More than six months after claiming a Super Tuesday win that set into motion his presumptive nomination, Barack Obama has chosen the Democrat who will help him fill the party ticket against John McCain in November. Joseph Robinette Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware and former presidential candidate himself, edged out four other short-listed Democrats- Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Representative Chet Edwards of Texas- to become Obama’s running mate. The selection marks the culmination of a period of consistently growing anticipation as the Democratic presidential nominee narrowed the field of contenders.
Biden is a familiar name in the party, having run for president several times himself. But undoubtedly, new voters as well as those who may not remember the veteran Democrat will be anxious to learn everything they can about the man who could very well replace Dick Cheney as the nation’s second most powerful executive.
The 65-year old Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but relocated to New Castle County, Delaware. The eldest of four children in an Irish Catholic family, Biden received his undergraduate degree in political science and history from the University of Delaware, and his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University. In 1966, he married Nila Hunter while still attending law school. They had three children together: Joseph “Beau” Biden (now the Attorney General of Delaware), Robert Hunter Biden, and Naomi.
In 1970, Biden was elected to the County Council. Just two years later, he mounted a successful campaign to unseat a two-term Republican Senator, achieving victory by a single percentage point. Biden was just 29 years old at the time of his election, and only 30 (the minimum age for a US Senator mandated by the Constitution), becoming the fifth-youngest Senator in history.
In the interim between Biden’s election and his taking the oath of office, Biden’s wife and infant daughter were killed in an auto accident. His two sons sustained life threatening injuries, but eventually fully recovered from their wounds, a phenomenon Biden attributed to the heroic efforts of the firefighters who responded to the scene of the accident. Though Biden planned not to take office following the horrific tragedy, he was convince by some of his colleagues- including Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd, and Paul Sarbanes- to continue. He has since won reelection to the Senate five times, making him the fourth longest serving Democrat in the Senate (exceeded only by Kennedy, Byrd, and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy).
Over the years, Biden became one of the most important and influential Democrats in Washington, rising to the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, and more recently the Committee on Foreign Affairs. As the Judiciary Committee chairman, he oversaw the confirmation hearings of Robert Bork (who was eventually denied by the Senate), and Clarence Thomas, whose own appointment was marred by claims of sexual harassment against Anita Hill. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Biden was one of the most important contributors to the effort to bring peace during the war in Bosnia. He was the first to declare Slobodan Milosevic a “war criminal.” He has been equally outspoken on the Iraq War. In 2006, when criticism of the Iraq War was high but reasonable solutions conspicuously absent, Biden led the way, crafting a partitioning plan that drew praise from everyone from Bill O’Reilly to Bill Richardson.
As mentioned above, Biden has run for president several times. In 1988, he was a lead contender for the nomination along with Michael Dukakis when he suffered a double brain aneurysm, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Simultaneously, an aide to the Dukakis campaign accused Biden of plagiarism on two occasions: once in law school, of which he was ultimately cleared by the Delaware State Bar. The other arose from a speech that he had given but failed to attribute to British politician Neil Kinnock. Though Biden admitted that he hadn’t credited Kinnock on that particular occasion, previous records showed that he had used the speech during several other campaign stops, and had cited the Kinnock speech properly each time. Upon discovering the source of the accusation, Dukakis fired the aide responsible.
Biden again considered running in 2004, but felt that he did not have sufficient time to mount a strong fundraising base. In 2008, however, he declared his candidacy early, having been candid about his intention to run dating as far back as late 2005. Though he ultimately fell short of the necessary support in Iowa Caucus, Biden impressed Democratic voters with consistently strong debate performances, often prompting pundits to declare him the “winner” for the night. He often brought an element of humor to the campaign. In the first CNN forum, Biden was asked whether- given his history of verbal gaffes- he could be trusted to represent the US in a dignified manner on the world stage. The notoriously long-winded Biden smiled and answered, “Yes,” leaving Anderson Cooper silent as he waited for an elaboration that wasn’t coming. Later, he spurred laughter when he said, “The irony is, Rudy Giuliani [is] probably the most unqualified man to seek the presidency since George W. Bush…I mean think about it! Rudy Giuliani! There’s only three things he mentions in a sentence- a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There’s nothing else. And I mean this sincerely: he’s genuinely not qualified to be president.”
Perhaps both his best and worst attribute at once, Biden has been incredibly outspoken. It’s made him prone to gaffes from time to time, but it’s also likely what drew Obama’s attention. He called President Bush’s speech before the Israeli Knesset in which he questioned Obama‘s patriotism “bullsh*t.”
Biden’s personal and professional history could prove to be an incredible asset to the Obama campaign. His experience- particularly in the area of foreign policy, where he’s gained respect from Democrats and Republicans alike- as well as his candor could bring a good degree of balance to the ticket. In the weeks to come, public opinion polls will prove whether or not the selection of Biden is the “game-changer” that pundits have said Obama needed. But from the start, it looks like the Democrats might very well have put together the first winning ticket in 12 years.
