What region, state, demographic group, or voter type could Biden help Obama win?

[RiverStone]

Once it becomes official, if indeed it does, I'm all about supporting the ticket. But in these final hours of rabid speculation, Joe Biden gives me about a 5 (on a 1-10 scale) of VP excitement. Could be better, could be worse - but it would not be a WOW choice. Solid, experienced --- yet I'm curious where or with which voter group would Biden help to bolster Obama's chances of winning the GE?

[TwilightGardener]

1. Old people, hopefully. Apparently they only vote for OTHER old people.

[jillan]

2. PA, strong union ties, working class - kinda like the people that went for Hillary.

[DinahMoeHum]

11. Bingo!

Plus, he'll be the pit bull while Obama goes above the fray.

:kick::kick::kick:

[saltpoint]

3. A big boost in Pennsylvania, right off the bat.

They like 'em some serious Joe in the Keystone State.

[Cosmocat]

57. "the third senator from Pa"

seriously is what they have called him for years ....

His Delaware TV market runs into the Philly area, and they like him a lot there. BO was probably going to do real well in that area to begin with, but Biden REALLY doubles him up there. Then, as noted, he is from Scranton, all the way in the opposite corner of the state, and it goes without saying that like him plenty there.

IMO, Pa was very much a fringe "swing" state to begin with, and even with Ridge McCain had long odds to pull Pa into his column. Biden pretty much seals it, Ridge or no Ridge, and IMO, that pretty much will take Ridge out of the VP discussions, and I think the only reason he got mentioned to begin with is that McCain knew he had a VERY slim chance of winnig to there without Ridge.

[yurbud]

4. the hair club for men...Biden has transplants

[LibDemAlways]

34. Thanks, I needed a laugh.

[Seen the light]

5. None, but that's not really the point

Biden was the best choice of those on the short list to serve as vice-president. You can easily see him as Vice-President Biden. Vice-President Kaine though? Vice-President Sebelius? Not really.

We'll be in good hands with President Obama and Vice-President Biden.

[saltpoint]

6. Biden also shares the same faith tradition as the man in your sig line.

Catholics are arguably the most contested and hard-fought-for demographic in the United States. John Kennedy could tell us a thing or two about that.

[sandnsea]

7. There isn't a WOW choice

That's the problem. Every single choice has its own set of problems. I think a lot of men trust Biden, a lot of solid Democrats. He can make a great case for Obama and kick ass where needed. He'll do great if he doesn't make any gaffes.

[Dinger]

12. Wes Clark Would Have Been A Definite WOW Choice

At least in my opinion.


:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[sandnsea]

18. Mr. World War III?

Wes Clark had his own problems too. And a tendency to wander off script and ramble after a few minutes too. Not to mention the IWR was his idea, and then when asked whether he'd have voted for it, he had to ask, "Oh Mary". Nobody is perfect.

[krispos42]

44. Clark would probably be good as Nat'l Security Advisor

Low-profile, straight-talking, and his experience and judgement I think would go well with a job that has direct contact with the President, as opposed to a Secretary or Directory job that entails a bureaucracy.

I would have preferred Kaine. Making the race tighter in the South, even if we didn't ultimately win the states, whould have forced the Repubs to spend money they don't have to secure their base more. And it probably would have locked up Virginia and maybe Florida as well.

:shrug:

Biden's probably the best choise of what's left. Edwards is obviously out now, but he was my first pick as Veep.

[JerseygirlCT]

53. I don't think so.

Biden wows me far more than Clark would have.

[Seen the light]

8. Office fans

What do Michael Scott and Joe Biden have in common? Both from Scranton!

[Clintonista2]

39. lmao

[saltpoint]

9. As wienerdoggie correctly points out, older voters at this point

are, to some degree at least, uneasy about the brash young Senator from Illinois.

Biden, a stalwart from many elections, is a reassuring figure for these voters. He can walk right into an assisted living facility in North Carolina or Florida and put to rest any misgivings these voters have about Obama.

And it's not fluff, either. Biden can back up his positions with some of the most hard-bitten realism there is.

[lumpy]

40. You got it right, Biden is a reassuring figure for some of us

oldies. During those 30 years we have grown to have confidence in him. He will put a lot of older voters at ease about voting for Obama. Not only that, Biden has the ability to bring people down to earth with his homespun rhetoric. Big plus, he is stands on principle and has not been known to be without an answer; no stuttering from that man. How refreshing it will be to have 2 intelligent, knowledgable, upright men leading the way.

