Biden, Biden, Biden. Everybody's talking about Biden. I've rounded up some of the more interesting stuff below.
Start, of course, with Grist's fact sheet on Biden's environmental record and our interview with Biden on environmental issues.
Other green stuff: see a 2007 rundown on Biden from the League of Conservation Voters and this recent roundup from Greenpeace on his eco-record (I think they get the liquid-coal thing wrong -- more on that later).
Here are Obama's comments introducing Biden. Clear what they're after here: combination of working class authenticity and foreign policy strength. Here are Biden's full remarks. Here's video of both:
Here's an NYT roundup on Biden's positions on other issues and an NYT profile. Here's another, better, longer profile from the Chicago Tribune, published early in the primary season. Here's a pictoral history of Biden from TNR.
Joe Biden has the lowest net worth of any U.S. Senator. The Drum Major Institute gives Biden a 95% score on middle class issues. The One campaign says Biden has a great record on the global poor. Then again, Jackson Williams recalls Biden's shameful support of the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill.
Biden is notoriously horrible on drug war, criminal justice, and civil liberty issues. Libertarian Radley Balko goes ballistic.
Here head AP political reporter Ron Fournier, who actually considered working for the McCain campaign earlier this campaign season, writes an "analysis" of the Biden choice that is unabashed McCain campaign talking points. Embarrassing. Steven Benen bashes it, and traces AP's horrendous record during the campaign. Steven Clemons pushes back in his typically civil way.
Numbers guru Nate Silver analyzes the choice using, well, numbers. He's fairly optimistic. This letter from a reader to Mark Halperin also captures the benefits of the Biden choice. Campaign reporter Marc Ambinder has some interesting reflections. Even Hillary Clinton approves!
Longtime D.C. insider types David Brooks and Jonathan Alter both called out Biden as the best choice last week.
Biden's son is deploying to Iraq next year. Steven Waldman says Biden is serious about his Catholicism.
Some good stuff on Biden's record from a Nevada journalist, including this tidbit:
In May 2002 Public Citizen, a research group founded by Ralph Nader, reported that Biden is one of only seven members of the Senate who have taken no money from the nuclear power industry in political action committee contributions from 1997 to 2002 (Hot Waste, Cold Cash: Nuclear Industry PAC Contributions and the Senators Who Love Them [PDF]).
Steve Clemons says that Americans will be very impressed when they meet Biden's wife Jill.
Here's a compilation of some of Biden's most pungent lines from the primary debates:
Huffington Post has rounded up more good Biden videos here.
UPDATE: Dave Weigel, a Delawarian (Delawarite?), runs down the three best and three worst things about the Biden pick.
Americans United praises Congress for passing ACES
Franken win means another likely Senate vote for climate action
Ask Umbra’s video advice on sunscreen
Comments
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Jason D Scorse Posted 10:06 am
23 Aug 2008
Nice resource here....
is Biden perfect? Is anyone? Especially anyone steeped in Washington politics? But this guy is the real deal and no joke- I actually am surprised he didn't make more of a run in the primaries given his command of the issues both domestically and on foreign policy- this was the best choice for sure.
We need to focus on the root causes of problems. www.voicesofreason.info.
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Steven T Posted 12:41 am
24 Aug 2008
Corruption hits AP
David, good summary. Also, thank you for noting Ron Fournier's links to the McCain campaign. That association is paying off big time. The early coverage of Biden strikes me as unusually tough from the AP, e.g., this morning AP posted a story listing alleged Biden scandals. It reads like Rovian talking points.
I think this illustrates the depth of the corruption in DC, where even the nation's leading wire service has succumbed to blatantly partisan reporting. I hope the major journalism professional associations take a good look at what is happening to the AP. Society of Professional Journalists: It's time to grow a backbone.
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WWAGD?! Posted 2:07 am
24 Aug 2008
Sooo....
...if he's been in the Senate for so long. And he has this great "environmental record" -- why is the climate so wacky? (At least according to former Senator Al Gore).
Seems like these Long In The Tooth Senators have some 'esplaining to do, since they've been running the country for 35 years -- how can they criticize it?
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WWAGD?! Posted 2:09 am
24 Aug 2008
Data Corruption?
This data shows Biden having a negative "minimum" net worth:
108 Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del) $-302,980 $-12,491 $277,997
Does he not know how to use his credit cards or have a bad mortgage or what?
The top 5 richest are all Democrats:
1 John Kerry (D-Mass) $221,589,484 $267,789,805 $313,990,127
2 Herb Kohl (D-Wis) $117,798,026 $171,423,011 $225,047,997
3 Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) $43,351,040 $102,822,519 $162,293,999
4 Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa) $55,878,022 $91,713,012 $127,548,003
5 Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) $49,392,297 $79,555,657 $109,719,018
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amazingdrx Posted 2:51 am
24 Aug 2008
As Rachel Maddow says
Anything "creepy" about Joe would have come out by now. He has a net worth around 150k, he did not cash in.
Obama compared Cheney's secret energy meeting to how Joe would handle the VP job. Is he hinting at a Biden energy meeting? Public and including our favorite energy gurus? Lovins, Brown, and other renewable electron energy economy boosters? Could be.
Now will we see Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel?
Start hinting at an Obama cabinet Barack, and get these people out there. Energy secretary? Lester Brown? That would be good.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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WWAGD?! Posted 3:36 am
24 Aug 2008
Dem Insider Schemings...
What would be so noble about that?
T. Boone Pickens would make us pay our taxes to him and his wind combine. Nancy Pelosi just invested $150,000 in it.
http://moneyrunner.blogspot.com/2008/08/pelosi-pickens-an ...
Hydrogen and fuel cell technology would be suppressed. Expensive hybrid cars would be enforced on Americans.
Al Gore's venture capital fund would be rewarded, as would all the high flying "Green Billionaires"
Because Biden is so impoverished, he would basically be the lapdog off all the bigwigs, since he's not able to sit at the same table as everyone else.
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Glenn Hurowitz Posted 3:19 am
25 Aug 2008
On Greenpeace & liquid coal
Speaking for Greenpeace here, we based the liquid coal export fact on the Grist interview with Biden, but think it's likely that he indeed was referring to CCS and not clean coal. Feel free to let us know, Biden people!
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Glenn Hurowitz Posted 3:21 am
25 Aug 2008
I meant liquid coal
i.e. after talking with Grist folks, Biden seems to actually have been talking about CCS, not liquid coal.
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