Does Joe Biden Have What It Takes?

As of Monday, September 3, 2012

It is important that a candidate for president choose only the most qualified vice-presidential running mate.

No matter whether I agreed with Sarah Palin’s politics or not, clearly, she was not ready to become president if John McCain had been elected.

But this year, things are different. Paul Ryan is certainly ready. Mitt Romney has chosen well. But what about Joe Biden? Is he “certainly ready” to assume the highest office in our land? Or is he bacon on which the lipstick has worn off?

This is a man whose “great” oratory was a speech to a predominantly black audience in which he said that the Romney forces are “going to let the big banks once again write their own rules — unchain Wall Street!” and then added: “They’re going to put y’all back in chains,” thus seeming to claim his opponents favored slavery.

What can be said regarding the intelligence of a man who said, “When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the, you know, the ‘princes of greed.’”

The easy explanation of that remark is that Biden simply mistook television for movie newsreels. But the real problem is his not knowing that Roosevelt was not president in 1929. He became president in 1933, almost 31⁄2 years after the crash.

For Sarah Palin, nominated for vice president before the economic “meltdown” became obvious, lack of knowledge about strategic defense — the concern of the day — was considered by many the mark of an unqualified candidate “a heartbeat away from the presidency.”

Today we must question whether a President Biden, without the knowledge of a high school history student regarding the Great Depression, is qualified to make the strategic decisions necessary to extricate America from the Great Recession.

But what can we expect from a man who mistook Justice John Paul Stevens for Justice Potter Stewart, who had died 24 years previously? Biden’s observations on life can be summed up in his statement “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. ... I’m not joking.” Is such a person qualified to hold the key to thermonuclear war?

Biden is also fundamentally dishonest, something which could not be said of Sarah Palin. When he ran for the 1988 presidential nomination, Biden was kicked out of contention by revelations from Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin that he had consistently plagiarized the speeches of British socialist and Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock.

What was more revealing was that Biden later admitted he had plagiarized a law review article for a paper he wrote in his first year at law school.

In short, we have a dishonest person who seeks the right to take over the world’s most important job. He arguably does not know when television became a major communications medium, although he is old enough to have befriended Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of broadcast television. And, he certainly does not have even a basic knowledge of modern American history.

Only one piece of insight can be attributed to Joe Biden. Before he asked a man confined to a wheelchair to “stand up” and after he described Barack Obama as the first “clean” and “articulate” black politician, Mr. Biden stated, “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me.”

On the last statement, Biden was right. And it may be the one vice-presidential insight to which Republicans hope President Obama will never pay attention.

Robert M. Levy is chairman of the Moore County Republican party. Contact him at Law52@prodigy.net.

More like this story

LSM 8 months, 3 weeks ago

No.

AFCHIEF 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Paul Ryan is going to tear Biden a new one in the debates

JD 8 months, 3 weeks ago

hyuk hyuk hyuk

fugitiveguy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Bob, you knocked it out of the park on this one. Can wait to see the spin in this buffoons defense. BTW, just got back from Obama 2016. I refer my friends and foes alike to the blog on this movie for my comments if interested.

fugitiveguy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

The Biden clip reminds me of what I heard a guy say about another mutual aquaintance "I've never heard anyone talk that much and not say a damn thing"

oceangypsy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

It's funny what Biden said about Hillary and sad that he, the President, and a former President's spouse with less experience in elected office than Sarah, are considered the best leadership of the Democratic Party. Need I have included Reid and Pelosi?

fugitiveguy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

In Bidens defense, he is more qualified than Obama. I know, I know...

Thatcher 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I think Joe Biden, despite his faults, is the best plagiarist of all time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rkoqg...; or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIaALK.... Bet alot of our liberal friends here were never told this. Cheers!

fatboy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Unfortunately, the libs are going to vote for NObama, knowing that this bufoon may possibly have to step up to the plate. The only plate he's capable of stepping up to is a dinner plate.

MikeNC 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Joe Biden Tells Chuck Graham to Stand Up by Brad Belote

fugitiveguy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I have to give ole Joe credit, did a pretty fair recovery. I guess when you step in it as often as he does you get good at it. Funny though, calls him pal and buddy when it is obvious they have never met.

