As a non-American...do I have the wrong slant on Biden?

[glarius]

I keep seeing and hearing about all the "gaffs" made by Joe Biden. I think he is delightful! He comes across to me as a real and genuine person!
The latest was his misstatement last night about the death of the Irish president's mother. It didn't bother the Irish leader, who laughed good-naturedly as Biden corrected himself with humour.
Whenever I've seen Biden talking publicly, even when he makes the occasional gaff, he always seems sincere and not rehearsed and phony in his comments.....and his gaffs have never reallly caused trouble, have they?
Am I wrong?

[arthritisR_US]

1. as a fellow Canadian I share your opinion! :-) n/t

[EFerrari]

2. Biden has been much more circumspect (and delightful)

since becoming Vice President, imho, fwiw. :)

[Pirate Smile]

3. Most are adorable. A few cause some consternation. To get the adorable, you just have to

deal with some occasional consternation. I'll take the deal.


edit to add - I mean that literally! God Love'em.

[JerseygirlCT]

4. I am American, and I agree

I like the guy. He's not only seemingly genuine, he's really smart, too.

[rox63]

5. He seems very real and charming to me

But I think his tendency to go off-message annoys the President.

[LakeSamish706]

6. I love Senator Biden as well, he is very refreshing and has a great sense of humor. n/t

[demtenjeep]

47. VP Biden rocks

that is all

[HereSince1628]

7. As an American . . . who Biden ? ? ?

Don't you know we IGNORE our VP's?????????

C'mon, it's an office that ain't worth a pitcher of spit.


:rofl:

[LakeSamish706]

11. Bet ya didn't say that about Cheney though! n/t

[HereSince1628]

14. Well, President Cheney is something of a SPECIAL case.

I mean, the guy completely rewrote the Constitution and the Bill of RIGHTS!

[LakeSamish706]

16. Yep, thats for sure and yes I am certain that he was really President. n/t

[HereSince1628]

18. The lesson being....Yer, only a bucket of warm spit if you choose to be.

Jeeeez,Dick coulda been a contenda!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[movonne]

48. I think cheney did pretty good...

[Spazito]

8. I, too, think he is very genuine and, yes, even delightful...

but I am just another Canadian weighing in. I hope some Americans weigh in on this as well, it would be interesting.

[NYC_SKP]

9. The gaff shit is a meme created and perpetuated by the MSM. Remember the Dean Scream?

Same thing.

Except that the over-blowing of it may have cost us having him win the primaries and even the presidency.

Fuckers.

[politicasista]

53. Obama is president now and we should leave it at that

Me doesn't have a problem with VP Biden.

OTOH, All the rehash, revisionist history hindsight is 20-20. The media would have been difficult not just for Dean, but for any Democrat running.

Let's support those Democrats, Dean including that are helping move the Obama agenda forward by looking ahead, not looking back.

[Mimosa]

10. Biden seems honest and REAL to most of us!

I like him.

Glarius, you're definitely not wrong.

[LiberalFighter]

12. +101

He is more of a common man than an elitist.

I bet he tries to make people feel good as much as possible. It might even be intentional so he can get a laugh at times.

[treestar]

13. What did he say about the mother?

IMO most of what he says is true, and there are people who don't like it, and it becomes a "gaffe." He is honest about those things that people do not want to hear about.

[glarius]

22. He referred to the mother as being dead.....saying

"god rest her soul" and then corrected himself by saying something to the effect that "oh, I understand it's your dad who has passed....and then he said about the mother..."well then God bless her"....

[treestar]

32. Oh boy

I once said something about being sorry for someone's loss but they were saying their parent was sick but had not died, albeit not clearly.

I guess there is something in the Delaware water!

[quinnox]

15. Never liked Biden

He came off as arrogant to me.
But as VP he seems ok, I mean, I really don't hear anything about him. Out of sight, out of mind.

[Enrique]

27. he has mellowed out I think

he used to be pretty obnoxious.

[quinnox]

33. yea

He is getting a lot of love now but I can remember a lot of people felt the same way I do about Biden here at DU before he became VP.

[WeekendWarrior]

17. I like him a lot. nt.

[Jennicut]

19. The media likes to pigeon-hole people. Biden has always been

more of a genuine type then some of the more fake politicians in DC. The media doesn't seem to know how to deal with that.
Watch him be funny at the Radio and Television Dinner: http://www.mediaite.com/online/joe-biden-at-the-radio-television-correspondents-dinner-just-as-entertaining-as-youd-expect/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mediaite%2FClHj+%28Mediaite%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

[Demoiselle]

20. I've always loved Joe Biden.

He's always seemed warm and genuine to me.
The one time I got really annoyed with him was when he chaired the Senate Committee that vetted Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court. Acccording to the trustworthy and verifiable reporting at the time, there were several other women waiting in D.C. to corroborate Anita Hill's testimony of Thomas's habitual sexual harrassment. Biden never called them before the committee. It might have made no difference, but it left Anita Hill hanging out to dry and allowed a pretty bad candidate on the court.

