General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIf I'm daring to raise my head above the parapet and post an OP for the first time in months...
it is for one reason only.
Stephen Colbert's Late Show interview of Vice-President Biden was perhaps one of the most authentic, genuine, and honest-to-god human moments I've ever had the privilege of seeing on US television.
I am literally overwhelmed with grateful emotion after watching Colbert's adroit and yet fully compassionate questions, and Biden's earnest, unfeigned, and fatherly eulogy of his beloved son.
It is too early to grasp fully just how fortunate we Americans were in our choice of leader in 2008--and in his choice of helpmate and second. These two--President Obama and Vice-President Biden--can IMHO be called fine men, and perhaps even great.
We will not see their like again in my lifetime, so I believe.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)...I would gladly work my ass off for him and vote for him.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)campaign trail.
I would work my tush off, too!
daleanime
(17,796 posts)and I hope he doesn't let others push him into making what needs to be a very personal decision.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)As he so wisely says, he heart just wouldn't be in it, and his psychological and physical health would consequently be at risk.
gateley
(62,683 posts)We'll see.
I just don't want him lying on his death bed going "I should have..."
I trust he'll do what's best for himself, his family, and our country. I trust him.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)when he sees one. No "truthiness" factor with Joe!
gateley
(62,683 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Bernie will mean change.
Biden will mean more of the same, more corporate funding, more wars, more environmental devastation.
Biden is bound by loyalty to Obama's mistakes.
The Obama/Biden team brought us part-way out of a recession in spite of Republican hate and lack of cooperation.
But Bernie is pointing out the serious problems we need to deal with if we are to proceed.
Obama was rather lukewarm in his support of Social Security. Nary a word about raising the cap on Social Security taxes once Obama was in office. I guess he figured he couldn't win on the issue and allowed himself to give up on it.
But raising the cap on Social Security taxes and raising Social Security benefits are going to be the only way that many people now in their 50s and early 60s will be able to survive.
I like Biden. Everybody does. Who can resist his Irish sentimentality. But, no.
We need Bernie now. We need a person who will focus on the issues, take not corporate money, owe only the American people and who is not inextricably tied, personally and politically to any previous administration.
Biden is a good man, but this is not his time.
This time is for the American people.
And so far, only Bernie really understands what is on the minds of the American people.
In his Brunch with Bernie shows on Thom Hartmann's Friday programs, Bernie has felt the pulse of the American people virtually every week.
No other candidate has done that.
Bernie really is the best candidate for the presidency for 2016 and will make the best president.
Bernie may call on Biden's counsel and expertise, but Bernie is the right person for 2016.
Not Biden.
Only rarely in our history has a vice president been elected to the presidency immediately following his service as vice president.
That is because the American people want change. Our system is set up for change and to allow candidates like Bernie to bring that change.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)what the whole political world is debating--WILL he or WON'T he, in the context of his recent bereavement. He was not there to talk policy.
Secondly, Colbert did not pose questions of policy or issues.
Did you want him to launch into a barn-burner speech?
gateley
(62,683 posts)Vice Presiden to Obama. He's fiercely loyal and he understands that the WH has to present a cohesive front, whether or not he's in agreement (like with Afghanistan).
I don't understand why others don't get it --
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)TBF
(31,999 posts)and many we would have sympathy for if they told us their stories.
That doesn't mean they should all be president.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Congratulations. You win hands down.
Please see this post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027160615#post35
That's precisely why, if you'll notice, I did not post this in GDP.
TBF
(31,999 posts)where I expounded on the idea. Look, we know about the Bankruptcy Act and Joe's role it in. He's not going to run, and if he runs he'll lose big.
But your response to my post speaks volumes.
Sorry, he can't win.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)He needs time to grieve and heal in private.
As for those "volumes" my response evoked, just what would they be? Cryptic, cryptic...
lunatica
(53,410 posts)But everyone forgets that. That's how the coup happened right under our nose.
But I agree with what you say about Bernie being who we need now.
And I love Joe Biden. He's that person everyone wants and wishes were in their family.
