From the sound of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s newly-picked Vice Presidential choice, Sen. Joe Biden, Biden is going to keep the campaign lively and quotable:
The Washingon Post’s Chris Cillizza notes that the fight is now on — to define Biden. The RNC has even unveiled a “Biden Gaffe Clock” — once again showing how, in 21st century American politics, a “high concept,” image creating and solidifying a mental “type-casting” hook is what both parties use to try and create images of the opposition. In a way, it’s similar to how professional topical comedians pick on a trait or quirk and use it because, the more it’s mentioned, the more people start to share this stated assumption as reality that begins to defines the person.
But Cillizza notes that Biden won’t be a pushover:
While The Fix has been on the road most of the day, we did manage to watch — and read — Biden’s speech in Springfield and it reminded us of very important thing: not only is Biden intimately familiar with McCain’s record in the Senate but he is also more than willing to savage the Arizona senator — with a smile.
“I’ve known John for 35 years,” said Biden during his remarks, adding later: “You can’t change America . . . when you know your first four years as president will look exactly like the last eight years of George Bush’s presidency.”
What Biden gives Obama is not only someone who can throw a punch but also someone who has been in the ring with their common opponent for many years. Biden’s job in the remaining months of this campaign, as he made clear today, is to go at McCain hard and regularly — speaking as a “friend” from their common service in the Senate.
Biden’s aggressive approach to McCain and his record allows Obama to keep his hands (largely) clean — focusing on his positive vision for the country rather than being seen as slinging mud, a trait that turns voters off.
In other words: Biden is going to assume the traditional role of the Vice Presidential nominee, which allows Obama to maintain a loftier image but not risk being accused of political negligence.
My impression in watching Biden: he’s from the old school of political campaigning like Teddy Kennedy…someone who truly seems to enjoy the process of campaigning and giving speeches and interacting with the crowd.
The polls may not change immediately in this race, but Biden’s style means the dynamics will and have.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.