Joe Biden and the Press: A Case Study in the Absurd

It's worth noting how the treatment of Biden simply accentuated the Beltway press' glaring Achilles heel: its insatiable appetite for trivia and insistence on putting personality and style ahead of substance.

The irony was thick. The media loved pushing the Biden-says-nutty-things narrative. Yet the press whines incessantly about how scripted candidates are and that their interaction with voters out on the trail is phony and contrived.

Rather than reward Biden for being open and honest with voters --for being authentic and unscripted -- the press punished him for weeks on end, relentlessly painting Biden as a buffoon and a goof.

Of course, voters couldn't have cared less about Biden's so-called gaffes, especially not after he acquitted himself so well in his prime-time debate performance

Read the full Media Matters column here.

Comments

[LizM]

I just happened to come across your blog and I must say...you left me speechless! To say thank-you for this blog post seems wholly inadequate but I do thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It is gratifying to know that there are a precious few of you out there trying to set the record straight on Joe Biden and how the media (and blogosphere) have treated him. It has been nothing short of despicable.

All those in the media and blogosphere and throughout the wacky world of pundits - of any and all political stripes - who have treated Joe Biden this way have only exposed their own incredible incompetence and ineptitude, not to mention their glaring lack of personal integrity and character.

Thank-you again...th­ank-you very much! I think I'm gonna cry now.

[topkatnc]

I have a lot of respect for Joe Biden. The first time I became aware of him was during the Anita Hill - Clarence Thomas hearing. Biden was one of the few that treated Ms. Hill with respect. Would it not be great to see a President and a Vice President work together and the VP not be made fun of ? I hope that it will be a new day in Washington when Obama takes over and see Democrats and Republicans work together to make the country GREAT !!

[msjimmied]

That was when I noticed him, great bearing. a gentleman, lawyer and statesman. I think the world of him, and I am thrilled he is now the VP.

[krocklin]

Obama's numbers would have been much greater had he used Biden more.

[Plus15]

After a while it got really annoying that Biden couldn't be introduced or discussed by a talking head without their crediting him as a loose cannon. Not dissimilar from their framing and attacks on Al Gore in 2000. I am already anxious for the media to stop announcing Barack Obama as our first African American President. We know, we see, we don't need the hint or the prompt. How long after his historic election will the media have to notify us that President Obama is black. His election would seem to have sent a message that other then to racists he's just another regular American guy and it's time for the media and the far right wing to grow up.

[vegas9999]

For now, we have a new president-elect. In the spirit of reaching across the aisle, we owe it to the Democrats to show their president the exact same kind of respect and loyalty that they have shown our recent Republican president.

[texasben]

with all these joes floating around these days, how does joe the vice president sound?

Pretty good to me.

[KingwoodMom]

what drove me nuts is hearing right wingers and some in the MSM complain that Palin was getting more scrutiny than Biden..wha­t a joke...the fact is 8 weeks ago no one knew her and even Scarborough couldn't pronounce her name...mor­e importantly, I saw Biden get the hardest hitting interview on Meet the Press of ANY candidate this season...h­e did so well, no one talked about it...but this idea that Palin was being distorted by the "lens of the media" was such balony....­the press never did their job in insisting that she answer questions.

[BBackSoon]

I have a largely favorable opinion of Biden. I believe him to be a good man. That being said I expect to not like everything he does, but that is ok.

Everyone that is not reading from a script is going to goof. (And some that read from a script goof) But I like that Biden generally catches his goofs and excuses himself and makes a correction. I have no problem with occasional mistakes, it is human, and taking responsibility for those mistakes is the mark of a good person.

[MarieLA]

This article is dead on. There are already articles being written anticipating that Barack Obama's tight message control will frustrate the White House press corps and lead to a tense relationship, as has happened at times during the election. But it's true that when any sign of humanity is displayed on the part of Joe Biden, the press relentlessly mocks him. So where is the motivation to open up?

[HeevenSteven]

John Oliver weighs in on VP debate gaffes. lol.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=186789&title=Debate-Gaffes

[zippywpinhead]

I'd much rather have someone level with me a be honest, even if it ocassionally means a gaffe or two, than be spoon fed platitudes­..

why is the MSM so afraid of the truth?

[InofTouch]

a gaffe truth? happen before in the covention. could work.

[rgersmrk]

Biden is a good man. While I get the occasional chuckle from what he says I always feel that he is one of the few politicians that speaks from the heart. I look forward to him being our next Vice President.

[squee127]

Yes! He is truly a man with heart and we could use a lot more like him.

Go Joe!

[dolphin64]

I was not a Biden fan before but having seen him comport himself and sometimes "not" comport himself to fit the media's acceptable behavior, I wholeheartedly endorse him as our next Vice President. He is genuine, humble and loyal. I know that he will represent us properly by walking the good walk. God bless you Mr. Biden.

[allonfla]

Biden is a great asset to Obama and I feel very happy that we have him as VP.