Bubzer
(4,211 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)I loved the anecdote he told about his dad. Paraphrase: "If you can look at your kid and see that he/she has turned out better than you, you know you've been a successful parent."
How can you help but love the guy?
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Hillary would not be falling in the polls.
Bernie is speaking to the issues Americans are most concerned about.
And one of them is Citizens United.
I seriously doubt that Biden would be willing to run free from corporate influence as Bernie is doing.
This is Bernie's time.
Bernie has the pulse of the American people.
Biden is a great guy, but he is not the candidate of the moment, and I don't think he will be. He will draw support mostly from Hillary. That is obvious from the polls.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)That's precisely why, if you'll notice, I did not post this in GDP.
If Biden were to run and get the nomination, I would work for him. If Bernie wins the nomination, I will work for him. Both are fine, competent people with the nation's well-being at heart.
I could live with either one as POTUS, and would feel in safe hands, as I would with Hillary.
We are indeed fortunate in our party's stable of potential candidates, especially in comparison with the gallery of rogues available to the Republicans.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)msongs
(67,343 posts)fadedrose
(10,044 posts)But either man would have benefitted from a Dem. congress.
Obama frustrates the Reps at least once a week, and Biden will lose some of his reluctance to be overpowering from having watched Obama..
Biden's intentions would be the same....
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Bankruptcy Bill, and that is a big problem for him.
He was helped a lot by credit card companies.
Google it.
I don't think that Biden can respond to the real problems of Americans any more than Obama did.
Obama did not even try to reach Americans with new ideas about how to handle Wall Street and the too big to fail banks.
Obama and Biden have used kid gloves in dealing with the oil industry.
Bernie's approach to the problems that are deeply troubling Americans will win out in the end.
Of course, Biden's entering the race would probably help Bernie, so . . . .
gateley
(62,683 posts)And I hate it.
Since the cc industry is the number 1 employer in DE, I think (purely speculation) that Joe CONVINCED himself that it wasn't that bad and that's what he needed to do in order to get the Violence Against Women act passed. Then he focused on that (VAW) instead of the cc giveaway. I think, "knowing" Joe, that's the only way he could live with that. I may be projecting, but if it were me, that would be a rock in my stomach for the rest of my life.
IF he decides to run and IF he becomes the nominee and IF he becomes POTUS, I would fervently hope he did his best to reverse it.
But for now, it's too early, for me, to support or discount anyone.
As the OP said, this is just a thread about Joe the Person. Are you so small minded that you can't just agree or disagree on that count?
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Everything he does is political whether he likes it or not.
The interview was definitely gauged to focus on Biden as a potential candidate. He is a great guy, but presidential . . . . No. Sorry. No.
TBF
(31,999 posts)and I tried to enjoy the segment on Colbert for what it was - a piece with a sitting VP.
The first thing my husband (who is a Hillary supporter) said though was "I wonder if he's going to announce". It is not lost on people that such a piece humanizes Joe. Was it a personal or political move? On this website I'll get attacked for saying such a thing I'm sure, but time will tell. I'm hopeful it was just a discussion between two friends (which is what it sounded like) but who knows.
Either way my husband still supports Hillary, and I still support Bernie when it comes to presidential candidates.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)interviews of politicians inevitably become political.
This one was political intended to introduce Biden as a very nice person which he is.
cannabis_flower
(3,764 posts)I would want some apologies for the mess he helped create in the 1980s in the Senate - mandatory minimums, RAVE Act, civil forfeiture laws - and some assurances that he will push to help repeal them and push for removing marijuana from the schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.
gateley
(62,683 posts)to change them. These are different times, and I think, with the time and experiences under his belt, he just might have changed his views (as we all do as we grow and learn).
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)but I understand that Biden is one of the primary reasons we still have the Bush tax cuts with us.
So I pretty much feel betrayed by him, and by Obama.
I heard it was the opposite, that Biden wanted to roll back the tax cuts all the way and Obama didn't. Biden has always been for the working people and I trust him more than the TPP promoting Obama.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Who wouldn't like to have Joe as their next-door neighbor?
lark
(23,059 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Biden has to run on the Obama legacy. It's good, but voters (and I am one of them) want change and attention to a lot of problems that the Obama administration has not dared to deal with.
