him one way or another--he's been something of a non-issue candidate for me (at least until now.)

I know my English 102 professor (who is from Delaware) is probably going to be ecstatic when I next see him. He loves Biden.

[jillan]

6. Obama and Biden all but kissed and made up at the last debate.

Obama gave a little speech on all that Biden has done for civil rights to defend him.

[Lyric]

8. Ahhh. I wasn't aware of that.

We don't have television service, so I haven't gotten to watch more than just a few clips of the debates.

[jenmito]

12. By "clean" he obviously meant his record (no scandals). n/t

[NYC_SKP]

13. I could get in trouble for saying this, but oh, well....

Given the rarified environment in which most members of congress live (rich country club), and given what the media hands us as the stereotype black man (foul-mouthed ghetto crack dealer), Senator Biden's remarks were not racist in the least, but rather reflected an authentic (if really tactless) assessment of Obama.

We've all got stereotypes, we don't always say exactly what's on our minds about them...Biden was careless with his words, but he's not a racist.

Know what I mean?

[Lyric]

16. Oh, I don't think he's racist. I just thought that

since his comments were rather badly articulated, he could be *perceived* as racist, and this might not make a good VP.

Don't misunderstand me--I don't dislike Biden. It just genuinely surprised me that Obama chose him, due to the heavy media attention given to that comment.

I'm currently at ontheissues.org, reading up on Biden, because I know so little about him. He seems to have a very good record on the issues I really care about. At least he doesn't seem to be anything like Bayh, thank goodness. Bayh....just yuck, lol.

[NYC_SKP]

29. It's like with Clark, what he said was not such a big deal,

Yet the media makes it out to be, then next thing you know we all (or a lot of us) think the person is disqualified.

:hi:

[Muttocracy]

33. what the media did to Clark totally stinks

and the way some Dems reacted to it. I really hope Clark has a presence at the convention.

[Lyric]

35. What did Clark say that was taken badly?

That would have been around 2004, and I was still recovering from a severe back injury at the time, so I missed a lot of the news and hype.

[Muttocracy]

39. no just recently - about McCain's POW thing

took him saying something like that having been a POW isn't the only thing you need to be president, and the media and many Dems pounced on him for it as insulting McCain. I don't have exact quote here, but that was my impression - Clark was making an accurate point and it was out-of-context-soundbite-time :grr:

[Lyric]

41. Ohhh! I heard about that, but I didn't know that the media

had taken it and blown it out of proportion. We don't watch television, so we miss a lot of the frothing-at-the-mouth crap from the corporate media, thank goodness.

Personally, I think Clark made a pretty good point there. Being a POW qualifies you for a lot of things, but running a nation isn't one of them.

[Muttocracy]

42. I don't have TV either, I just spend too much time on DU and as a Biden fan,

the Clark incident hit a nerve with a lot of Biden fans (relating in terms of media treatment of candidates, and many of us look at foreign policy as a big deal, so many of us would have been just as thrilled with Clark as VP)

[RichGirl]

14. They did work it out.

Biden isn't racist but he does have a tendency to speak before he thinks.

[Lyric]

18. Yeah, I can see that.

I'd imagine that Barack has likely very gently told him that thinking before speaking is something a Vice President needs to be very adept at, so I don't think he'll make a gaffe like that again.

[democrat2thecore]

24. Actually...

...he does have a tendency to speak before he thinks.

It's more like he speaks what he thinks. Refreshing!

[Elidor]

19. Obama said the person he picked was not about ego

Biden never met a camera he didn't like.

At least he didn't pick Daschle.

[iamjoy]

20. Biden Has Foot In Mouth Disorder

He sure makes those gaffes, but I don't think he really means anything by it.

Like many of us, he needs to talk less and listen more.

[Zomby Woof]

21. That's politics

Bush slammed Reagan for 'voodoo economics', and was rewarded with #2.

[Colobo]

22. Biden meant no harm.

[wisteria]

23. I have my concerns about Biden too. He is loyal only to himself. n/t

[Muttocracy]

36. right, that's why when the debate moderators baited him to attack Hillary

he turned it into an attack on Rudy Guiliani.

[PresidentObama]

38. No basis for that opinion n/t

[abburdlen]

25. If it is Biden

and it is still an IF no matter what the media is chattering about at the moment- but if it is Biden, I'll be a bit surprised.
No so much for the clean & articulate comment but more because Biden has been in Washington longer than McCain, he voted to go into Iraq and then there's the whole bankruptcy bill. Overall I know Joe's a fine Democrat and I'd have gladly voted for him if he got the Presidential nomination but he hardly screams "Change" does he?

[saltpoint]

26. It was resolved almost instantly. Biden graciously apologized and

Obama graciously accepted.

I counted 2 adults behaving as adults in a complex world of ankle-biting media hacks.

[Skwmom]

27. I thought change was about cleaning up Washington and getting rid of the

big money lobbyists.

Oh well, Obama should have an easier time with the corporate press.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

28. Maybe Senator Obama isn't a race-obsessed outrage junkie?

:shrug:

[Lyric]

32. I don't think you have to be a race-obsessed outrage junkie

to have been offended by what he said. He spoke badly--that's rather obvious. There was a decent amount of resentment, as I recall, even here on DU. Of course, if Biden apologized and cleared up what he meant, then all is well. He must have--otherwise Obama wouldn't have chosen him.

[Muttocracy]

34. please see the YouTube clip from the debate I posted above.

[Lyric]

37. I'm sorry, my connection is rather bad tonight.

YouTube hates me. I take it that it's a video of Biden apologizing, then?

[Muttocracy]

40. debate moderator ran through "racist" things he had said

Biden defended his records on civil right for decades (and he does have great ratings from NAACP, etc.). Other Dems cheered "hear hear". Obama chimed in to say he knew Biden was on the right side of civil rights issues, knows Biden's heart and record, it's not an issue, etc.

[progressiveforever]

30. agree with oktoberrain

I'm shocked as well--I trust they know what they are doing.

[TTUBatfan2008]

31. He's friends with him...

he knows what is in his heart. Joe Biden is a good man who has always stood up for minorities.