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Biden is the logical choice: 1. If he picked the Clinton hag, he'd have to sleep with one eye open. Possibly both. 2. It doesn't matter who Biden stands next to--that person immediately seems intelligent in comparison. 3. The entire free world prays for Obama's health as long as crazy Joe is next in line.

fugitiveguy 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Behan-you have really been on your game as of late. Great stuff.

clarabelle 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Lardbaugh and company commenting tonight! When you guys pat each other on the rear - does it ever get sensual?

Thatcher 8 months, 3 weeks ago

We can always count on the liberal clarabelle for state of the art gay jokes. Her pattern has now become a trend. Amazing thing to see. No doubt she will continue and perhaps even ramp it up a bit...get out there on the edge. All good comedians do it. Right? Cheers!

Thatcher 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Seems to me that people here pat you on the back (or as clarabelle says, "the rear"), when the writer has posted a thoughtful comment. That some have never received such a pat may be directly related to posting comments that simply call others names, and are wholly devoid of any substance. Just a thought. Cheers!

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Amazing that someone who claims to be dedicated to the advancement of "gay rights" takes such pleasure in making juvenile gay jokes. I wonder, if the issue turns to racial issues, are you going to call me a n**?

clarabelle 8 months, 3 weeks ago

chill Behan - you take yourself much too serious. change those depends!

clarabelle 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Thatcher .......... master of the vacuum post!

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Yeah, that's the problem here. I take myself too seriously and need to change my depends. I was afraid that you might be an idiot--glad you calmed those fears.

Thatcher 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I just read Dusty Rhoades' column and when I got to the end, it says commenting has been disabled. Did I miss something today? Who shut down the thread?

The_AnonymusProfit 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I dont get the fuss over Biden. He strikes me as a guy who could order troops into battle.. Is that not the main job of the president... Do I like his stances on issues...no not really. But do I think he would defend our country from enemies, yes I do.

Founders1791 8 months, 3 weeks ago

"...clearly, she was not ready..." ? ---- McCain, Obama, or Biden had ever been the CEO, Executive, or Leader of anything. ALL bureaucrats with lousy legislative accomplishments. Career politicians. --- Get over the stale Couric and Gibson interviews as the only reason to hang your biased, bigoted, or hateful hat on. Do you speak Austrian, know of 57 States, or consider Joe Biden 'worthy' of #2? ---- Governor (06-09), Oil Regulator (03-04), Mayor (96-02),City Council (92-96), Commercial Fishing (89-06), TV Sportscaster (88-89) --- very good resume, and political King Maker ta boot!

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I'd be lying if I said I knew what you just said.

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I applaud The Pilot disabling commenting on DR's column. Next step isto disable the column itself. It would increase the credibility of the paper tenfold overnight.

CarltonW 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Bold, brilliant, beautiful Gov. Sarah Palin was & is the most competent, charismatic, & qualified potential presidential candidate from either political party. Biden is a bumptious, bilious buffoon.

clarabelle 8 months, 3 weeks ago

" CarltonW - Bold, brilliant, beautiful Gov. Sarah Palin was & is the most competent, charismatic, & qualified potential presidential candidate from either political party. Biden is a bumptious, bilious buffoon"

you must be behan's twin brother..........the really smart one.

justpassingby2 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Behan, one can only question the integrity and moral compass of the Pilot. An editor writes about the lies about POTUS on the internet where everyone knows there are lies, but ignores a Senator lying about a candidate for POTUS on the floor of Congress where we should expect the truth. An editor writes a piece about the civility of these boards yet the most rude, crude, vulgar, non-compliant poster is allowed to write a weekly column. I think the Pilot should assess its values and what it wants its impact on the local community to be. Their actions contradict their words all too often.

