Who is Joe Biden?

Hi All,

This post is a bit of a departure from my tales of misadventures. I am a supporter of Barack Obama and his run for president. So I am very excited to see that he has selected Joe Biden. There was some speculation that he'd pick Evan Bayh, former Governor and now junior senator from the state of Indiana, current Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, current Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, New Mexico Governor Tim Richardson and even Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, his main rival in the Democratic Presidential Primary.As somewhat of a political nerd, I'm known for reading up on people and translating political lingo to my friends and family, I thought I'd answer the question that I'm bound to get, and that question is 

Who is Joe Biden?

Joe Biden is currently serving as a sixth-term senator from the tiny state of Delaware. Senators have a term of six years, so yeah, he's been in the Senate longer than I've been alive. He has been in the Senate since Barack has been ELEVEN years old. The guy has more Foreign Relations experience than anyone in the Senate. And, as a coincidence, he is the current Chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. This committee is mainly responsible for giving aid to foreign countries, oversees the selection of nominees to the office of the Secretary of State position in the Executive Office Cabinet, and works to create legislation that determines how the U.S. handles matters relating to foreign countries (also known as foreign policy). Just to give you an example, they were directly involved, if not the mastermind behind the purchase of the land that would become the state of Alaska in 1867, as well as the creation of the United Nations in 1945. This committee is one of the most influential in the Senate, and if selected to be a member of this committee, it pretty much means you are the ish. (Just a note: Barack Obama serves on this committee along with Biden, and the two have worked together on legislative matters related to the aims of the committee.) It is a well known 'rumor' that Hillary Clinton tried to get on this committee when she came into the Senate, but the seat went to Barack Obama. 

In addition to being Chairman (or Top Dawg) of the Foreign Relations Committee, he's also Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Crime and Drugs, and Co-Chairman of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control. See, what most people don't realize is that the Senate is not just 100 people in a room squabbling about issues. Most senators serve on at least two committees. These Committees often are so big that they have sub-committees that serves as branches of the large group. Senior Senators who have served longer than the other Senator from their state, ones like Biden, have a pick of which committees they serve on due to seniority, (as a way of showing respect, it is not a rule). Obviously committees like Foreign Relations, Judiciary (which helps confirm prospective Supreme Court judges) and Finance (which deal with money that the government gives to programs like Medicare, Social Security, as well as dealing with the National Debt) are the most glamorous because they get plenty of press, but also because they are the most influential. So because Biden serves on these committees, and others, he's a pretty busy guy. 

Junior Senators, ones that don't have much time served in the Senate as the other Senator from their state, are either appointed to a committee or selected by members of a committee based on their strengths, popularity and/or record. These committee members meet and deal with new bills or ideas that affect their committee and often will present their findings to the Senate when a vote arises. This is why people think Senators do nothing, but in fact, they are constantly meeting with one another, lobbyists for or against a bill and talking to industries affected by their committee ruling. 

Biden has strong opinions, is not without controversy, but is intelligent, honest and straight-forward. If he's posed a question that he does not know the answer to, which is rare, he will say, "I don't know." He's candid, open and friendly. I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a Senate hearing in my ventures in DC, and he was prepped so hard for that topic, it was ridiculous. He had notes, cards, and knew his subject backwards and forwards. He also had studied the topic so well that it was obvious he'd figured out what questions might be asked, and researched the ways to answer them. While that could be attributed to a good staff, it is a good sign that whomever McCain picks as his running mate will have to be on their toes in order to face off against Biden in a debate. 

He's run for President three times, in 1988, in 2004 and again in 2008. If you watched any of the Democratic debates earlier this year, you can remember him being the one pretty much acknowledged by all the other candidates, including Mike Gravel, for being the go-to guy on Foreign Relations matters. He was in the news recently for going abroad to Georgia, on President George Bush's insistence, to assist in coming up with a solution to the Russian/Georgian conflict that has been splattered all over headlines. He's 65 years old, so he's got the age and experience that the conservatives look for, but he's also unafraid to speak his mind and go against the grain, which is perfect for Obama's message of 'Change In Washington'. 

He's also a fighter. Biden lost his first wife and child in a car accident not too long after he won his Senate seat for the first time, in 1972. His other two sons were injured, but were able to recover, and Biden would travel over an hour from his home in Delaware to Washington D.C., something he continues to do, even today.  He also suffered from two brain aneurysms back in 1988 that almost killed him but after 7 months of recovery, he was back and serving in the Senate. 

I don't know about you, but I think this campaign has just gotten even more interesting. 

I can't wait to see what happens next.

*Ashley Robin*