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Sep
12
Because Joe Biden knows what the Bush Doctrine is.
In fact, I trust that Joe Biden knows many other things, no doubt, that I don’t even need to know he knows – including a whole lotta stuff that I don’t know.
However, I do not trust that his GOP counterpart has even a remotely similar volume of knowledge, and certainly not any knowledge that relates to much outside of Alaska.
Now, why do I trust that Biden knows these things and why do I care? I trust because he has worked at the national level of government since he was 29 – he is now 65. I care because we’re talking about the vice president of the United States of 300 Million Americans. Just in case no one else was noticing.
See – those years since he was 29? That’s called time spent building up trust.
Obama’s 19 months on the campaign trail? That’s called time spent building up trust. His time in the Illinois state senate, and in the Chicago neighborhoods before that – time spent building up trust. With people who need people like Barack Obama – and other community organizers.
All those debates Obama and Biden have stood up and sat for, all the questions they’ve answered, all the times they faced the press or individuals, including the time I got to meet Joe Biden in a hallway at the ODP dinner and be in a room with maybe 40 people and ask questions, or sit with Barack Obama and 10 or so bloggers and look him in the face and watch him?
Scrutiny. That is what is called scrutiny.
It’s why sometimes you hear pundits talk about the value of a contested primary – like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had – because it places them all under scrutiny, it makes them work hard for our…trust.
I don’t know about you, but my trust is not something I just dole out to any candidate. I had a very tough time prioritizing my elections in the straw polls for the Democratic primary – mostly because I wasn’t fond of any of the candidates. But it was never because I didn’t trust them. It was because of the degree to which I could believe that any one of them reflected what I believe this country needs and what I want and what I like, more or less in that order and with a whole bunch of other things thrown in.
But never trust – in fact – I think the Democratic nominess this year stood head and shoulders above nearly all the GOP primary candidates when it comes to trust – Dodd, Biden, Richardson by far the most and they were all my top choices for the most part. Cinton and Obama, less so and Obama mostly because I knew so little about him – those straw polls were in the winter of 2007. Ages ago now.
But I digress.
Anybody count how many questions Joe Biden and Barack Obama have responded to during their combined years of campaigning and service to a national body of government? A body of government that requires learning about and having compassion for and balancing the needs of 300 million people every single time they vote and understanding how the decisions of a national government translate beyond that government’s borders?
This reason for why I support Obama and Biden has nothing to do with just how much Governor Palin actually knows. It has to do with the fact that I do not need to rely on the Obama campaign to tell me that they believe Biden is trustworthy and will be just fine. Why not? Because I can see for myself – I can hear for myself – I can read for myself materials and information that come directly from Joe Biden himself – gaffes and all. And if someone didn’t have gaffes and reasonsed changes of mind in 35 years of service, I’d be very wary too.
Scrutiny – it does a candidate good, and a voter even better.
On November 4, vote for Obama/Biden.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:29 pm September 12th, 2008 in 57ReasonsObamaBiden, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, Vice President, Voting, WH2008
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14 Responses to “Reason #54 to VOTE FOR Obama/Biden”
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Excellent point. But isn’t part of what the McCain camp is playing up with Palin, or part of what she is stressing about herself, her “gut reactions,” her instinct, her motherly instinct to protect and care for her flock? This, of course, was the replacement for intellect and knowledge that Bush showed. But, did the scrutiny with Bush help? Clearly not. Let’s just hope that the third time’s the charm.
“certainly not any knowledge that relates to much outside of Alaska.”
You base this on what? Partisanship?
Eek- partisanship? Whose?
I base it my opinion on a number of statements Gov. Palin has made, particularly prior to when she was the GOP VP candidate, in which she talked about being interested in the role if it would be a fruitful thing for Alaska and she could show the country the value of Alaska (that’s a paraphrase for sure).
I watched the debate she had in 2006 when she was running for governor and there’s no question that she has great familiarity with her own state.
Her living choices once she completed college indicate her strong identification with Alaska.
And the absence of any statements, that I know of, that indicate a desire to learn about the wide range of diversity in each state, let alone across the country.
