The following piece is published on Iowa Independent as well as HuffPost's OffTheBus.
The crowd of 100 people gathered at the Waverly Civic Center Tuesday night was hushed and thoughtful as Delaware Sen. Joe Biden answered an audience member's question regarding the difference between this run for the White House and his previous bid.
Biden, a long-time member of the United States Senate, made a previous bid for the White House in the late 1980s, only to drop when he neglected to provide attribution for a portion of a speech by Neil Kinnock, then leader of the British Labour Party, during an Iowa campaign stop. Although Biden, who was considered the 1988 frontrunner, had previously used text from the speech with attribution on many occasions, the one where he did not was caught on video by aides to rival Michael Dukakis, and the incident brought about the end to Biden's campaign. Dukakis would later fire John Sasso, campaign manager and long-time chief of staff, over the incident.
"You mentioned on Tim Russert a couple of weeks ago that maybe the last time you ran -- and I am paraphrasing -- that you were maybe a little to arrogant, maybe a little too confident," said the man who also confessed that he had voted Republican since the mid-1970s. "How has that changed now?"
The man also suggested that Biden consider Arizona Sen. John McCain as his running mate, but Biden quickly dismissed that notion by saying that although McCain is one of his closest friends, and has been for 35 years, the two possess a fundamental divide when it comes to foreign policy.
"What's different between now and then?" Biden asked as he summarized the question for those who couldn't hear. "Look, I want to make it clear to you. I don't think that I'm the guy Diogenes found -- the only honest man. That's not the case I'm making. I'm not making the case that, you know, I'll never tell a lie. What I'm saying is that I promise you I'll tell you what I think. I promise you. I promise you I will tell you what I think is needed -- and I'll make the case for it. This is because some things are worth losing an election over."
Biden went on to discuss the May vote to fund the troops in Iraq. Despite campaign advisers cautioning him that his vote would be construed as being in favor of the war, Biden was the only Democratic presidential contender to give approval to the measure and has stated, on many occasions, that he made the right choice.
"This is the key difference between 22 years ago and today," he said. "Today, I know exactly why I want to be president. I'm not saying I know I'm right about everything, but I know why I want to be president. I know what I will try to do. The difference between then and now is an easy call. That vote was worth losing an election over.
"I respect the fact that you thought that vote was in support of the war and that I shouldn't have done it. But as long as there is one single, solitary soldier in harms way that I know I can protect -- that I know I can materially increase their chance of surviving -- I will do it."
The difference this time around for him, Biden said, "is that it's okay to lose."
"I really mean that," he added. "I want to be your president. But if the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'I guarantee you, Joe, that Barack or Hillary or John or Chris will do a better job than you as president' -- I give you my word that I'd say "thank you, God, I can go home.'"
Biden said he is running because -- "honest to God" -- he feels he is the most qualified. Linda Engel, a former Republican who switched her party affiliation three months ago to caucus for a Democrat, said she agrees.
"I used to listen to [Biden] during the [Robert] Bork confirmation hearings," said Engel. "I like what he says. A lot of it just makes sense and I do think he is the most qualified. The Republican side of me hates to admit it, but I do think he is the most qualified. He has the experience."
Engel, a resident of Waverly, says she has been to campaign events for many candidates on both sides of the political aisle.
"I like a lot of the things the Republicans have to say individually, but the lump of any one candidate doesn't appeal to me," she said. "I decided that I hated the idea of Hillary Clinton being the nominee enough -- I believe 'ABC,' Anybody But Clinton -- that I had to go over to the Democratic side just so I could try and stop that.
"And the reason I don't like Hillary's candidacy is that she professes to be this liberated woman and this epitome of women's liberation and, really, she got where she is by following the 50's motto of picking a guy who had potential, grooming him and making him into what she wanted to be -- so that she could end up in the White House. That's not women's liberation... I have no respect for her as a liberator of women."
During the event, Engel asked Biden for his views on immigration. In particular, she wanted to know if he was in favor of building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Biden told her and the audience that he did not favor or wall -- or a moat -- since neither would solve the problem. He proposed talks with the Mexican government to persuade them to take better care of their own citizenry.
"I think we really need to look at the immigration policy with Mexico," Engel said. "I really am opposed to the wall. And I really think the people we need to create a policy about are not the educated, engineering-type people, but the people who do the stuff that we don't want to do. I mean, I can't think of anyone who wants to go out and pick tomatoes or strawberries. We need those people who are willing to come and do that. So, there needs to be some sort of mechanism to make it work. I'm not pretending to say how that needs to be. By that same token, I'm not saying that they need to be entitled to our health care and our education unless they become citizens."
