So it’s Joe Biden.
The ‘scrappy kid from Scranton‘ is finally a heartbeat away from the presidency. Congratulations are definitely in order, the scrappy kid certainly isn’t scrappy anymore..lol.
Now, while I like Joe Biden as a person and as a politician (he’s certainly more honest and funnier than most remember a noun, a verb and 911..i’m still laughing at that one) I do not believe that he will be a critical asset to Obama’s campaign. Of course, his experience and his knowledge will help Obama in some pivotal areas but his gravitas cannot be compared to say the selection of Dick Cheney by George Bush back in 2000.
As I’ve said in earlier posts, Obama has weak foreign policy and national security credentials but who wouldn’t when compared to John McCain? And while Biden does help to shore up Obama in this particular area I do not believe that he will help Obama win critical states in November and in the end that is what matters.
The Obama campaign is betting that Biden’s image as a candid politician and his working class roots will help Obama win votes among white working class voters and indeed he may but I think it’s a risky gamble.
Blue collar voters are not going to start loving Obama simply because he chose Biden. Obama is not one of them but he can show that he shares their beliefs and values, that he will protect their interests and that he is the best man for the job. Period.
And while Biden might help Obama pick up a few of these voters here and there can he actually bring entire states into Obama’s column? I really don’t think he can so in the end Obama’s inability to sway the political landscape at it’s very roots (the electoral college doesn’t care how many african american or young voters you can bring out if you can’t add or subtract states from the red or blue column you’re not going to win) may actually cause him and Democrats the presidency once again.
We’ll just have to wait and see, come November, and for once I’m really hoping I’m wrong.