[Perky]

10. PA, MI and OH Catholics,

They break our way and McCain has no shot.

[depakid]

13. Renters?

[Lucky 13]

14. Born in Scranton, PA

Experience
Foreign Policy Guy
Modest background and hasn't profited from being a Senator
Catholic

I like it.

[MarjorieG]

15. Older voters questioning change, want experience. McC gets the older voter-now.

Those who aren't paying attention to those "correct" positions Obama has had on Afghanistan, Iraq (pre and after surge!), even Russia, there is foreign policy Biden.

How about Hillary's fans who believed the CIC slam, or like that he didn't endorse Obama.

How about the Catholic, working class, and wholesome white (which is unfortunate but true) vote.

And we have someone who can believably criticize McCain, with gusto and humor.

My first two choices were Obama and Biden, for the same reasons we have now.

[RoyGBiv]

16. There's an article in PoliCi Journal ...

It's about 30 pages long, has equations, graphs, and a lengthy commentary on the extraordinarily complicated process of choosing a VP and why that VP is chosen. (I can look up the citation if you want.)

And what it boils down to is this: The VP pick is chosen in the hopes of bolstering a specific weakness (perceived or real) in the Presidential candidate. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Biden would bolster Obama's foreign policy credentials. He has a mouth on him, which is what a number of people think is necessary ... an attack dog.

The bottom line, though, is that the best and worst of picks often mean very little in the end. Quayle was intended to connect with youth. Bentsen was intended to connect with conservatives. Gore was intended to do something rather radical for the time, i.e. solidify the idea that the centrist position was the most popular. Liberman ... well, let's just leave that alone for now.

The point is, it worked sometimes, and it didn't at others.

The only real issue is whether the candidate picks someone amazingly bad, e.g. Ferraro. None of those on Obama's short list are amazingly bad, as far as we know. (No one knew Ferraro was amazingly bad until it was too late.) So, for my part, all I care about is that he picks someone that doesn't go out there and prove to be an embarrassment. If it's Biden, there's the bonus that he knows well how to rip people to shreds if need be.

And, as noted, a lot of people think that is precisely what Obama needs, a surrogate who can rip people to shreds.

[RiverStone]

23. Well said - ultimately, I think and believe Obama knows what he is doing

I'm sure if it is Biden, the Obama team and Barack himself - thoroughly vetted, pondered, test marketed and gut checked this choice.

I support Obama and know he has the wisdom to do this right.

Thanks for the thoughtful post RoyGBiv. :hi:

[Indiana_Dem]

17. old, union, working-class seem to like him--

that includes my mother, husband,some of my friends and other old people I've come across. I think he's quite a charmer and witty, and seems to be able to get away with sticking his foot in his mouth. He has a personable character. I don't know how else to explain it. Other than that, I would give him a 5, too, on policy.

[RiverStone]

19. Good points all - I suppose even batman could not win Obama the south

I agree on the working class appeal and Joe does not take shit without counter-punching. He would not do much for a Dem victory in the deep south, but who could?

Maybe rather than looking for a WOW, we can settle on who offers the best combination of everything we seek to balance the ticket. And when Obama wins the presidency, Biden as VP (or any Dem) will = a HUGE WOW anyway!!! :)

[JerseygirlCT]

55. Obama might do better than many others in the south

Lots of African American voters who will be VERY motivated to turn out this time. We could be happily surprised at least in the popular vote.

[saltpoint]

20. My great uncle was one of the early union organizers in California's

Central Valley.

I learned from him about how Democrats fight for working people.

Joe Biden's name came up several times.

[lumpy]

43. Biden is popular on the West Coast with those who know of

him.

[Faryn Balyncd]

21. Catholics, Irish, blue collar workers &anyone else that likes to see a pit bull fight the criminals.

[WA98296]

22. Podiatrists and Dentists LOL

[NotThisTime]

24. Under 50K, blue collar workers, people worried about race, etc & so forth

[LibDemAlways]

38. I understand the thinking on the "people worried

about race" but Obama was never going to choose anyone but a white running mate, so I don't think it's going to make that much difference. People will still be voting for the guy at the top of the ticket, and McCain is still going to have a huge advantage with older white voters.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

25. Rust-belt Catholics, older voters

[DFW]

26. People who can think? Or is that too tiny a focus group, and not worth pursuing?

And I don't discount that possibility at all!

[lumpy]

46. Yes, people who can think will vote for Obama/Biden ticket.

Even some of those hide bound Republicans who retain thinking ability will vote for Obama/Biden.