Biden would be more Obama.
Much as I like Obama, I think Bernie is the candidate for our time.
We need to move on and not be stuck with the Obama/Biden team.
They are too close to the very banks that need to be broken up.
Biden in particular is renowned for his ties to the credit card companies. Fair or not, those ties are what Americans do not want tying up the White House in 2016.
We had enough of Goldman Sachs since 2008. Enough is enough.
Either Hillary or Biden will mean more corporate influence in the White House, more Goldman Sachs, etc.
We should not allow ourselves to be led down that path again.
It has led to bad trade deals, jobs lost, industry lost, uninsured Americans in spite of Obamacare, skyrocketing education costs from the pre-school to graduate school, wages that have not risen in many, many years, unfair pay for women, unnecessary wars, environmental policies that are leading to the extinction of animals and the human race and it is now time for real change.
gateley
(62,683 posts)He has never traded in the stock market because he didn't want to be influenced in voting if it might affect his portfolio.
He never met with lobbyists because he didn't want to be tempted to forget he was working for the people.
He did not use who he was to get perks and wealth -- in 2007, he was the second "poorest" Senator in DC.
I hate the credit card company thing, but the industry was the largest employer in Delaware and I think he would only sign if the Violence Against Women Act was part of the deal to, (in my opinion only), make him feel less guilty about what he was enacting. As I posted elsewhere, I would hope if he does run he will promise (and follow through if elected) to amend/repeal/whatever, that and other issues I think need revisiting.
But bottom line, he's not a DLC-er.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)I disagree with some of the provisions of that act including the nearly impossible to overcome hurdles it places on discharging student debts in bankruptcy.
Why should corporations be able to write of debt so easily when families and students or those with student debts cannot? Why aren't education debts viewed in the same way as business investment debts. For students, education is a business investment.
I strongly disagree with his views on internet privacy.
He voted for the Iraq War Resolution.
On that issue, Bernie Sanders demonstrated his superior judgment. I have watched Bernie's speech on the issue given at that time, in which he asked all the right questions about how we would govern Iraq if we won, how we would manage the inevitable civil war that would erupt after Saddam Hussein. Sanders wins my vote for that speech. He demonstrated judgment superior to any other candidate or potential candidate including Biden.
According to Wikipedia, Biden is too weak on net neutrality and privacy issues in my opinion.
I agree 100% with Bernie Sanders on all the issues.
Biden is also weak when it comes to labor unions. Neither he nor Obama had the courage to confront Walker about the abuse of the public service unions in Wisconsin. That was unconscionable.
Further, Biden is weak when it comes to trade. I strongly oppose the TPP primarily because of the arbitration courts it would set up.
We have a good judicial system, and I strongly oppose the agreements we have and that are proposed that make us or would make us subject to the rule of courts that are not part of a democratic process and that would issue orders that would interfere in our democratic processes.
The recent decision against the US in I believe the WTC prohibiting us from labeling meat according to country of origin is one that I strongly disagree with.
I base this on the summary of Biden's views here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Joe_Biden
gateley
(62,683 posts)some of which you've cited). But as for the Bankruptcy Act (not making an excuse) the industry was the largest employer in his State. Who knows what barrel he was over? I think his over-reaction to the raves was fear and a sign of the times. I'm not going to go through all you've highlighted because most likely we're in agreement (you and I, not Biden and I .
I've posted that I would hope at this point he would take steps to rectify some of these actions, hopefully having grown and learned as we all do with experience and the passage of time.
I think he, like others, didn't realize the extent that BushCo lied to get us into Iraq. They, more than us, should have been more diligent, or at least listened to Joe Wilson! But I DO know if he'd been POTUS, he wouldn't have escalated in Afghanistan (which he advised Obama who chose to follow the advice of the military). Again, no excuses. I can't change what has happened.
But you're discounting all the GOOD he has done and the ways he differs from Obama and Hillary. Again, I won't list examples because I'm not trying to change your mind and if you were interested you'd find out more for yourself.
