Joe Biden - The Peoples' Choice

Joe Biden has been a Senator from Delaware for 36 years now. He has run twice for President, (1988 & 2008), but never made it past the first round of elimination from the race. Still, he is an interesting character, with integrity and honesty rare in our often cynical view of political Washington D.C.

Biden became a Senator in 1972, and shortly before assuming the office to which he was elected, he suffered the loss of his first wife, Neilia (Hunter) Biden, and his daughter, Naomi Christina. He at first decided not to take office, and was ready to resign before being sworn in. Friends and collegues talked him into taking office, however, and he did. Since that time his wounds have healed as much as they ever are going to, and his life went on with his two sons at his side.

He was sworn in at his son Joseph R. "Beau" Biden's bedside when the boys were still hospitalized after the accident that took their mother and sisters' lives. They are as proud of their father as any sons could ever be, and they stand by him even now. Joe's son Beau is now in Iraq, where he is honorably serving our nation in the military services. Joe never asked for any special treatment for his son, and knows that he possibly could be killed in a war that has gone on now for more than five years.

Politically Joe is a Democrat, and unlike the image many people paint of Democrats, he is not firebreathing, Godless, tax and spend Liberal. Instead, Joe Biden is seen as a typical Democrat in many ways. Joe is a devout Catholic, and is active in practicing his religious beliefs. He is one on many dozens of millions of Catholics in the nation who hold more centrist views on many issues. He is certainly no "tax and spend" Democrat, and he calls out to the Republicans to stop using that outdated tactic. After all, he says, President Bush has proven himself, with tacit Republican support, to be a spend and spend Republican. Otherwise, he asks, how does American find itself 52 trillion dollars in debt?

He also disagrees with many on the political right who say that debt is not as big a problem as people make it out to, and he mirrors his constituency by calling on the government to practice and uphold the idea of fiscal responsibility, a cause which, nominally, was the rallying cry of the Newt Gingrich, et al "Contract with America" legislators in 1994. He calls out to the Republicans to practice what they preach in that regard.

Joe's specialty in the Senate has come from his long tenure on the Senate Foreign Policy Committee, where he has garnered a proven record of learning, acting and speaking out in America's best, non-partisan interest. He also speaks out for the rights of all Americans and has influenced and created legislation in the areas of terrorism, women's rights, crime and drug policies and agriculture.

Joe will argue that these issues are bi-partisan in nature, of interest to all Americans, no matter their political ideals. He has come out strong for the Violence Against Women Act, which protects all women from being lost in the system when they bring forth claims of rape, incest or abuse. This program still continues to protect women from criminal activities. He will argue long and often that this type of legislation was and still is needed because all too often women are either ignored or maltreated when they report violent crimes against their person. He also registers surprise when some people argue that such laws are unnecessary.

Biden has served on many Senate committees, and has a long and proven record in upholding the rights of all Americans, through legislation, policy and in his many speeches throughout his long career. Biden, however, has also been somewhat marginalized in the media because of his coming from a smaller state.

Major media coverage has often been spotty, and even so, Biden has namaged to get on many Sunday talk shows, such as Meet the Press, where he articulates his views and ideas clearly and in a way that most people immediately warm to. He is "one of us" in many senses, coming from an "everyman" background. He worked hard and finally got his breaks, and he has continued to keep his ties to his roots intact. He rides home nightly on a train from Washington D.C. to Delaware, and during the two-hour ride talks with people he meets.

No appointments are needed and the people who talk about those train rides home are strong supporters of Joe Biden, even if they weren't when they first boarded the train. There is nothing false or pretentious about Joe, people often say. He is well-educated, but he remains "the common man" for many of his supporters and non-supporters alike. He remains humble in many ways, and can also be a lion when roaring for the rights of humanity. He is pragmatic, yet he can view the future of our nation with almost teary eyed optimism when he speaks about how we can restore the greatness of our country all around the world.

Biden is knowledgable and keenly aware of the many important, often dangerous, issues we face around the world, and also at home. He knows how to deal with heads of state, leaders who call for our destruction, and those leaders who have been put off by recent policies and actions of our government. One of his first actions would be to restore the standing of America with our important allies. His years on the Foreign Policy Committee have taught him that we need to have allies as we face a world of new threats and dangers. He disagrees with those who believe the U.S. is currently on the right track, and he desires to change our focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, where the Taliban and al Qaeda are still both powerful and growing in strength.

Joe Biden is no stranger to how to make America a stronger, safer nation, or how to bring back our allies to a common cause. He realises that in order for us to avoid fighting the war against terrorists alone, with little or no help, is to include key allies in decisions, to stop acting unilaterally, and then challenging other nations to either be with us or against us. This is a call which they will reject in the same manner we would if some other nation gave us such an ultimatum. However, in order to rebuild these links, American needs to elect people with the will, the intelligence and the knowledge to put these vital, national security issues into effect. He strongly believes that while John McCain, a good friend in the Senate, is an honorable man, even a hero, his choice of Sarah Palin leaves a lot to be desired.

Biden points out that his own experiences of 36 years in the Senate have given him unique insight into the wider world. Instead of merely viewing Russia from across the Bering Straight, he has delved into issues of vital interest to the United States.

Instead of making personal issues a front-burner matter, he has spoken about and acted upon the vital interests of our nation. He has worked long and hard to make our nation a better place, and his track record is impeccable on both fronts. Yes, at times he has had to learn the hard way, at like Lincoln before him, he has learned from his mistakes. But in the end, he would claim, he is the better choice for Vice President because of his failings, how le learned from them, and how he maintained his good character in the face of often brutal political dirty tricks.

And like all people running for high office, he knows it is up to the people to make the best decision. Joe Biden would say, look at the issues, and look at the records, and only then decide. Do not be fooled by fluff and smoke and mirrors. Issues are more important than slogans and interesting speeches.

The stakes are indeed too important for us to be fooled again, many people argue as they critically look at Biden and Palin and make their choices. Joe Biden believes that deep in our hearts, we know the difference between someone who has our best interests in mind. That is why he believe he and Barack Obama will win this November. Time, and the election, will tell if he is right or not to believe as he does.