[DFW]

51. Like Adlai Setvenson said:

That's not enough. I need a majority!

[Steely_Dan]

27. Who would Biden help bring along...?

Anyone with half a brain.

-P

[question everything]

28. That "identity" or "affinity" VP went out the window with Clinton/Gore

or even Bush/Cheney.

Both Gore and Cheney were selected for who they were, how they could help run the government, not by which groups they brought.

[goodgd_yall]

45. That's because they had no distinctive style.

Joe Biden does and he especially appeals to certain people and certain demographics.

[johnaries]

29. Wrong question.

It's time to prove "conventional wisdom" wrong. I've gone through this same thing with my own company. We are getting the wrong answers because we are asking the wrong questions.

Time for a Change. Ask different questions.

[RiverStone]

32. OK, show me a different question.

I'm open to learning.

I'm a little stuck on the Biden one simply because "change" has been such a mantra with the Obama campaign. Biden is solid, though I don't see him as a symbol of change. A pit bull, yes - but he is not who I would have visioned when Obama first sailed into such remarkable uncharted waters.

But if you can offer up the old guard in a new way, I'm listening.

[QC]

30. Usurers? n/t

[TexasObserver]

31. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana

[saltpoint]

33. One distinct group Biden will not help with is fans of

John Bolton.

I would just remind DUers that along with other Democrats, and even some help from Linc Chafee, Joe Biden beat the living crap out of John Bolton in those confirmation hearings before the SFRC.

[JerseygirlCT]

56. I know! Don't you love it? nt

[MiniMe]

35. He will help with foreign policy credentials

And Pennsylvania.

[treestar]

36. Do people have such great state loyalty these days?

I don't know that it is logical to assume that picking from a certain state will assure that state's votes.

How many people vote for a President solely due to the VP candidate? Probably no one.

I think Biden got picked due to foreign policy experience and the attack dog reputation.

[saltpoint]

37. There are county Democrats running county Democratic organizations

all over the country -- a huge web of great people who work election after election to elect Democrats at all lines of the ballot -- who will be quite at home with "an old friend" Joe Biden.

He is "an old friend" to these Democrats because he helped set in the social agenda that has defined the liberal social agenda of the party over many decades. Biden's been around a while but he remains vigorous and heart and mind.

County people are many of my closest pals. And they are very, very fond of Joe Biden.

[goodgd_yall]

41. Catholic, working class, middle class dems

who voted for Hillary. In fact, I really like that he's Catholic and has a kind of Irish fighting spirit.

[TheDonkey]

42. PA and OH for sure. Maybe MI and NH

[Independent_Voice]

47. The elderly, "security moms," Catholics, some blue-collar.

Mostly depends on how well Biden carries out the attack dog role. I think he'll do pretty well.

[Zynx]

48. First, he makes huge strides on foreign policy issues, which is Obama's

recurring weakness and that helps Obama in all regions. Being a working-class Catholic helps Obama in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. He is from Scranton, PA so he directly helps you in Pennsylvania.

[SharonRB]

49. I think he could help with some older voters

He will instill confidence in them.

[Norrin Radd]

50. All the people who voted for him in the primary.

[JerseygirlCT]

52. Catholics, working class voters

PA, DE, MD. Anyone concerned about foreign policy issues.

Biden is an EXCELLENT choice, IMO. I'm thrilled with it. He's tough - a real fighter - but with a very sharp sense of humor. He's really smart. He's the kind of guy with a tight-knit family - to whom family is important. I like that.

[tekisui]

54. Americans. He will relentlessly call out McLame on his lies.

[janx]

58. Biden hasn't been my favorite Democrat, but this was a very pragmatic

choice on Obama's part.

One of his criteria was that he wanted someone to challenge his thinking. He gets that times ten with Biden. Obama is intelligent enough to challenge himself, in effect, with this choice of VP.

Biden brings in the DLC holdovers, traditional Dems over 60, and THE MEDIA, who seem to love him.

[annabanana]

59. The Constitutional Lawyer vote is a lock! . . . . n/t

[RagAss]

60. IQ > 110

[charlie and algernon]

61. this is the third guy on a presidential ticket with ties to PA

James Buchanan, Eisenhower, now Biden. Having a Pennsylvania catholic will definitely help win the state.

[Radical Activist]

62. east coast used car salesmen?

Sorry but I don't see him bringing in many new voters. People say he's working class but he doesn't seem like the kind of candidate who has appeal in the south or midwest.