The bottom line is I trust him. I trust Bernie, too. Not sure who else in the pool at this point I can say that about.
former9thward
(31,923 posts)Which is dangerous and in most places illegal.
Biden Advises Shooting Shotgun Through Door
Vice President Joe Biden told Field & Stream magazine in an interview published Monday, "[if] you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door."
Earlier this month, Biden told an interviewer that he had advised his wife, Jill, "if there's ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, walk out and put that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house."
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/28/biden-advises-shooting-shotgun-through-door
I would not want him as a next-door neighbor.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Joe was obviously thinking in hyperbolic terms about the safety of his beloved second wife, Jill. Don't forget--he lost his first one to trajedy.
former9thward
(31,923 posts)If I am the next door neighbor I would not be trying to break in. He was talking about some random person. And his wife's random shots could kill me. That is why its illegal. Nice try though.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)former9thward
(31,923 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)shoot-from-the-hip reponse to an interviewer's question, not the practice itself.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)The closest I ever got to him was about 20 ft away, and at 70 MPH. I was coming into work (I work on DFW Airport property). I was on the motorcycle that day. If anyone has ever gone into the airport on the south entrance, it involves going from 183 onto the airport entrance, which is just like another highway. As I passed the last on ramp onto 183 in Euless prior to the airport entrance, I noticed the cops had the on ramp closed. As I was riding the cloverleaf over to the entrance, I noticed the cops had traffic stopped on the 360 portion. As I continued, I noticed the cops had the eastbound portion shut down. I started worrying- "what the hell am a riding into?". The road ahead was empty (very odd). I then see a motorcycle cop coming up fast behind me, so I pull over. I ask him what's up- Joe Biden's motorcade is rolling through. As I sat on the shoulder, they flew by at about 70 MPH. At least I got to wave at him
gateley
(62,683 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Part of me was thinking "What the hell have I done?"
gateley
(62,683 posts)hfojvt
(37,573 posts)although at this point I cannot find the articles.
Unfortunately, Biden from Delaware has always been for the credit card companies headquartered in Delaware.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/with-vp-biden-presiding-senate-passes-democrats-tax-cut-plan/
"With Biden looking on, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reminded the Senate that he and the vice president once negotiated in 2010 a two-year full extension of the Bush tax cuts because the economy wasn't doing well at the time."
That two year extension was the first betrayal, and Biden was the negotiator of it.
gateley
(62,683 posts)This is from your link:
-snip-Sen. Lieberman, I-Conn., and Sen. Webb, D-VA., voted against the Democrats plan. No Republicans voted with the Democrats.
The Democratic plan would extend the Bush tax rates for families making under $250,000 for one year and let the rates for families earning above $250,000 expire.-snip-
McConnell was essentially saying that in 2010, he was with Biden in negotiating the tax break but no longer thought it was a good ide -- hence is opposition to the extension -- because it would stop small businesses from hiring. In other words, he'd gotten word to fight the extension, Biden made sure it passed in the Senate.
ALSO, it was never passed into law, I don't think -- the House was Republican and no Republican was for this deal.
Again, betrayal??? With all due respect, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll apologize and learn. I just get weary of Biden hate and people spouting stupid shit.
You won't get much argument from me on the credit card companies, though, we agree on that.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)just the quote I snipped mentions the previous negotiations. It was the 'deal' in 2010 that I was talking about.
The Bush tax cuts were set to expire in December 2010. The House and Senate were still, at that time in Democratic control.
Biden was one of the people arguing for negotiation, Biden was the one who came up with the two year extension of the Bush tax cuts.
The Bush tax cuts were about to die, which would have been a good thing, in my opinion, yet Biden, for some reason, was motivated to keep them alive.
Maybe you do not feel betrayed that most of the Bush tax cuts are now permanent - but you should. Most people do not, because Obama (and company) have portrayed it as a victory, just like they portrayed the extension as a victory.
