I have to wonder if Biden is the right choice, given Obama's stance. The main platform of the Obama campaign was that our country needed change, and to that effect he (and his administration) would be the ones to initiate that change. To exemplify that change, he has selected a man who spent the last 36 years working as a Senator. How much change is that? Wouldn't it make more sense to take someone relatively new to Congress (as Obama himself is), and thus show that change is really in the air?
It should be noted that both Hillary Clinton and Evan Bayh were considered to be on the list as potential running mates, and that both of these Senators have less than a decade in the senate, thus the selection of either would indicate that the candidate of change was true to his word. By selecting Biden, it seems that his administration is not so much about change as it is about more of the same. One of Obama's strengths is that he's an African American and by electing him, we're showing that the age of racism is over. Hillary Clinton, while not African American (that I know of) is a female (as far as I know) and the election of her shows that sexism is also over. On the other hand, the Republicans only had old white men to select from. So, who does Obama choose as a running mate? An old, white man.
I also have to wonder about Biden's ideology. While many of the votes taken in the senate while all three were in office were in agreement, there were a couple of times when Biden seems to go off on his own. For example, on November 17, 2005 the senate voted to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to put a temporary tax on oil and give $100 per personal exemption to each taxpayer. Obama voted in favor of the bill, as did Clinton, yet Biden voted against it (which put him in agreement with McCain. Coincidence?).
On March 2, 2005 a vote was held to require credit card companies to provide information to consumers on the ramifications of making minimum payments on their credit card debt. Both Obama and Clinton voted in favor, while Biden and McCain voted against. Why would Biden vote against such legislation? Hmmmmmmm.
On May 11, 2005 a bill was put forward to fund motorcycle safety programs specifically in those state that did not have helmet laws. It seems to me that if you're stupid enough to get on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet you deserve what you get, but legislation was put forward to spend our tax dollars on these folks. Obama and Clinton both voted no, as did McCain, but Biden voted for it. I wonder if Biden rides without a helmet. That could explain many things.
One of Obama's key messages was that the war in Iraq is wrong, and he points to the fact that he did not vote for it (which he couldn't because he wasn't in the senate yet), but that Hillary Clinton did. So did Joe Biden. Wouldn't that make Joe Biden just as wrong as Hillary? Then why choose him as a running mate?
One vote that I found particularly disturbing was on October 26, 2005 when the senate voted on a measure to increase funding for AIDS drugs. McCain voted for the funding, but Obama, Biden and Clinton all voted against it. On November 3, 2005 a measure was put forth to give financial assistance to schools devastated by hurricane Katrina, and again McCain voted in favor while the other three opposed it. It kind of makes you wonder who the good guys are, doesn't it?
I have to question whether Biden is really a good choice, given his record. I understand that he has foreign policy experience, but Obama has to win the election before that experience can come in handy. At this point, I seriously doubt that he's done that.
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