Did Obama pick the correct Vice President candidate?

[IDrinkaRum]

Joe Biden seems to have been making many, many gaffes lately.

Biden is against clean coal (even though Obama is for it and has had an ad run proclaiming him for it). Here is the video of Biden saying he's not for it:
No coal plants in USA, let China build them, but build them clean.

Then there is the entire FDR was president in 1929 when the Stock Market crashed and there was television back then too!
When the Stock Market crashed, President FDR got on tv and ...

I'm not saying Senator Biden is a overly stupid man, but these gaffes ... and the opposition to something that his running mate is for (clean coal & the matching plants), seems ... just odd.

Oh yes, and of course, I forgot to add this:
Hilary might have been a better pick than me

There are videos of him actually saying this. These gaffes are not someone saying "Well, I heard this from my mother's third cousin 3 times removed who used to date the Grandfather of an intern who dates so-and-so on the Obama campaign." These are coming out of the man's mouth.

(I figured the Democratic V.P. nominee needed to be discussed just as much as Palin has been discussed - equal opportunity and all that).

[Slytovhand]

Personally (well - especially since I'm not over there, so it doesn't matter), I don't have a problem with being opposed to something your 'running mate' has a policy on. We are allowed freedom of thought and expression.. yes?

But the gaffs?? Well - maybe they saw Bush have a few terms with all of his gaffing, and figured maybe it can't hurt


Ah... 'clean coal'??? Why don't they start investing such billions in alternative energies.... <sigh>

[Boozy]

Calling coal "clean" is just putting lipstick on a pig.

[Slytovhand]

Agreed... I think

[Giggle Goose]

Calling coal "clean" is just putting lipstick on a pig.

Lmao!

I nominate Boozy for President! (We'll have to work on that citizenship thing first, though)

[BlaqueKatt]

Ah... 'clean coal'??? Why don't they start investing such billions in alternative energies.... <sigh>

they're trying here in WI to build a plant that uses 60% switchgrass and other biomass and 40% coal and the environmentalists are throwing a huge fit about the coal part-nevermind that the EPA has said that it will save tons of carbon emissions-they have ads saying how much "deadly emissions and greenhouse gas" will be produced-yet are not comparing it to what the current all coal plant is currently producing, and the people against it are not even mentioning the fact that the builders are designing the plant to be entirely biomass within 10 years. That's right no coal whatsoever within 10 years-but to listen to the opposition's commercials against it you'd think they were making the coal out of newborn puppies. The current coal plant cannot be retrofitted, we need to build a new plant-but the "greenies" are blocking it every step of the way.

[Amethyst Hunter]

A very appropriate question, methinks.

My dad (old-school Republican) leans toward Obama but admits he isn't big on Biden (mainly because of the whole guns issue). I (not really affiliated with any party, though I lean more liberal than conservative, depending on the issue) think Obama would be a sound choice, but I can't say as I'm too wild about Biden either (mainly because he doesn't strike me as anything all that remarkable). However, I'm more than willing to accept Biden as the 'rain with the rainbow', so to speak, simply because Obama's views make far more sense and won't endanger people like his rival's.

I did watch a Biden speech on CNN today where he was discussing foreign policy, and it was a little dry, but overall, made excellent points, so I don't think he's as quite as 'dumb' as those gaffes may make him seem. (and what politician *hasn't* made one or more gaffes in their career, be they small fish or big fish?)

The coal one I can sort of see - China is notorious for dirty plants and we're supposed to be the country of Good Example, so in a way, it makes sense for us to lead by example and go with as clean an alternative as we can while encouraging China to make steps towards improving on their systems.

The FDR one has me scratching my head though.

The Hillary one is interesting to me, in a good way. I've gained quite a bit of respect for her in recent years (I am chagrined to admit that I was once one of those Anti-Clinton people who bought into the lies and rhetoric spewed by the right-wing; I'm sure she's no saint but she's nowhere near as Evil as has been said), and both my dad and I were split as to who best to pick, Clinton or Obama, till she dropped out of the official race. Dad and I were talking the other day about how we were wondering whether or not she would have been the better choice; I'm still not sure but I think that Biden was tapped mainly for his foreign policy experience, which is the one area Obama could be said to be needing advice in. I did look up his record (www.ontheissues.org) and while he does have a few questionable slants, for the most part I feel I could tolerate him as a VP, if not eventually come to like him.

[AFPheonix]

Biden has always had a big mouth, and he's a pretty straight forward shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy. He has a history of saying stuff like that.

I don't know enough about clean coal at this point in the game, so I can't really comment on that.

[AdminAssistant]

Biden has always had a big mouth, and he's a pretty straight forward shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy.

Which is one reason why he makes a good compliment to Obama. Obama is an eloquent speaker, but some people prefer to just hear it 'as it is'. That's Biden. He'll help bring in the working-class voters that just aren't too sure about this young idealist.

I'm skeptical about clean coal as well. But it's okay for the candidates to take different positions, I think.

[otakuneko]

Also, Obama stupidly voted for FISA and Telco immunity. Biden wisely voted against it. McCain did not vote at all, which is essentially a vote for it.

If Biden was in the top spot on the ticket I might consider voting for him.

I should find the House roll call on that vote, and make notes who not to vote for. The Senate roll call is here.

[Slytovhand]

I should find the House roll call on that vote, and make notes who not to vote for.

I think that's what anyone considering voting should be doing.... for every issue that is important to people.

[Fashion Lad!]

I think for the most part, the VP Candidate is supposed to be kind of the pit bull for the race to the White House. So, in that sense, I think Biden is a completely appropriate pick. I mean, he seems very angry at times and that scares even me.