Permanent tax cuts that favor the rich - that is NOT any kind of victory in my eyes, and that is what Biden was instrumental in foisting on us.
cannabis_flower
(3,764 posts)Mandatory minimums, civil forfeitures, private prison and more people in prison than any other country except Seychelles.
stupidicus
(2,570 posts)sadly the outcome is too and so predictable when being critical of the unreproachable ones around here.
MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)You can't help but to love Joe more than you already do.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)the proverbial "heartbeat away" from the presidency, we have indeed been blessed.
cannabis_flower
(3,764 posts)Romulox
(25,960 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Purposeful, calculated inhumanity? Never.
Bubzer
(4,211 posts)Thanks for bringing that to light Romulox.
http://www.propublica.org/article/bidens-cozy-relations-with-bank-industry-825
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)court.
No thanks.
No thanks at all. That Bankruptcy Reform of 2005 was practically written by the credit card companies that backed and probably still back Biden.
No thanks.
Biden is not the person of the hours or for the 2016 election.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Welcome back to the surface...I noticed your lighthouse had been missing from DU.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)Still, he has a lot of political baggage that he would have to answer for the HRC has continuously faced every year of her political career. I think he would make a fine President because he has been well prepared by years of experience. Few people learn from their mistakes and I think is one who has learned to "put people first." It wasn't always that way with him. The tapes of his attacks on Anita Hill would be brutally used by the media as his plagiarism. I would vote for any of the Dem candidates in a heartbeat. My preference is still HC but our candidates are so far above the GOP clowns it should be a landslide.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)people who have been disillusioned by the politics of the Democratic Party and cannot vote Republican.
Biden will not appeal to those groups.
He is a nice guy, but he cannot depart enough from the Obama administration stances on issues like education funding, taxes, Social Security, the environment, military expenditures, veterans' affairs, single payer health care, anything, anything at all that might cut into corporate profits or spread the wealth just a bit wider among Americans to get elected.
Why vote for an Obama administration member when you can vote for Bernie Sanders?
There is no point in it.
And if Biden could bring the country together, he would have done that as vice president. He couldn't, and he didn't.
He is a compassionate man, but he has not translated his compassion into forceful advocacy for compassionate policy. His bankruptcy reform act proves that.
Bernie is the candidate who sticks to issues.
Biden's statements about his personal life are touching, but I am drawn to Bernie's focus on the issues.
Biden did not mention one issue really in his Colbert interview.
He should not run for the presidency.
Gothmog
(144,884 posts)If this happens, Biden will be the nominee. Nate Silver and others are clear that they do not see a path for Sanders to be the nominee and neither do I. http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/bernie-sanders-new-hampshire/
Sanders has yet to make a case that he is viable in a general election campaign where the Kochs will be spending $887 million and the RNC candidate will be spending another billion. Most voters in the Democratic primary will not support a candidate who will not be competitive in the general election.
Time will tell but Biden is the backup for Clinton and I do not see any pathway for Sanders to be the nominee
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)who sees a Bernie video and is not completely enthusiastic about his candidacy.
Biden will not go over with college debt-ridden under 50s because he is too closely tied to the 2005 Bankruptcy Reform bill which makes it nearly impossible to discharge student loans in bankruptcy.
Biden is too close to the banks and credit-card industry. He is too close to the crowd that wants to foist the TPP on America.
I don't think either he or Hillary have a chance to win the Democratic nomination.
Watch how Sanders rises in the polls. The Biden factor is of course creating the illusion that Sanders is rising faster than he is, but still Sanders' rise is phenomenal.
The polling predictions based on statistical analysis do not and cannot take into consideration truly unexpected, unpredictable, earth-shaking events like Bernie's candidacy.
Remember. The 2008 bank crisis and stock market collapse were not predicted in spite of all the computer models and statistics the banks and mortgage companies used to justify the risks they took.
Mathematics is great. Algorithms are usually pretty reliable.
But then there are events that surpass expectations, unexpected events.
Bernie is, I think, one of them.
But then, I was in the crowd that greeted Bernie in the Stadium in Southeast Los Angeles recently. I felt the Bern.
The place was full of people of color and young people. The myth that Bernie does not appeal to people of color is not based on fact. Bernie appeals to people of color who are best informed about the issues. And those people that Bernie appeals to are leaders.