JimRussell44 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Like Thatcher, I would also like to know why comments were disabled for the Dusty column. Explain yourself, Pilot. Interesting that Behan supports conservative issues but seems to be against free speech with his demand that the Pilot remove a columnist he doesn't agree with. Is that one of your christian conservative values you want us all to be subjected to? Then, of course, there is the subject of lying. The wingnuts constantly accuse everybody they hate and disagree with of being liars. I call your attention to your latest, god like savior of the country, Paul Ryan. Remember, Paul Ryan is a good Catholic boy, a loving family man, an expert in high finance....and a liar. When asked about his hobby of running marathons, he claimed that he had run several in under 3 hours. When confronted by experts in the marathon running world that any times registered under three hours would put him in a very elite class of runner, he immediately backtracked, stating that he might have "misspoke". That might have satisfied his loyal followers, but when he specifically stated that he had run a 2 hour 54 min. marathon, that took the "misspoke" out of the equation and placed himself clearly into the liar catagory. So, for the sake of discussion, let's take the term "liar" out of our hate discussions and just conclude that everyone does it. The next time one of "you people" (I love quoting Ann) uses the liar word in one of your rants on the Obama administration, I'll be forced to remind you of this and be forced to provide additional examples of your side lying as well.

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

I am in no position to "demand" anything of The Pilot. Mine was merely a suggestion to improve the product. Perhaps you enjoy juvenile columns--many, perhaps most, do not.
Free speech involves the government denying your right to voice your opinion. As I do not serve the government in such a capacity, I am incapable of infringing on anyone's free speech.
I've made no mention of my personal faith. Why the bizarre attack on Christianity?

JimRussell44 8 months, 3 weeks ago

CarltonW, I certainly admire your guts in posting that comment. Was it the "wink" that got you? I know many of the white conservative males were enamored by it. Or was it her ability to govern Alaska so well that she was able to get it all governed in just two years instead of the normal four? Perhaps it was her grasp of the issues and her extensive knowledge of domestic and world issues? Bold? Yes, I'll agree with you on that. She certainly is bold. Charismatic? Depends. If you like your VP to come across as flirtatious, she would be a good choice. If I thought the male leaders of the world would find her irresistible, she just might be able to get them to do whatever she wanted, if you get my drift. If that were the case, then I'm with you on this one.

JimRussell44 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Behan, "suggesting", "demanding"...semantics. You want the guy shut up because you don't agree with him. Be a man and just admit it. Anyone is capable of denying others free speech. You do not have to be in government to accomplish that. "Christian conservative values" are synonymous with most on the right, if you do not fit that profile, then it did not apply to you, it applied to the hypocrites that say one thing and do another.

Behan 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Semantics, eh? OK, Mr. Nagy, I "demand" you cancel DR's column. I wish to violate his freedom of speech. Better?

Mr. Russell, I don't like DR's column because it is always sophomoric, boring, predictable, and occassionally offensive. I think The Pilot could do better, and when an organization can do better, it should--it owes that to its customers. I get the feeling Mr. Nagy feels the same way, but like that old broken copier in the back room--DR was here when Nagy took the reins, and he hasn't gotten around to spring cleaning yet.

I know there exists a small group of mouth breathers--yourself included--who get a hardy chuckle from DR. You likely take great pleasure in farting noises and knock-knock jokes. And that is OK. The world needs simpletons. They simply should not have newspaper columns.. They probably should not comment on fora either, lest they prove to their local community how little they understand about their government.

Thatcher 8 months, 3 weeks ago

JimRussell44-- Sorry to interrupt the thoughts on this thread, but I'm not able to answer the question you posed on the other thread because comments are no longer accepted there. If I understand your first question, you ask whether I believe the Constitution should be freely amended to better meet the needs of today's society. My answer: no. The amendment process itself is very difficult (requiring a supermajority vote in the House and Senate, and then usually further ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures). This rigorous requirement is also pure genius: our founders recognized that the whims of any given time period could and would erode the Constitution itself, and the individual liberties the Constitution is designed to protect. As to state legislatures "re-inventing the wheel," I disagree with your characterization. The closer these decision makers (state and local), the more responsive they are to the citizens. The Constitution provides the basic framework of rights and liberties that all states must ensure for the citizens. Under the Tenth Amendment, powers not expressly given to the federal government are reserved to the states and the people. In my view, the federal government must be reduced in size, not grow larger. Hope that answers your questions. Cheers!

Thatcher 8 months, 3 weeks ago

By the way JR44 and Behan, I was about to post that the editors here opened the DR column for comments...I could have sworn I saw some there this morning. But I just checked and the comments are gone. I guess I either read the wrong column, or else the comments were there, got ugly, and were removed. I do not know which is correct. Cheers!

mcgal 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Thatcher, there were two copies of Dusty's column earlier, one with comments. It is now gone. Hope this helps. When I last saw it, no comments were bad.