Real Kato Blog: Obama Selects Biden as running mate

Barack Obama selected Senator Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate this morning. This is pretty much in line with what I had thought the pick would be: male, older, whiter, with more foreign policy experience. However, I did think that Obama would lean towards someone more conservative. Texas congressman Chet Edwards was mentioned frequently in the last few days. Maybe Obama just didn't want the name "Edwards" anywhere near his campaign.

I had pretty much figured that Kathleen Sebelius was out. Obama didn't want to choose Hillary as a VP nominee, fearing that her polarizing presence would alienate independent voters. But then that put him in the awkward position of not being able to choose any other women as a running mate; Hillary supporters would have bashed him for picking a woman less qualified than Hillary herself.

So, in the end, Biden was the safe pick. He'll appeal to the Democratic base, he's experienced, he's got blue-collar roots, and he's nationally recognized. Perhaps of most importance to the Obama campaign is the fact that Biden is a witty and fiery campaigner. He can be the attack dog of the campaign, letting Obama stay above the fray.

Expect a VP announcement from McCain soon after the Democratic convention, as he looks to take back the headlines from Obama. For McCain, I suspect that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is the leading contender; Pawlenty brings relative youth to the ticket, and the fact that he's an evangelical Christian will shore up his support from the Republican conservative base. I bet Republican leaders would rather have Mitt Romney on the ticket, but McCain and Romney aren't very close personally. And while McCain would probably love to have his buddy Lindsey Graham as his running mate, I don't think Graham does much to expand the ticket's appeal.

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: politics

Comments

Comment #1 from Brett (Guest)
2008 Aug 24 - 2:26 pm : #

Bummer...I was kind of hoping for a McCain - Biden ticket!

Biden appearing on The Daily Show, August 2, 2005: “John McCain is a personal friend, a great friend, and I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off, be well off no matter who...”

Biden, on a post-debate appearance on MSNBC, October 30, 2007: “The only guy on the other side who’s qualified is John McCain.”

Biden in an interview with the Huffington Post, he assessed Obama and Hillary Clinton: “The more people learn about them (Obama and Hillary) and how they handle the pressure, the more their support will evaporate.”

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