His stance is the defender of middle ground left of center, right wing socialistic military-industrial kabal. WTF did he say? That's right. You're the framer of Hillary. You paint the picture of un-certainity outlinning the clarity of Clinton. You da Man of smoke and mirrors. You're the old machine shill giving clarity to the dangers of the far left Moore-Mice warriors and enviro-shock Gore-ettes. As long as you can give good face, hey dude it's a great day and I can go home!
Gotcha! You are the greatest dispenser of Bovine Bio-Mass and methane pollution!
Maybe splitting Bosley hairs, but I see it as Statesman-like.
That statement is the epitome of the Party Of Defeat.
He is abviously the most qualified candidate on both sides. Why this guy is spinning his wheels in the single digits is a total mystery. No it's not....any time he might start gaining any traction, he will be slapped back down by a 20-year old plagiarism allegation, or a stupid comment he made about Obama, or about southern culture in his home state....or pick anything insignificant. Point is, he is not a rock star, or a movie actor or a cowboy; he is a scholar and a statesman and that will be his downfall.
"show me a 'good loser' - AND I'LL SHOW YOU
A LOSER!!!"
but that sort of yahoo yank bank
is usually one of republican blogs.
p.s. "yahoo yank bank" - i just wrote that -
that's mine!
respected by world leaders, the most intelligent, the most honest. When all hell
broke out in Pakistan, Bhutto & Mishariff (sp)
called Senator Biden - not Hillary. And they
called Senator Biden before they called BUSH.
Senator Biden is Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, he served as Chairman of
the Judiciary. He domestic work is equally as
impressive - writing laws to protect women,
and children, putting 100,000 cops on the streets. What has Hillary or Obama done - NOTHING - NOTHING! And Senator Biden has been
tested in his personal life, at an early age.
Right after being elected Senator, his wife
and young daughter were killed in an auto accident, his two young sons also in the car,
were in serious condition. Senator Biden
showed what kind of man he was then, and in
all the years that followed. Senator Biden would
make an outstanding President.
It sure would be fun to see Habib taking over Roger's CEO job at running the North American Division of Depends! Roger would shit his pants right on cue. The rich/greedy continue to rape America for all of its worth, while the planet begans to spin out of control and cannot handle what humans are doing to earth's environment.
It sure is sad that our grandchildren will be fighting the environment more than they should have, as this generation has decided to stick its head in the sand.
Glad I took my head out of the sand to at least TRY and stop the Global Warming Effects that are grossly and fastly encompassing the planet.
P.S.
FUC& the BUS% Adminstration....
P.S. May Cheney's pacemaker have the proper Karma for its wearer.
Go Ron Paul, from a Liberal Democrat who just recently registered Republican
-I had high hopes for Richardson, but he sounds and looks more and more like a bad car salesman than a president, wheezing and groaning under his own girth and "experience", and making ludicrous pronouncements about his first six months in office.
-Edwards' class warfare is preposterous, given his ham-fisted personal choices with hair, house and hedgefunds.
-Hillary has more baggage and haters thanthere are general election voters. And Bill has turned into a liability, even with NPR!
-Obama is an absolute joke! There is NO there there! How could people be so stupid as to think this green horn is ready for a general election fight? Or to lead the most powerful nation in the world's history at perhaps the most critical time??? Talk about Ethelred the Unready!!
If not Biden or Dodd, the Dems are doomed! I will humbly predict, although I don't like it: If anyone other than Biden or Dodd (or Al Gore) gets the Democratic nomination, the GOP will retain the White House in 2008. This will be because the rest of the field will be so encumbered with either left-wing feathers, inexperience or tabloid baggage that the general electorate will choose the safe "I will protect you.." candidate who the Republicans offer.
Sad but, damned true! Why did we get Bush in the first place? Split loyalties, confused and divided electorate, unified Republican voters.
Want to see that again? Nominate Obama, or Hillary, or Edwards!
Biden has balls Kerry only dreams about!
But is he tall enough to be president?
lol
8
.
Once again, Americans, in all their wisdom, will choose a VERY poor second choice to drive us further into decline.
If you think America's best days are ahead of her, you are smoking something!
Those hair plugs ain't makin it man.