[wryter2000]

30. True that

However, he was brilliant in his handling of the Bork hearings. :hi:

[Umbral]

21. I'm delighted he's the V.P. - His ability to do damage in the Senate is considerably lessened. nt

[Political Heretic]

24. Bingo.

[Richardo]

23. Biden was my first choice for President in the 2008 primary

I was ecstatic when Obama chose him as a running mate. I wish he had MORE visibility. :applause:

[CrispyQ]

43. Ditto on that!

I love Biden. IMO, he is one of the most genuine, sincere politicians we have.

Hmmm, "genuine, sincere politician" - isn't that an oxymoron? ;)

[nyc 4 Biden]

25. when one talks in public and on record a lot and

also is honest, there are bound to be errors. the biden=gaffe machine meme is something that was used to discredit one of the dems most prominent senators and also by lazy journalists unable to come up with an original train of thought.

[kestrel91316]

26. Consider the source. It is invariably the RW-controlled media framing the issue

and utilizing the word "gaffe" to describe his opinions.

Joe speaks the truth.

[wryter2000]

28. You're absolutely right

"Gaffe" is mediaspeak for someone who won't fit in the little box they've assigned to the person. Howard Dean is also prone to "gaffes."

[Sugarcoated]

29. Longtime American here

I adore him . . . I think most people here like him a lot or are neutral. It's the media and the Republican noise machine that's attempted to demonize him like they did to Gore, Kerry, tried to do to Clinton. What's beautiful is, Joe's out there being who he is and, unless one is a Republican who hates anything with a D next to a politician's name, he's worn the meme down. I just see him as honest . . . almost too honest to be a politician. I can't tell you how happy I am with Joe Biden replacing evil unkle dick.

[JuniperLea]

31. You have it right...

I love Joe...

[upi402]

34. Delightful, but cruel corporatist

"...Biden's home state holds the incorporation papers of large credit card and financial services companies"

"...anyone who cares about progressive politics, or the salt of the earth, knows that the bankruptcy bill is a disaster for average folks. Joe Biden is a big reason why this is so. He supported it and voted for it, many times over many years. "

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-williams/joe-biden-true-friend-of_b_120776.html




"The bankruptcy bill is morally bankrupt. And so is any senator who votes for it. "

http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/huffington/2005/03/10/bankrupt/



In 2005, Democratic Vice President candidate Joe Biden, then a senator, helped pass a controversial bankruptcy bill through the Senate. The bill, which made obtaining debt relief after a bankruptcy more difficult, passed the Senate by a vote of 74-25. Although Biden's son, attorney R. Hunter Biden worked as a consultant for credit card issuer MBNA. During the election, the Obama campaign denied that there was any conflict of interest in the Senator's support of the legislation.

http://www.mahalo.com/joe-biden-bankruptcy-bill

[Romulox]

38. Thank you for bringing up his support for the horrendous 2005 Bankruptcy bill. nt

[Tippy]

35. Biden is a great guy...and a wonderful VP....

His problem is he is always thinking...which cause's him to mis-speak.. but he is so darn gracious about it, at times I wonder if he does some on purpose to get a laugh....

[upi402]

36. He is corrupt as hell

Credit card companies -located in his state- own him. Please explain the bankruptcy bill, what are it's terms?

[Romulox]

37. Have you looked into his work as a Drug Warrior? I'd call those "policy gaffes".

Tommy Chong: Biden Authored Bill that Put Him in Jail

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/8/23/152749/472

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reducing_Americans%27_Vulnerability_to_Ecstasy_Act

[arbusto_baboso]

39. Biden's great strength is that he is candid and speaks from the heart.

Biden's great weakness is that he is candid and speaks from the heart.

[harun]

40. Media quips about the gaffs, nobody else cares. Joe's awesome.

[HelenWheels]

41. I love him

and think he is sexy.

[NeedleCast]

42. I like Biden very much

I'll take Obama in 2012 and Biden 2016 for the win!

[upi402]

44. Ted Bundy was very likable

It's what he does when you turn your back that counts. Please explain the Bankruptcy Bill to me.

[NeedleCast]

46. Bankruptcy bill wasn't my favorite

But I'm not going to find a politician I like 100% until I win an office somewhere.

I'm not going to judge a politician by one bad bill. Comparing Biden to Bundy is quite a stretch.

[upi402]

52. Just pointing to the charisma factor to shake people up

You have to learn to watch the walk, not just listen to the talk.


"Just one" bomb is no problem if you're not hit by it!!!
One bill...??? Like to help Mr Bundy with "just one" boat onto his VW?

Please describe what was in the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act is, and its funny funny name that makes it soooo likable.

[Richardo]

49. Now that I think of it, the Bankruptcy Bill is *exactly* the same as murdering dozens of young women

So your Ted Bundy comparison is right on. :thumbsup:

[superduperfarleft]

45. Meh, I think he's an asshole. Always have.

The rave act. Bankruptcy bill. Then buying his dog from a breeder like your typical blue blood snob.

Although I do admire him for being able to restrain himself from flipping the fuck out on Palin during the debates. I don't think I could've controlled myself.

[butterfly77]

50. They are full of it..

they want everyone to think he is a nut. He was one of leading senators who would tell Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld where to get off..

[deaniac21]

51. I didn't like this one much.

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean that's a storybook, man."