Bernie will be the Democratic candidate and he will win unless the Democratic Party leadership and the delegates who are not elected by the voters try to impose their will on Democrats in which case Democrats will lose the general election.
Bernie is speaking to issue after issue that Americans really care about.
He has been speaking to Americans on Thom Hartmann's Brunch with Bernie for years. I realize that the Democratic Party bigwigs and others think that show and liberal radio are jokes, but I think that the reason that Bernie had the confidence to run and why the issues he is emphasizing are so appealing to so many Americans is because Bernie has been feeling the pulse of Americans all these years on Thom Hartmann's show. Anyone can call in and if Bernie answers a variety of questions.
You never can predict who will win an election in a year like this one.
Who would ever have thought that America would elect an African-American president in 2008?
Strange things do happen.
Bernie is going to release his plan for reforming our justice system soon. That will upset a lot of apple carts. Be prepared.
Gothmog
(144,884 posts)I am glad that you found a candidate who you like but I base my decisions on real world considerations such viability. I have yet to see a good explanation as to how Sanders is viable in the general election and a lack of a good explanation as to such viability will hurt Sanders with most groups in the Democratic base other than the very narrow group currently supporting Sanders.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)"I would vote for any of the Dem candidates in a heartbeat."
Skwmom
(12,685 posts)hamsterjill
(15,220 posts)Last edited Fri Sep 11, 2015, 03:18 PM - Edit history (1)
I've always thought he was one of the most sincere people ever in Washington. He understands "common folk" and he is a treasure.
That said, I hope he does not enter the race. The anguish on his face makes me believe that he still needs time to grieve and heal.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)FlaGatorJD
(364 posts)I felt the same thing watching it, and I also felt and hope we might have gotten
a glimpse of what's to come from the Colbert Late Show. I wasn't feeling as good
after the first show and was hugely concerned.
I love Joe Biden, but he needs time to continue to grieve and heal
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)whole portions of it, so it was very uneven, interviews chopped short, etc.
What were whole and original were the wonderful beginning with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by Colbert and various very lucky "everyday people" and the ending where a crowd of guests came together to sing "Everyday People." Maybe I'm getting old and sentimental, but I was pressing back tears both times.
"Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in
I am everyday people, yeah, yeah
There is a blue one
Who can't accept the green one
For living with a fat one
Trying to be a skinny one
Different strokes
For different folks
And so on and so on
And scooby dooby dooby
Oh sha sha
We got to live together
I am no better and neither are you
We are the same, whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can't figure out the bag I'm in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah
There is a long hair
That doesn't like the short hair
For being such a rich one
That will not help the poor one
Different strokes
For different folks
And so on and so on
And scooby dooby dooby
Oh sha sha
We got to live together
There is a yellow one
That won't accept the black one
That won't accept the red one
That won't accept the white one
Different strokes
For different folks
And so on and so on
And scooby dooby dooby
Oh sha sha
I am everyday people......"
Juicy_Bellows
(2,427 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)handmade34
(22,756 posts)agreed
Gothmog
(144,884 posts)That was a truly amazing and great interview
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Outstanding!
Gothmog
(144,884 posts)The first show was uneven because they had to cut too much out
SouthernProgressive
(1,810 posts)Having the chance to vote for them has provided two great moments in my life. Neither disappointed. Probably the first time since I could vote that I don't feel let down. Obama and Biden have worked so hard on behalf of what we care so deeply about.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Welcome to DU, SouthernProgressive! Stick around. We need peeps from your neck of the woods.
gateley
(62,683 posts)And only ventured over to DU to see what the response to the interview was.
I was a Biden for President person in 2008 and for those very reasons Colbert cited -- when you listen to Joe, you know you're hearing Joe, not a parsed, political answer. That became clear to me during the first debates in 2007 and they all -- including Obama and Hillary -- answered with the correct political responses. Not Joe. And, have to give a nod to Gravel, he was a trip!
