Dear "news" people telling us what a loose cannon, funny guy, whatever, Joe Biden is . . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

. . . . blow it out your ass.

Joe Biden was among the poorest Senators when he was in the Senate. Joe Biden rubbed actual elbows with actual people on an actual train open to actual passengers every day he was in the Senate. Joe's permanent home is in an unremarkable upper middle class neighborhood in Delaware.

Joe is an ordinary guy who approaches people warmly and is, himself, approachable.

Unlike you media types.

Yeah . . . . blow it out your ass.

[Squinch]

1. I'd trust him with my PIN number.

How many politicians can you say that about?

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. This part...

"unremarkable upper middle class neighborhood in Delaware.

Joe is an ordinary guy."

Ordinary guys don't live in upper middle class neighborhoods. Sorry, I adore Joe Biden, and even I can't call him an "ordinary guy." My dad right now? Sitting in the living room eating popcorn and watching the news? That's an ordinary guy.

[Bucky]

18. Oh hogwash. He pulled down a senator's salary for 36 years.

He's not starving, but he's one of the few members of Congress who lived only on his salary. No big outside investments, no corporate sweetheart deals. He's been a damned important man in DC for over a generation, but doesn't have the summer homes, the yachts, or the trust funds lined up that most other members of Congress have. He grew up in a family struggling to stay in the middle class and earned every cent he has.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. Sorry--not an ordinary Joe. You are, perhaps, an ordinary Joe.

I am an ordinary Josephine... He is a public servant, well known and certainly not ordinary.

I hate when we go all fawn-y. We're as bad as the Bush backers when we do that.

[hollysmom]

3. you might want to choose a different word than poorest

sounds like you did not like how he voted - maybe least wealthy. He was not poor in a financial sense.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Ohferkrissake . . . . do you really have a doubt as to my intent with this post?

[hollysmom]

14. not now, but I did a double take for a minute

hey. I still stand by what I said, It was not meant as a great insult, just a suggestion.

[Hekate]

5. Stinky, you nailed it

And I am not going to quibble with your choice of words.

I love Joe Biden -- he is funny, warm, genuine, and spontaneous. I've never seen him as a gaffe machine or a loose cannon -- what I see is the most amazing vice president in my lifetime, a true partner for this president.

Dick Cheney sneered at Joe Biden for something he said or did on attaining the office of VP (I think it had to do with not behaving like Cheney!) and said that he himself had chosen to be "a consequential vice president" but that if Biden didn't want to be consequential that was a poor choice.

I believe that Joe Biden will go down in history as a truly consequential VP, and not for being a usurper but for being, as I said, a true partner for this president.

[wercal]

6. I remember the story saying he was the least wealthy

I saw it around 4 years ago...and I looked it up. It was accurate, although he was still a millionaire.

I actually found it very depressing. I don't like the fact that a millionaire is the poor boy of the group. I'm more than a little bit suspicious that our good senators are using their position to enrich themselves.

I'm going to pick on the war heros, since they went straight from military service to governemnt service, with no time to make millions in between.

John McCain - 26 years in the senate (congresss before that, and Navy before that - no private sector work). He's worth $21 million (this does not include his wife's beer empire money). The current salary for a senator is $174k....so how did McCain get so wealthy?

The late Daniel Inouye - 49 years in the senate, 4 years in the House, and various goverment jobs before that - no time in the private sector. Net worth - around $4 million. Fairly modest by senate standards, but still a sizeable accumulation of money, on a government salary.

I'm glad Joe Biden hasn't done too much to enrich himself, but simultaneously saddened that we are ruled by a governing class, full of millionaires....to the point that he would be considered 'average'. I know it will never happen; but, I'd be all for term limits. I firmly believe that the founding fathers envisioned a much more temporary role in government. A proposal I have heard and agree with is 12 years in the legislature. Either 6 congressional terms or 2 senate terms, or a combination. It would shake things up for sure...but in a good way, I think.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Biden, was, if I recall correctly, worth under 2 million . . . . most of it his home.

We were in our home for nearly 40 years. Paid a lot for it at the time, but over time it appreciated a lot. No skill there. No luck. Just time. We bought the farm and had some money left. I don't see anything negative about Biden's wealth.

More importantly is who he is. Still the kid from Scranton and still thinks that way. A gregarious, generally ordinary guy who happens to be a US Veep.

[hollysmom]

15. I think that happens to a lot of us

I bought my house 30 years ago, it didn't appreciate right away, but then it took off and is over half of my assets now.

[calimary]

11. Welcome to DU, wercal!

Seems like another good reason to work for campaign finance reform. So most of our reps aren't actually wholly-owned subsidiaries of Fill-In-The-Blank-Here industry or corporation. And dismantle Citizens United!!!!!

[CranialRectaLoopback]

7. Well said!

[calimary]

9. Welcome to DU, CranialRectaLoopback!

GREAT name! Glad you're here! A MOST festive day. You're seeing us all at our best, but we're all so doggone relieved and HAPPY!!! Many of us here worked toward this goal very very long, and very very hard. Tired, but blissed-out.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

13. Thank you much!

I hope I can contribute in a positive way, though I am mostly a cynic. I will say that I really didn't expect our President would have the opportunity for a second Oath, and am happy to have been wrong on that front.

[calimary]

8. Well, there IS this "SUCK IT" thread...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022228293

[sad-cafe]

12. I love Joe Biden

I think he was a very smart choice for POTUS

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

16. K&Effing R!! Even our side, for instance Jon Stewart and sometimes even my fave, Stephen Colbert,

think those same old boring caricatures of Biden are hilarious. I hate that.

I was really moved a number of times watching the Vice President today. He just seems so sincere and caring. What a smile!

[nyquil_man]

17. Joe's warmth and genuine feeling for people was shining through today.

It was a treat to see him working the crowd.