For sure, if there’s evidence to the contrary, I hope she, the media and her supporters put it out there. I’ve not come across it but I also haven’t googled “other states Gov Palin cares about.”
There are many reasons why I’ve chosen to vote for Obama/Biden. One reason is the last eight years of our current administration has really set this country so far back. Our nation’s reputation and credibility has suffered. The world is holding its breath hoping we’ll elect Obama and we stand poised to disappoint them.
Isn’t it time we tried something different?
Laura – thanks for raising that point about whether the scrutiny with Bush worked because sometimes people prefer denial, you know? I heard an NPR piece about this sometimes today and the commentator said something about how people ignored signs.
There are several levels on which I’m bothered by the prospect of a McCain/Palin administration but it’s really the strengths in the Obama/Biden ticket that appeal to me – I’m just not in favor of most of the policies promoted by McCain and Palin – all the personality, character stuff is on top of that for me.
Jc – I definitely feel similarly to you but then I’ve vote for the Democratic ticket since…after John Anderson.
Charles Krauthammer wrote:
[T]here have been four distinct meanings [for the Bush doctrine], each one succeeding another over the eight years of this administration — and the one Charlie Gibson cited is not the one in common usage today. [...]
He asked Palin, “Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?”
She responded, quite sensibly to a question that is ambiguous, “In what respect, Charlie?”
[...] After making her fish for the answer, Gibson grudgingly explained to the moose-hunting rube that the Bush doctrine “is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense.”
Wrong.
I know something about the subject because, as the Wikipedia entry on the Bush doctrine notes, I was the first to use the term.
I, too, am voting for Obama/Biden. If, in the process, that is also voting against McCain/Palin, so be it.
Regarding Palin’s response to the Bush Doctrine question, as a teacher I have become pretty adept at telling when someone is looking for time to figure out what the heck to say because they have no clue what to say, which seemed to be what she was doing. Nothwithstanding the various (horrific) Bush Doctrines, two weeks of “presidential boot camp” is not enough to make someone a wise and diplomatic leader. Do we really want someone in the dynaimic duo who sees nothing wrong with going to war with Russia?
Anon – Charles is as biased as they get – the local AIPAC chapter had him here and I was thrilled when I had a conflict and couldn’t go – I just could not bring myself. He’s brilliant but biased.
Laura – I agree. Why others don’t see it or remain silent or in denial, I don’t get it. This GOP VP candidate is not ready, now or in four years.
Jill wrote: Anon – Charles is as biased as they get
If you read Krauthammer’s column, you’ll find that he also wrote: Yes, Sarah Palin didn’t know what [the Bush doctrine] is. But neither does Charlie Gibson. And at least she didn’t pretend to know — while he looked down his nose and over his glasses with weary disdain, sighing and “sounding like an impatient teacher,” as the [New York] Times noted. In doing so, he captured perfectly the establishment snobbery and intellectual condescension that has characterized the chattering classes’ reaction to the mother of five who presumes to play on their stage.
Doesn’t sound to me as if Krauthammer is in the tank for Palin. He does have something to say about the MSM establishment, though.
BTW, if you think Krauthammer is an unabashed Palin supporter, consider an earlier column in which he wrote: [T]he choice of Palin remains deeply problematic. [...] Palin fatally undermines [the] entire line of attack [on Obama as inexperienced. ...] Palin’s selection negates the theme of readiness.
I have been getting fast and furious emails from friends about all manner of impropriety regarding Palin. The latest was making a donation to Planned Parenthood in Palin’s name. It’s become kind of like picking at a scab.
The problem seems to be that each side is getting more and more entrenched, and more and more vilifying the other. Obama talks of healing the divide. McCain occasionally talks of talking with Democrats. But a core problem with his selection of Palin is that it has forced people to take sides–and not to consider anything that the other side says. This selection is even more hyprocritical than Bush’s saying that he wanted things to be bipartisan. “Show don’t tell.”
Oh Joe… if he could a give speech that wasn’t riddled with errors, I could take a break from blogging. An examination of the dicta in his most recent speech.
[...] fact, in one of my 57 reasons to vote for Obama posts, I wrote (more specifically in a comment) about how Alaska-centric I thought she was, and at least one commenter challenged me on how I saw [...]