But with all the ugliness coming to the fore evidenced by the support of Trump, I'm not sure our country wants and supports a GOOD person this time around. But I didn't think our country would elect a Black president in 2008, either, so who knows?
The combination of Colbert's heartfelt interview and Joe's heartfelt responses was one of the most moving pieces I've seen in years. Honestly, since Joe spoke about Veterans Benefits (lack of!) at a small group of government medical personnel in 2007 which obviously made an impression on me.
I'm hoping last night's exchange might have "introduced" Joe to an audience that hasn't really paid attention to him before and cause them to take him seriously if this is the path he chooses to take
So much credit goes to Colbert, and a always, much respect and love for Joe.
Thank you for posting this
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)And, YES to this:
mcar
(42,278 posts)Colbert did a great job. Biden was wonderful.
I think he's been one of the best, if not the best, VPs this country has ever had. That said, I hope he doesn't run. He deserves a long, happy retirement and honor as a public servant.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)fadedrose
(10,044 posts)I wholeheartedly agree. They are great men.
We were just lucky....hope our luck holds out for another 8 years..
It's a novelty to cry when the President and the Vice President speak. I used to swear when Cheney even appeared on TV, same with Bush...
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)elfin
(6,262 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)deutsey
(20,166 posts)and the clip of Biden with Colbert.
It was a very moving moment.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)I googled Colbert to find out what happened to his father and brothers - tragic. They had that common bond - sudden accident killing immediate family - I think that contributed.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)A singular and extraordinary media moment.
Stephen's wry humour and progressive politics were forged in the crucible of human suffering at a young age. He grew up wise.
spanone
(135,777 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)of the primary hostilities. Don't want to become part of the body-count at the gates! LOL!
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)Yes, I saw it too. Biden's compassion for others knows no bounds. It's often said that the first important decision a presidential nominee makes is in choosing their running mate. President Obama came through with flying colors. Joe is fantastic.
I hope Colbert will do more serious interviews like that. I think most people want more than just movie star chatter. He should have O'Malley, Sanders, Hillary, the socialist city council woman from Seattle, Naomi Klein, Elizabeth Warren, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ana Kasparian, Paul Krugman, Barbara Lee, all sorts of people like them on his show!
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Agree about more 'serious' interviews. Colbert has the chops and the talent to carry them off. When he talks politics, you know he's not just reading off cue cards.
Give the viewing public 'interesting and serious' and they will be seriously interested.
Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)and refuse to take the rough road to do the right thing.
These are just men. They are men who have done great things, and good things, but they have also allowed evil to continue and to go unpunished.
There are men with more integrity and concern for the future, but these 2 men did do a commendable job in key areas.
I want change. I hunger and thirst for it and so does a nation where 30% of its young adults would sell an organ to pay off student loans.
I want an end to the wasteful war on drugs and for-profit prisons. I want a better medical and mental health care system. I could go on. I want the people to benefit when corporations take resources for profit. I want an end to so many evil things that are holding this society back.
Obama and Biden could make these things happen, but they won't. They could unbind the chains but they won't.
The audacity of malarkey has taken its toll.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)that gratitude is a beneficial, self-fulfilling emotion, and that no-one in human form is perfect.
"Compromise is the art of the possible", as humanity's long and diffucult road towards the light has proven again and again.
madokie
(51,076 posts)but from what I know of them and you I have to agree wholeheartedly with everything you said.
Peace
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)This is must-see TV. Here ya go...you gotta see this singular moment:
madokie
(51,076 posts)As I said
May I
Please have a wonderful day
WatchWhatISay
(3,426 posts)I preferred him over Obama and Hillary in 2008. Unfortunately the media never treated him as a serious candidate back then, and the voters know where to take their cues from.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)He's given some sterling service as VP. Think back to how he verbally horse-whipped Paul Ryan in the 2012 debate. Memorable!
mike dub
(541 posts)I so enjoyed this interview. And what a treat to see twenty minutes of quiet, personal discussion being broadcast on a usually loud and divisive MSM network (CBS). I savored every moment of it.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)What a rare, privileged moment to be able to watch two supremely intelligent people get real with each other, in all of their obvious honesty and humanity.